F-4E Phantom II - MO ANG

Kevin Struemph
Used Lead Shot Balls #7.5 to weight the nose. Simply blocked off the tip of the nose cone as well as potential exits/leaks so glue didn't wander. Mixed an amount of the shot with white glue to help hold the mass together. Scooped it all into the nose cone and let it dry overnight. Next day, sealed it into the nose cone with some thick CA and let THAT cure overnight. Result - one weighted nose cone guaranteed to keep the nose down. ***This works a lot better than the larger weights as they conform to interior shapes more easily, allowing more weight in a given space***

Kevin Struemph
Cockpit PE went in mostly without a hitch. Don't especially like the grey color Eduard chose for the unused console - seems a little light but it doesn't contrast badly with my XS-54 or 56 - whatever Tamiya grey I used. The sharp details look really great, though.

Added some scratchbuilt detail to the cockpit walls. First try, probably would do a little differently next time but am generally pleased. Most people won't even notice it, so calling it practice and moving on.

The Eduard exhaust PE really makes the too-simple OOB exhausts look terrific. A little squirrely to get fitted in w/o the final bit sticking out of the tube but worth the effort.

Kevin Struemph
Finally completed this piece. As this will likely go on a shelf didn't spend time griming it all up with oils, panel lines, etc. My reference photos indicated these birds didn't show panel lines much, probably due to their overall dark scheme. As it is, spent excessive time on the cockpit since it would be open. Good practice/learning on scratchbuilding which I hadn't done but wanted to try. Left it semi-gloss to make it easier to dust. Will post up a few more photos of the piece in-progress when I get back to the homestead and upload them from my phone. Beginning to feel that presentation builds need to have a base if for no other reason than making them easier to transport. Overall, pretty satisfied with how it looks.

Martin Oostrom
Pretty satisfied? You should be glowing in the dark with pride!

Kevin Struemph
Thanks, Martin. It's like that, though. Even though it is objectively a really good result and I really do feel good about the way she looks, as the builder I am very much aware of every irregularity, every spot I know was better to hide than fix, all the little bits I'd like to do a little differently or a little better. Guess it's a good thing I have a bazillion other kits on which to practice!

Martin Oostrom
We all have that. I see faults in mine that others don't see. As long as each on is better than the one before....

Clifford Keesler
Very nice F-4.