"US Navy F-4 MiG Killers - update..." Topic

I haven't done anything for ages on this project so I thought I would try and reinvigorate myself by getting what ever was in the spares box at least undercoated. So I managed to get 10 B Models undercoated. I couldn't find any J models in the box at all which means I am adrift about 16 aircraft. I am aiming at undercoating them all and then get the national insignia and NAVY added to all of them as the first stage before spending time doing the detail work. It means I can at least game with them in the interim.

This is a short pictorial of the project and the decals (lettering only, I hate to think how long the actual tail art is going to take me)

Info over on the blog as usual

link

Cool project and your planes look great. I guess you'll have to do the F-8s after you finish the F-4s. :)

Fly Navy,

Mike

You, sir, are insane. [He types, nodding approvingly….]

Sierra Hotel!

First Decals worked up for A/C 1/1 through 1/7 (less 1/3 which is already done)

The Black lines are just temporary to let me space the Information correctly. I should have the rest of the lettering designed tonight

All of the text and numbering has been done. Just playing around now getting the decal to fit the moulding which are somewhat overscale so things need to be trimmed to fit and aren't quite true 1/600th

This is the scale sizes I am current using. There are a couple of intermediate scales as well but couldn't get a decent sized photo with all of them showing

Update as of today following the post man. I have decided to do new models for the old schemes rather than trash the work I did previously

Apparently I can't count. Not enough J models and too many B models. So for the time being the old scheme VF-96 birds will stay in.

These are the 36 NAVY/MARINES airframes. The F-4E is already painted and needs the correct tail code and BuNo and won't form part of the main effort.

Undercoat tomorrow morning for the bare metal and IF I get time maybe a base coat of VJ Deck Tan. The radomes of the ones already base coated will also get done and possibly the canopies

I made a quick mock up of VF-114 from May 1972 just to check the colour with a new printer. The model is actually light gull gray it does appear quite light in this pic.

Colour on the stripes and aardvark is fine but a couple of minor issues to be resolved with the decals for this one which are over on the blog as usual link

Been away from air planes for too long so managed to print out all the letter during lunch time and base coat all the bare metal which has sat waiting since July

Looking great!

Thanks for sharing your progress. It is inspirational.

The book 1 aircraft have all the basic markings done and then have Dom's Decals excellent post war US stars n bars added.

After doing all these aircraft and going back whenever I first found an interest in USN aircraft, why has no one pointed out that the NAVY is in the wrong place. The first 16 aren't going to be redone but I have corrected the error for the aircraft in the second book.

From the first book, I have worked on more details and used some of the earlier art work so the odd aircraft in the book have been completed such as this new VF-21 aircraft (more decals) compared to an earlier one that I had just refreshed.

I will work through book 1 tomorrow and see if I can get a couple more finished. And then onto book2

Other half in bed, dog fed, new scalpel blade

A bit of colour added to keep me interested in finishing this. Sundowners and Falcons 1972 aircraft at the 90% mark. VF-161 needs a bit of thought though.

The overscale moulding and detail show up quite clearly in close ups. They are fine from 6" away.

These were used as tester to try out decals and colour mixes between clear decal paper over VJ Deck Tan and then on White Decal paper which is then blended in where the white edge shows. As such later aircraft may well be slightly different.

VF-151 later scheme

VF-114 later scheme

and an early VF-96 Falcons

Starting to make so headway into these now, Yellow and white are going to cause me a problem at the end

Blog as usual link

Light at the end of the tunnel. Re-org of the models into squadron groups meant I could batch up decals. For the time being I am not adding the modex to the nose due to need to handle the model

Early aircraft need tail art

VF-114 has come up alright without having to resort to white decal paper. Only pain is that I need to cut the anti slip to fit otherwise it shows up. The screaming eagles are just waiting for a print run, decals are all made up.

Minimum of 15 decals per aircraft. Maximum of 24 on a couple. Hopefully finish these on Sunday and then do a big varnish session to seal it all together and then dull it down to matt

Found a new feature today. My new printer seems to print a better opacity on red. So the Eagles have come up without having to put white under the marking. Microsol needed though to get it to fit

I have three aircraft to make up tail art for
VF-31 on the Saratoga
Black Lions 1965
VMFA-333 Shamrocks

All the other markings are done. Then it is going round each aircraft and adding the intake warnings and nose modex numbers and anything I missed the first time around

Bored you lot for too long on this, but finished.

Link to the Blog link

Will improve the pics over the next week or so. A couple of errors crept in as I went such as decals slipping while I was putting the gloss varnish on and didn't notice to making up two of the same aircraft and not noticing. The three early VF-96 J models really look out of place so need to do those at some point over the next couple of weeks when I get time.

I have laid them out in Squadron columns with the singleton birds in a row.

Squadron groups shots

USAF are next for a refresh in 3 colour SEA scheme but with later period tail codes as well as adding the USN Manned F-4E.

Also looking at scratch building the underwing stores for the Iron Hand/Wild Weasel aircraft

Beautiful looking artwork, and aircraft!!!!!

Thanks for sharing your pics, as always.