I
can say that this airplane was the one that got me into this crazy hobby. When
I was 6 or 7, my dad took me to an airshow where the mug of an ugly A-10 greeted
me at the gates. I was hooked! All of the jets went home, except a few, and
those that remained were the RF-4Cs of the 155 TRG. For years I would sit in my
back yard and watch them fly over my house. When I was 12 they were
decommissioned. I built an RF-4C and made my own markings. They were crude and
the word "Nebraska" was painted free hand. I wanted the decals for my
favorite jets, but no one made them. Later I would find some decals for the
camo versions, and thanks to a fellow ARCer I have those decals for a future
project. But my memories were of the Phantoms in the "Hill Grey"
scheme. So many years later and with the advent of laser printers and some good
decal paper I got to try my hand at making my own decals. This Jet 066, or
"Photogenic" as it was called features Jessica Rabbit. Her pose is
just a little different than that of the real thing, but since she is covered
with a white anti-weathering material in the Arizona desert, I figured I could
take a liberty or two. At this point however, I must beg forgiveness from the
modeling community. I dropped the wrong flaps! So next time I will drop the
right ones, and yes there will be a next time. There is something phunny about
the phantoms. I love building them! I detailed the life out of this kit, which
is actually the Hasegawa RF-4B. Here is a brief list of the aftermarket items
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Quickboost Ejection Seats
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Cleveland
FOD Covers
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Eduard Photo Etch, including "Remove Before Flight" tags
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True Details Tires
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Bare Foil Decal Paper
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Various decals from other sets including walk ways and slime lights
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images below to see larger images
I
tried to include the patches I had from the group. I had a friend whose dad was
a part of the group. To my surprise he gave me the patches right off of his
uniform! They were beginning the transition over to the KC-135R and he was just
going to throw them away! I am so lucky to have gotten them.
I
decided to open the camera bay, at least the first door. The cameras in the Kit
are reasonably detailed and with the Eduard update they are really well
detailed, so I went for it! Other than that the Kit is a breeze to build. I
found myself using some superglue to fill some gaps on the underside, and there
is the requisite sanding, but overall I see no major flaws with the kit. Again
the kit I used was the "B," but all the parts are there for the
"C." Hasegawa just updates the instructions, telling you what to fill
(the slime lights) and what to add. The color Eduard panels are a work of art!
I highly recommend them for anyone who is interested in giving you Kit a little
kick.
Here
are just a few other Phantom Photos. Included
was my early attempt, in fact the only model I still have from my younger
days. Also is the 1/72 camo 155th kit. Both of these are 1/72. The other Phantom is
a Hasegawa 1/48 packaged as the Revell elite series. And finally is my little
modeling companion camped out in her favorite spot. She likes to nudge me with
her wet nose just as I am attempting some tedious task, but I love her anyway!
Thanks
for looking - I hope you are inspired to do that plane that got you into this,
even if you have to make your own decals!
Tyler
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images below to see larger images
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