JHM's Leigh-Build

[John Howling Mouse]

Here goes: Bench is cleared, kit and back-up kit are ready to go.
Updates a-plenty coming up (I hope!).

[John Howling Mouse]

Subject Kit: Matchbox 1:72 Phantom F-4M/K.

I absolutely    Phantoms (so why have I never had the pleasure of building one?).

8:45 a.m. Friday.

Here goes, wish me luck (and fun).

[Hunter Gatherer]

STOP RIGHT THERE....

STEP AWAY FROM THE MODEL !

That workbench is Waaaaaayyyy too clean and organised. Somebody call this man's lawyer and the duty schrink right now.

Sir if you'll come with me, NOW !

 

[Aircav]

Is that a big lego block under the table ?

[Gary]

Burn him... and steal his models!!!! Hee Hee Hee


By the way, got enough light there Baz?

[Ollie]

I doubt it...

He needs at least another lamp!

 

[Davey B]

Oh MAN! I love that old kit! 'twas one of the forst I ever built, and met its end on the receiving end of a tack-hammer many years later    

[nev]

By the way, got enough light there Baz?

My thoughts exactly!  


Aircav - good spot mate!  Looks like the lid of a box of Duplo to me...

[John Howling Mouse]

The mess as of 1:00 PM.  Just painting stuff on the sprues at this point.
Man, those rocket pod nosecones took longer than I thought----wanted to show the grooves and all...

The older one (newer mold) made in England sure is better than the later one (older mold) made somewhere in Asia----night and day difference in molding quality and the styrene used.  Although they're both supposed to be kits of the same plane, the radomes between the kits are completely different, too (one has sharper point and is a full half inch longer than the other).

[John Howling Mouse]

The giant BOX!  Legos, man (I use them to make small molding boxes).

That reminds me: Ms. Hitler called me at work yesterday to tell me:
"You have a HUGE package."

I thanked her very much, told her she was too kind but reminded her to be sure to let all her lady coworkers know about my HUGE package, too.

Turned out it was a parcel which had come in the mail.  Hobbycraft 1:48 Otter (has to be one of the most oversized kit cartons I've ever seen, right up there with AMT's 1:72 Flying Wing box...

[lancer]

I built the Matchbox Phantom a long time ago and I seem to remember it was a pretty decent build.

[AeroplaneDriver]

Seeing that white Phantom phuselage brings back memories!  

That kit was my second (first was an Airfix Spitfire) back when I was a wee lad in England.  I distinctly remember tying string around it and whirling around my head in an impressive display of "G" pulling.

Unfortunately one Saturday night it broke free of its tether during an especially scarry Dr. Who (Terror of the Zygons IIRC) and sped off through the living room at a 1:72 scale Mach 1.04 causing Mum to be less than happy.

Ahh, memories....

Anyhoo, good luck with your weekend project.  I cant wait to see what a properly built Matchbox Phantom looks like!

[John Howling Mouse]

I cant wait to see what a properly built Matchbox Phantom looks like!

Heh, heh, to see that, somebody else would have to build it or you'd probably have to go to Hyperscale, ARC, and/or Modeling Madness!!  

[Leigh]

Good job Baz, hope you get as  much out of actually achieving a "goal " as i did. Can't go wrong with Matchbox and I too need to build some Phantoms, they were "my plane" when I was a kid. Ironic thing is this weekend I'm thinking of doing a JHM with some major chopping and rebuilding of a latin o rama entry, so if anyone has any experience of grafting a 1/48 SR-71 nose and engines onto a 1/72 Fairey Gannet any tips would be appreciated.

Actually I stole the idea of a weekend build from Gary when he built that Mig in ten hours.

[Geoff_B]

Hmmn

I think the tidy bench is just a sign that JMN has to share his workroom with Mrs Hitler and as a result has to keep it tidy for fear of being banished to the Garage or similar cold dark place most blokes get exiled to when attempting to do a hobby that may effect the aura of neatness that surrounds a womans home....

As for the Matchbox toom, generally a nice kit, and pretty good for Matchbox at the time as you actually got a cockpit tub !!!. The construction breakdown allows some conversion potential and was used to develop the F4-HL that Martin and myself did(doing). Possible mod for JHM if he wanted to get a little adventurous in building one of them.

Cheers

Geoff B B)