The first step in the build is the cockpit. This step took 10 hr 17 min.
I broke the work into sections: ejection seats, consoles with cockpit frame, controls and instrument panels. All of the parts used in this step were cleaned with 70% isopropyl alcohol (sprayed from the airbrush) to remove the mold releasing agent from the plastic.
Ejection seat assembly
Console assembly
This kit contains multiple versions of panels, likely because the original mold was an earlier version of the F-4 Phantom. Instead of redesigning the mold, they probably added updated parts. As I looked around for the four console pieces, I inadvertently used the wrong ones (parts 183-186 instead of 250-253).
On further review of the part name table in the instructions, there are several instances where the numbering has gaps. The parts I used are absent from the table.
Ejection seats and console painting
From my last post, you may recall how excited I was to find the required colors in a new-to-me paint brand Mission Models because they don’t require thinning. Then this happened…
Typically this is caused by 1) a dirty airbrush, 2) not enough air pressure, 3) the paint being too thick. After asking one of the members of our model club about what I was doing wrong, he said this brand cannot go straight into the airbrush; he then showed me the instruction pad hanging off the Mission Models paint rack in Hobbytown.
The back of the bottle reads, “For use with all airbrush types, works great sprayed directly from the bottle, or reduced in any ratio with MISSION MODELS thinner.” The instruction sheet says “10 drops of paint add 2-3 drops of thinner and 2-3 drops of polyurethane mix additive.” Of course you have to by their brand of additive. That means I have three chemicals to futz with? Hard pass.
The good news is the Tamiya colors I had from the last kit (light sea grey XF-25, and neutral gray XF-53) look identical when dry side-by-side with the Mission Models paints.
Testing the painting approach
I used the extra instrument panels and consoles to test how I want to paint the actual parts.
If you get too aggressive with removing the enamel wash with a cotton swab, you will eventually remove all paint.
Console and instrument panel details
I’m pleased with the subtlety of the drybrushing technique. Applying paint directly on the consoles (from the test pieces) is what model makers call “out of scale,” meaning that it’s not reflective of how the actual vehicle would look (e.g., lit up like a Christmas tree).
Rudders and control sticks
I had a minor incident trimming one of the rudder pedal pieces off the sprue, as the piece is very thin, which I was able to repair with some liquid cement that fuses plastic.
Ejection seat details
At this point the ejection seats have an overall coat of gunship grey. So it’s time to add some color…
Before applying the enamel wash, I put on a few coats of Pledge Revive It floor wax (a.k.a. cheap clear coat) to protect the paint underneath.
After drying a few hours, I used enamel thinner and a cotton swab to lightly clean up any excess…
Completing the cockpit assembly
Yes, those unpainted sections behind the panels will be covered up with another part much later in the build.
I applied a few light coats of Alclad Klear Koat semi matte to take the sheen off the ejection seats.
Next step
With the cockpit assembly completed, the front fuselage (i.e., nose of the aircraft and the nose gear well) is up next.