Gruesome Twosome

[Gondor]

So what's this all about I hear you ask, or is that the voices in my head? Either way this is yet another build thread that I am starting while I still have umpteen build threads still on the go. There is though a time I feel that I have to start some ideas before I either forget them or they are simply just too good not to start even if it means that something else gets put to one side for a bit longer.

This build starts off with an idea I had for an all over white F-4 that was to be used by the RAF with pale red/blue markings. This idea changed slightly when bouncing my idea off Thorvic, hope it didn't hurt!

Our chat ended up in a few changes to my original idea, which had been to build an F-4M in all over white. I normally change just one or two facts with only a bit of a stretch of reality but that would have proved difficult this time as the F-4M version would have been in service too late for the all over white scheme to still be in service with the RAF.

However, if I were to use an F-4B as an immediate Canberra replacement due to the cancellation of the TSR2 and on loan until the F-4M was ready that would work! 

Should be easy your thinking, just build an F-4B out of the box and paint it white! So why the Twosome in the title?

One of my previous build threads involved an F-4M with a slight twist and I have always intended to follow up that build with an Air Defence version, I may even use the same aircraft serial. The F-4M version will not only be in the Air Defence Grey colour scheme it will also have the strengthening plate on the underside of the wing just like in the picture below which I found on the web.



Two things are in my favour with both of these builds, Firstly I have built a gun nosed F-4M previously and Secondly using a recent Hasegawa F-4E kit means it comes with almost everything necessary to build an F-4B and most of what is needed for either build I will get from the alternate build 
This time I intend to be a bit more ambitious with the conversion of the Fujimi F-4M into a gun nosed version by using as much as I can. This will involve some surgery to the Hasegawa kit and inevitably men that I have lots of PSR to perform on both builds as there will be a hole under the nose in front of the undercarriage bay on what will be the F-4B but that should be easily plugged by some plastic card and filler.
The parts from the Hasegawa kit, part of a "Limited Edition" RF-4E/RF-4EJ Phantom II J.A.S.D.F. 501Sq double kit set, are shown below with the parts needed from one of the sprues circled in red.



These parts along with parts for the nose, see below, will be cut, glued and generally persuaded to fit onto the Fujimi kit's nose.



Fortunately, as in my previous build, the Fujimi kit has a recess inside the nose denoting where to remove the radome. This was for the FG1 25th Anniversary boxing which depicted the FG1 operating with the RAE and had a re-profiled radome contour which was provided as separate parts, see below. So that makes that part easy as well. I will also be using the Fujimi nose undercarriage doors on the F-4B.



With a bit of luck the parts from the F-4E will fall into some silicone with the hope that this saves some other poor F-4E from having it's nose lopped off.

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

With a bit of luck the parts from the F-4E will fall into some silicone with the hope that this saves some other poor F-4E from having it's nose lopped off.

You need to be SO careful these days, those vats of silicone are apt to turn up all over the place........... 

[Gondor]

When I started this build thread I had some difficulty with my web browser which kept locking up on me when a "script" stopped working and I lost almost the whole posting. I had pointed to my blog where on page 39 in post number 580 I started to write about the all white F-4. The blog shows a bit more about my thought processes for such things as the operating squadrons.

The upshot of everything so far is that the all white F-4 will belong to 6 Squadron while the ADV gun nosed F-4M will belong to 11 Squadron and in a change to my previous notions it will have a black fin with the black eagles on it which I may have said in the last day or so in the blog.

Gondor

[Gondor]

How forgetful I am or can be 

I was forgetting that both the F-4B and the C version have thin wings which means that I can't use a converted F-4E which if I remove the gun and add a radar nose can only be an F-4D as far as land based versions are concerned or maybe a J/S for a Naval or Marine aircraft 

Bought an F-4C on ebay today, the advantage is that it has a non slatted tail which would be right for the period I want the aircraft to be. I am still going to make my M61 armed F-4M in Air Defence Grey, it just might take a little longer as there is no pressure to get the parts back onto the fuselage and replacements cast. Saying that though, I think I have a possible gap in my list of builds for a D version somewhere....

Gondor

[Snowtrooper]

What? The C does have the thick wing, only A and B (and its derivatives, ie RF-4B, Navy G, N rebuilds) had the thin wing.

[Gondor]

What? The C does have the thick wing, only A and B (and its derivatives, ie RF-4B, Navy G, N rebuilds) had the thin wing.

Dang it   I was sure my references were right but after checking I have found out that your right. Going to have to change my spreadsheet about the F-4  

Oh well, at least I will have another C version for my planned builds so all is not lost 

Gondor

[Gondor]

Right, did some cutting up this evening, not much but enough for me to start building the C version.



Next step is to square up the parts in the tweezers and to scratch build the parts that are inside the nose wheel bay which will be fiddly as they are not the biggest parts ever but are not only handed they are at an angle to the sides of the wheel well and for side on too

Gondor

[Captain Canada]

That`s a lot of work, but I like it !