Started 10/10/2007
13 October 2007
I have heard nice things about the Fujimi F-4's especially the UK versions, so whenever I have seen them I buy one or two. Currently I have 4 of the above boxing, and decided to build this straight from the box, using the kit decals (printed by Cartograph, so the whites are white).
The first thing I saw was a "short shot" on the spine just behind the canopy. After a quick glance at the other 3 kits in the stash, which are OK, I decided to go ahead and repair the damage using plasticard and Tamiya putty. So far I have put the wings together and the wing tanks, and the fit has been great.
15 October 2007
Cockpit completed. Base grey coat applied, followed by a quick coating of Tamiya Clear, kit decals applied, Micro-Set & Sol to draw the decal in to the raised detail. A coat of Pollyscale flat, a black wash, and finally a dry brush of light gray. Some time during the course of applying the flat coat and taking the photos I have managed to knock off the pilots stick. The hunt goes on.
30 March 2009
After 2 house moves, I finally managed to get round to progressing with this build. I opened the box tonight to find, I had finished the main construction and if I remember correctly have applied Xtracylix XA1105 [BS381C/627] and some Alclad. I seem to recall I had issues with the masking removing paint, and looks like I tried handbrushing some areas. So I shall be going over the paintwork with some Micromesh and respray.
Decals are now on. The Cartograph decals are gorgeous and went on a treat, with just a small dab of Micro-Sol for good measure. If I didn't have other schemes to build, I would have built the other decal option, which was XV486 from 23 Squadron painted up the same as a backup.
I shall seal them in tonight after I have cleaned any watermarks off.
14 April 2009
I got a bit sidetracked and only returned to this build yesterday. I sealed in the decals and applied a dark grey wash over the majority of the parts, with a black wash over the wheel wells, undercarriage and the exhaust area. Once cleaned up, I then applied a 50/50 mix of Tamiya Thiners and Xtracrlix Flat, to dull the plastic look. I then set to adding the remaining parts of the undercarriage and doors. The drop tanks and pylons are just push fit on for now. Although the undercarriage is exquisite in detail, the main gear feels very flimsy and will probably break very easily.
As you can see from the last photo I didn't quite get the drop tank decals to come together correctly. I shall try to correct them at a later date. On removal of the Tamiya masking tape on the canopy, the only problem I encountered was bleed through of the grey paint on the WSO's canopy, which I was able to remove most of it with a cocktail stick. This makes it about a full year since I put on the masking, my longest duration to date, with no damage to the Kleared canopy.