F-105D
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A/C 62-4357 was the original "Pussy Galore" and came to Tahkli RTAFB from the 80 TFS in Okinawa. Later, 62-4364 (hastily repainted to camouflage) was the version I have chosen for this project. So, my best information says this A/C was from the 44th TFS of the 355th TFW at Tahkli RTAFB. I left the NLG ILS reflector cover green, but have found no pictures of it. The green color was chosen based on the A/C 62-4338 flown by Col. Jack Broughton. I suppose the color of the cover could have also been silver, white or yellow.
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The steel rods from the LE slats in the kit.
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I used this Evergreen stock for the MLG base stack.
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I have no idea why the Trumpeter folks thought the original mold was sufficient for the base of the MLG that was potentially going to carry 500 grams of weight. Something had to be added that would bolster or expand the gluing surface.
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This is the #61 drill bit marked for drilling depth.
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Drilling the MLG struts requires the most time just to make sure the 3/4 inch of drilling is straight.
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This is the whole drilled through the top of the wing to accept the steel rod from the top of the MLG strut.
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A reenforcement strip was also added to the back of the MLG strut as this thin portion of the strut is the weakest part. The Evergreen strips are also very malleable for accepting the MLG door and using it for lateral strength when the door is attached and the axel is passed through the bottom of the strut.
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This shows the hole drilled for the steel rod. It also shows the necessity for adding the Evergreen strip on the back of the MLG strut.
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This image gives an idea as to the depth of drilling required (3/4 inch) so that the vertical rod does not interfere with the axel.
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Kommentit
19 14 December 2022, 04:51
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Looks great, camo turned out really well. What paint did you use for the SEA scheme?
14 December 2022, 12:24
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Paints are Model Master enamels. I seem to have a stash of them that is becoming pretty precious these days. I'm using Mr. Color clear paints. I confess I do not understand the Mr. Color thinner and paint system just yet. There are 120g of led shot in the nose.
14 December 2022, 22:58
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Undercoat was Mr. Finishing Surfacer 1500 and then a wash of Tamiya panel line color (black). Still more weathering to do...
14 December 2022, 22:59
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Must be a very big beast. Great idea to strengthen the gear legs. Looks good already
14 December 2022, 23:06
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Thanks for the encouragement! It is a beast for sure. When the Lady goes on, it's gonna start looking like the image I have had in my head since about 1972...
14 December 2022, 23:08
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Since they were discontinued they are getting hard to find for sure. For Mr. Color, I keep it simple, their thinner is compatible with Tamiya's paints, so I go with that.
14 December 2022, 23:19
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I have heard they are Tamiya compatible. Thinner smells funny, but dries pretty hard which makes weathering easier!
14 December 2022, 23:44
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I swear by the levelling thinner. Undercoats of 20-30% paint, blend coat of 10-15% paint. Dries fast too. Check out my album of paint handling tools, makes dealing with it a snap.
15 December 2022, 01:39
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Decals are on. Cleaning the canopy and loading the ejection seat this evening!
16 December 2022, 00:34
Album info
MLG details for strengthening the kit parts and the final look of the finished model.
A #61 drill bit was used to drill out the MLG struts to accept the steel rods from the Leading Edge (LE) slats. The kit comes with six rods for the LE Slats. This allowed me to use two rods for each strut and one rod for each main wheel axel. The Axel is drilled through to the MLG door for lateral strength. All seems to have worked really well.