Danumurthi Mahendra
Nice project.

John Thomas
Nice start

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Danumurthi and John

Christian Ristits
Thats interesting, I am in!

Spanjaard Autor
🙂

Spanjaard Autor
now, i have a question about those slats.... anybody can help?

Patrick Hagelstein
Give it a try! I did some research for a future F-4S and an F-4F build.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Hagel. do you have any pictures of those slats?

Choppa Nutta
liking those seats 🙂

Patrick Hagelstein
Do you mean the slats on the inboard wing? So between the foldable part and the fuselage? Or the ones on the actual foldable parts?

Patrick Hagelstein
Another question: Are you building the Black Bunny as an F-4J or an F-4S? The J only had inboard slats, the S had both inboard and outboard slats.

Patrick Hagelstein
I'm just browsing through your album and saw you are using the Wolfpack Hard wing flap down set; F-4J it is! The F-4J has no outboard slats. Be aware that contrary to the trailing edge flaps the slats were rarely down when the plane was on the ground. Only for maintenance and special occasions. Under the wings you'll find three hinges per side. These hinges cant the slats in a forward/upward angle as to create an opening between the slats and the wing to keep the airflow over the wing in high lift manouvres. At the moment I don't have my external hard disk with me but I'll try to link some internet sites which were/are helpfull to me. Just a moment...

Patrick Hagelstein
forum.largescaleplan..pic=44604&page=2
arcforums.com/forums..php?showtopic=224033
These articles show you all the itty gritty details. It's a long read but worth it every page!

Spanjaard Autor
Hi Hagel

first of all thanks for the help. ok, i am a bit confused here, probably due to my own ignorance, but also because the instructions from Wolfpack are also not clear. let's go step by step
yes, you are right, F4J is what i was trying to do (probably taking some licenses in regards to accuracy i am afraid....).

In any case, i have the two areas encircled in color in the picture. in the yellow area, we can see what i have already cut and the leading edge flap (not slat, i hope i get it right now), this will be (since i already cut the wing) down.

now, in the foldable part, i can choose to leave it as it is, or cut the leading edge, and use the part form the wolfpack kit. that will show this part, also down

i have the following picture (thanks Rex) that shows both down, in an N version.
[img1]

the only option is to do the surgery and use the lower one, am i correct?

again, thanks for the help, it seems now that i need it even more than i thought 😉

Patrick Hagelstein
Oops... As I read your other question over here I realised I am wrong in telling you about those three hinges... Those were also only on the F-4S. And late F-4E's, F-4F's and F-4G's for that matter. Just stick with what other members answered in your other item.

Spanjaard Autor
no problem Hagel, so i have to start cutting, i am afraid😉

Clifford Keesler
Looking very nice.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford. pity i am advancing very slow. and progress will probably be 0 in the next week or two....

Clifford Keesler
I know how that goes. LOL.

Patrick Hagelstein
Yep... I'm affraid some cutting is on order. 😉 Rex provided you with a very nice picture. In this picture you can see that the flaps just fold down, nothing too fancy. Good luck and I hope to see some pictures!
BTW time to update my own RF-4E album...

Spanjaard Autor
Alea iacta est 🙂
cutting is done. thanks a lot for all the help. next update will take some time. i will be looking forward seeing your RF-4E Hagel 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
by the way, i have repainted the instrument pannels... again. i think i have done it 3 times already. this time, with brushes rather than markers. even if they are suppose to contain acrylic paint, they do not seem to really be permanent. more complex with the brush, but i think it is better. no pictures of that yet, sorry.

Rex
hah, they sure end up looking all chopped up when we add improvements to them, don't they? Looking forward to seeing this when you get back to it.

Spanjaard Autor
Chopped up indeed 🙂 thanks Rex

Spanjaard Autor
finally some time to work. cockpits are almost done, a few little details, choose one, and maybe this weekend i can finally glue the fuselage from once and for all 🙂

Erik Leijdens
Impressive work so far Spanjaard, that cockpit looks really good 👍

Michael Hickey
Those pits look divine, I hope your going to use the Aires forward wheel well bay or you could find yourself in a world of pain.

Bart Goesaert
did have the same problem with my albums, you can add everything you want, they don't show up in the feed.
It's a pretty nice (understatement of the year) cockpit... 1 for testing and one for real... 😉 I wish I could achieve the same results...

Holger Kranich
Wow, looking great! How did you make the yellow-black on the ejection handle Loops?

Michael Hickey
Using the Aires forward wheel bay underneath the Aires cockpit makes the cockpit fall in place perfectly.

Patrick Hagelstein
Now that's a thing to remember Michael.

Hanno Kleinecke
Great work on these cockpits, especially the seats look very authentic 👍 !

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot everybody 🙂
@Michael, yes, i am using the aires wheel-bay, but I had to sand everything until i could see through 😛 it is very, very tight space. i will have to sand a bit more in the sides of the cockpit for it to fit.
@Holger, y simply painted in yelow, and then make the strips with a very thin brush, 4-0 or 5-0, not sure.

Spanjaard Autor
@Bart, the idea was to make just one, but the carpet monster took a part of it... never to be seen again. so i ended up buying a second, to get the part i was missing... then the piece in the new set did not match the old one, so i started to paint the second one, and though about scratch building the missing part usign the one of the second as a model.
Then i realized that the film for the dials was faulty, so i contacted Aires about it.... and i must say that the support of Aires was SIMPLY EXCELLENT, they sent a replacement for the film, and they even throw in the piece that I lost (no fault of theirs), with no cost from my side. So BIG THANKS TO AIRES that is realy support. and really fast by the way.
so i ended up with too complete cockpits, both partially done... so I am finishing both. I will use the best one, and then I have two options. I can buy a second Hasegawa F-4J,. or maybe take a Phantom that I did maybe 25 years ago, remove the paint (what a horrible job i did then) and rebuild it top to bottom, adding the finished cockpit.... will see.....

Gordon Sørensen
Incredible looking cockpits Spanjaard!

Clifford Keesler
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Grodon and Clifford.

KlausH
Great paintjob on the cockpits! Fantastic! 🙂 👍

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks KlausH, your pics on F-4E Phantom II - 57th FIS Kevlavik - | Album by KlausH (1:48) were certainly a great inspiration 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
some (slow) progress, but now, it is starting to look like a plane.

Marc Stecher
Those cockpit are just breathtaking! I realise that I have a long way to go... 😄

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Marc, for once i am happy with those cockpits (after painting them three times each 😛) but the wings unfortunately are not going to good. Due to all the surgery it was hard to get them to join in the right way.... so I did use some pegs and some carefully heating from hair-dryer, but that created some damage that it is being complicated to repair.... it will be a pity if the outside does not match the quality of the cockpit. on the other hand, i am learning a lot with this kit.

Marc Stecher
Sure this will work out great! I´ll keep watching this! 🙂

Michael Phillips
This is looking fantastic so far... That cockpit is really awesome!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Marc for your kind words and encouragement. and thanks Michael, if i could achieve just 25% of what you have done with your F3H-2 I would be a really happy modeller 🙂

Michael Phillips
Oh you are well on your way. Your cockpits look WAY better than mine. I am really looking forward to see this thing come together.

e p
Noice paintjob on the cockpits! Keep em coming!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Michael and Elias, I will do my best and I hope I can keep the expectations 🙂

arne vd burg
Awesome work on the pits 👍 watching your progress .

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot. no much progress lately. wings attached, and lots of putty and sanding done to fix the damage in the wings. new pictures will be added before the primer is applied.

Bryn Crandell
Looking good on the cockpit details. Just amazing.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Bryn

Scott Dutton
Awesome office

Kees Kleijwegt
Very nice start, great cockpit

Michael Hickey
nice work with the intakes.👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Scott, Kees and Michael

Spanjaard Autor
finally some time to work on it. mistake with primer (Mr Surfacer 1500), but i managed to remove it completely, and tried with Vallejo Surface primer. it worked exactly as i wanted it.
now, i will leave it rest for 24/48 hours. I guess i will paint it all in back X-1 from Tamiya. leave it for a couple of days, then mask it and start working on Alclad in the tail section....

Patrick Hagelstein
Looks very smooth!

Bart Goesaert
I hope the vallejo primer will stick to the model when you are spraying. Is looks nice when applied, but it tends to peel off whenever you apply some tape or blutack... Mr surfacer is a lot harder to spray (try cellulose thinner), but it stick to the model whatever you do...

Kees Kleijwegt
I agree with Bart. You can thin Mr surfacer with Gunze cellulose thinner.
The Vallejo primer looks nice, but repairing any "forgotten" spots is nearly impossible.
My primer of choice is the grey primer from Zero Paints, a car modeling brand.

Spanjaard Autor
ok, i see .... well fingers crossed! thanks for the advise 🙂

Patrick Hagelstein
Spanjaard, I just noticed you (re)scribed the Air Force Inflight Refueling Receptacle on the spine, the multiangled panel. This is only present on Air Force birds, not on the Navy F-4J and should be filled. This is a good test to see how well the Vallejo primer reacts on reapplying... 🙁

Spanjaard Autor
ok, this requieres a bit of investigation. I did a test, with some masking tape (straight from the roll, full power) place is in one of the pieces, pressed it hard, remove it and the primer did not present any problem. no peeling or anything.
On the other hand, when I applied Mr. surfacer 1500 it did not look good, kind of grainy, that is usually a sign the that paint is drying before hitting the surface. in fact, after maybe 12 hours, a piece of kitchen paper rubbed gently had plenty of black dust. that is not how it is supposed to work
I have been looking for reviews around, and either people love this Vallejo Primer or really hate it. In regards to Mr Surfacer, it was almost impossible to get it in ESM a few weeks ago (i think i got the very last bottle there, and i was quite lucky). it sold out everywhere. if everybody is crazy about it, must be for a reason, but for me it certainly did not work. again, I used it first for the time ever, and certainly not thinned.
It seems that temperature/humidity can have a big influence in this cases. 22 degrees at home, Amsterdam humidity is usually high. am I just being lucky that one of them work with the weather conditions at the moment?
any thoughts?

Bart Goesaert
I had some problems with the zero paints primer (white) too.. you spray it.. it looks superb, you can scratch it with your nails, it sticks to the model. first layer, the same you can do what you want. After a week you put on some masking for a second layer... when removing the masking, all masked areas were back to the bare plastic, all layers came off at once... For Mr Surfacer, it can be hard for your seals in your AB, because it is thinned with cellulose thinner, and that is very corrosive for seals. it can also be a pain to find the right dilution to be able to spray it... and it smells ... but it still is my favorite

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Patrick i did not see your message before... i guess i will need to apply some putty and sanding there...
thanks Bart for the details about the zero paints. i may give a try to Mr Sufacer in the future. i may use my old airbrush, to avoid ruining the seals of my fairly new one.

Kees Kleijwegt
Bart is right again🙂 The Zero paints primer is wonderful stuff for figures or single color car bodies, but I had some problems with masking too.

But.... Zero changed the formula (they even gave away free samples via Hiroboy) and I can say from experience that their new formula is as rock solid as MrSurfacer, even with masking.
I would still recommend the new formula of Zero primer, being airbrush ready is a real pro. 👍

Kees Kleijwegt
You can order Zero paints in the Netherlands from thescalemodeler.com/.
They're from Heerhugowaard, pretty close to Amsterdam Spanjaard.... 😉

Patrick Hagelstein
Nice to know! 🙂

Bart Goesaert
or from Domino (www.domino.be) in Belgium. @Kees, I will need to try the new formula then... time to go shopping (I hope my girlfriend doesn't read this, or I will get comments like: why aren't you so enthusiast to go shopping for clothes... )

Patrick Hagelstein
🙂

gorby
Looks excellent so far Sanjaard. Those cockpits are stunningly good.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks for the information Kees and Bart. and thanks for the comment gorbygould
today i have masked the area of the Air Force Inflight Refueling Receptacle on the spine, and sanded it without any trouble. i will airbrushed it later today if i can, and hopefully post pictures of the result.

Kees Kleijwegt
Good to hear the sanding went "smoothly" Spanjaard!😉

Spanjaard Autor
🙂

Erik Leijdens
Already looking good in black! Great progress 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Erik. today i airbrushed the sanded area, and it looks good after a couple of hours. well actually it could look better, but that is not fault of the primer. it is me. somehow the panel that i needed to cover is still visible (very faint, but it is certainly still there). so tomorrow i will need to sand it again. well, let look for a positive side, i will test the endurance of the primer again 😛
what worries now is an airbrushing mistake next to the air intakes. i wanted to cover some difficult spot that was not correctly done before, and by accident I used now too much paint.
I hope i can correct it tomorrow with some very light sanding (not the easiest area for that). if i can not fix it, I may be forced to remove all the primer and do it all over again.... 🙁

Spanjaard Autor
a few pictures with the progress of the last days. starting to use alclad in the tail and ailerons

Michael Phillips
Really looking awesome man... Love to see what you come up with for the metal areas. A great area to get a little creative with.

Patrick Hagelstein
Whow!!! That metal area looks awesome!!!

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Michael and Patrick. I will may be add a bit of blue transparent alclad, and certainly paint the chute cover that I mistakenly masked.
Some magnesium still have to be applied in the ailerons , and some more detail. Once covered with varnish, maybe some light wash, well see

Kees Kleijwegt
Very nice Spanjaard! Great job on the metal areas indeed! 👍

Mike Grant
That's looking really good 👍

Patrick Hagelstein
The chute cover is painted in the fuselage color. You did it right!

Christian Ristits
Great Work so far!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Kees, Mike and Christian, i am really honoured with your comments. 🙂
Patrick, in most F-4 you would be right, but for the VX-4 i have several pictures where it is also in metal color, instead of black
aviationphotocompany../h6ED6AACE#h6ed6aace for example
in this picture it looks more bluish than black, but the chute cover is certainly metallic. i have a few more actually.

Patrick Hagelstein
Yes, I see it. Nothing beats decent research. 😉

Spanjaard Autor
actually there is something that beats good research.... it is to actually use the results 😄 with i did a late for that chute cover. although still on time. i am not so sure about some other details that i realized about yesterday....

Patrick Hagelstein
🙂

Spanjaard Autor
by the way, do you know what exactly are those yelow sort of bands you see in vertically in the tail and horizontally in the sides? i see some F-4 that do not have some of them. i did not remove any (and in some picutures of "black bunnies" i see them and in some i do not) so i will paint them all in yellow. what i am uncertain is if i should simply use bright yelllow of if clear yellow over silver/aluminium is more correct.....

Patrick Hagelstein
http://www.network54.com/Forum/47751/thread/1397996138/F-4S+%26quot%3BBlack+Bunny%26quot%3B+1-72+Fujimi
Do you mean those yellow stripes like the one next to the bunny on the tail? As you are building an F-4J you don't need them. On the F-4S the so called 'slime lights' were introduced. Those are low intensity formation lights. When those lights are off they tend to have a very pale green hue.

Patrick Hagelstein
[img1]
This is how they look in close up.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a million for the information Patrick. Ok, so i should have removed them.... well, i think in this case i will throw the historical precision through the window and leave them.... it will not be 100% accurate but i like too much how it looks right now, so i will not risk sanding them and needing to correct such large areas 🙁
I corrected the Air Force Inflight Refueling, and the results were good but not 100% satisfactory. this areas are a lot bigger and there is a lot more complicated detail around, so i will leave them there.

Spanjaard Autor
After some finishing touches, everything was looking good, paint as even polished and ready fir decals and dry transfers, but the only thing I could see where those damn yellow lines....... The words "you are gonna regret this moment" came to my head a hundred times while I masked the area to start sanding away the first of those formation lights....why did I choose to ignore that part of the instructions???? Well, first one almost gone, five more to go.... Wish me luck!

Patrick Hagelstein
Good luck!!!

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks!

Spanjaard Autor
removed 3 of them already, and covered them again with primer.... some marks are still visible looking closely but ... well lesson of the day, next time, read more carefully the instructions 😛

Patrick Hagelstein
Great job Spanjaard!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Looking very awesome, great job.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford

Arash Zakeri
Great job

Spanjaard Autor
thanks, let's how the outside ends. i may post update later today.

Spanjaard Autor
well, it look longer than expected for the update, but finally here you have a few more pictures. before any transfer was used, and after i place quite a few. still, a lot stencils to go. i have the problem that one of the sheets was not in the set received... so waiting for the manufacturer and the site where to purchased to provide a solution..... i will not be able to work on it during Christmas, so this will probably be the last update for 2016. merry Christmas and happy new year to you all 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Looking fantastic. Merry Christmas to you also and a Happy New Year.

Marc A.
Outstanding work!!!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford, Marc and Tim

Erik Leijdens
Looking great Spanjaard! Especially the exhaust area is amazing 👍

Lex Jassies
Can't wait to see the progress in the new year. But until than, happy holidays Spanjaard!

Spanjaard Autor
Thank Erik and Lex. I will advance on this one until I have only only weapons left, then probably start the academy F_4j and choose what weapons will go on each at the end.....

Spanjaard Autor
Hopefully Academy one will go faster 🙂

Greg Baker
That's looking really good!

Michael Phillips
Wow this is really looking awesome. Your attention to details is so impressive.

Mehdi Nader
Spanjaard , It really looks nice ! Awaiting for final result !

Stephan Ryll
great progress !

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks a lot everybody, your comments mean a lot to me. specially coming from people that I consider far above my skills 🙂

Nikolaos Kouzinis
Are you sergery or modeller? Its miracle!!!.

Spanjaard Autor
you mean because I chopped some many things on this model? 😄
well, it seems the patient will survive, but I was not that sure at the beginning! (see first album)

Adam Gudynowski
How could I miss this one?

Patrick Hagelstein
Nice one Spanjaard! Keep up the good work!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Patrick 🙂

Bart Goesaert
Nice one so far. Did you use black for the paint of dark grey? Soon I want to make a black camouflage too

Spanjaard Autor
I tried with Mr surfacer, but for some reason it went quite bad and had to remove it completely (never used before, maybe I did something wrong). Vallejo black primer worked like a charm (first time use too). I handled it, sanded it, everything...., and no problem at all. I airbrushed Tamiya X-1 over it, and then Future, layers as thin as possible. I am really happy with performance of future, not many products can survive the amount of handling I have submitted it to....specially with the transfers. Some simply did not want to leave the support sheet regardless of the pressure exerted. I was afraid with the bigger ones (bunnies etc), but those were the easiest ones
I wanted almost shiny so that is why I did not use the gray primer. Black required very little polishing

Jean Tchao
Oh my !!!! sure it flies for real with all these tiny details !!!

Edwin 010
Wow man! Awesome! 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Jean and Edwin. i have to start working on it. it should be finished soon, but i still have lots of stencils to place. and there is even one sheet that was not even included in the package i got. Hopefully i will get the missing decal sheet from hobbydecal, unfortunatelly they have not answer my messages yet, and the "after sales service" form, simply does not work.....

Clifford Keesler
Looking very awesome, sorry to hear about the decal problems.

Eugen P.
Impressive cockpit 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford and Eugen.

Dan Knispel
That's some seriously nice work you did on the instrument panel.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Dan 🙂

Aleigha DeLellis
WOW NICE DETAIL 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Aleigha

Clifford Keesler
Very nice.

Gary Brantley
Wow! Great looking 'pit! 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
thanks, still adding stencils. and still no answer from hobbydecal.... 🙁

CapnSirloin
You have far more patience than I. Well done!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks CapnSirloin

Ricardo Reis
Looks really nice. Following...

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Ricardo. i am still adding stencils, but job is progressing 🙂

soheil moghisi
really nice.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Soheil.

Oliver Petrosino
Cool bird!

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Oliver

Spanjaard Autor
a little update, all transfers i had have been placed (no answer from hobbydecal, i gave up on them). then covered with future, left to cure for a couple of days, added the water slide decals, and then covered again with more future.
i got some kind of reaction between the future and the micro sol/set, it created some kind of matt areas (hard to explain).... fortunately new layer of future seem to have resolved the problem.
slats, flaps etc are not yet glued, landing gear is on its way (temporary "crutches" in place, so the paint is not damaged)

Scott Hastings
Really lovely model. My favorite Phantom version

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Scott

Holger Kranich
Ist taking shape, Spanji! 😄 Oh dude, all that stencils...

Spanjaard Autor
it took forever to get them in place... it is almost a thousand of them (no kidding) in the set! although you do not use all, and i miss one sheet with around 130 yellow and red ones (a pity not to have them)

Clifford Keesler
Excellent work.

Rex
Ahh, Stencils. When I grow up, I am going to do a 1/32 Navy F-4 in "new delivery" condition,,,,,,and put every single stencil on it that was there before a jet flew it's first mission. I will probably do a "new delivery" 1/32 Skyhawk before that,,,,,,,but, the Phantom had so many more than a Scooter.

I just need to figure out which marking was painted on, which was a decal, and which was a sticker,,,,,,,and figure out how to replicate that in 1/32 scale. Contests don't like it, but, "decal silvering" was a very real thing in 1/1 aviation, as was "sticker lift",,,,,,,,the trick is to know exactly which things were painted on and not do that to those stencils. "Paint ridges" were common in real life, also, if something was painted on using tape instead of a stencil set. "Bleed under" when using a stencil set happened a lot, too. We didn't do that stuff over and over on 1/1 jets, such as a modeler does to "get it right." If we were changing the nose number on the flightline, and it turned out a "little fuzzy",,,,,,it flew that way.

Spanjaard Autor
I feel better now Rex, I did not know that i was adding more realism when I did not manage to get some of those stencils to stick to the model! big thanks 🙂

if you are planning to do the F-4 in 1/32, i could recommend the stencils from hobbydecal, they have some sets that you can use for the stencils, i believe you probably have every single one that was used..... Being bigger than 1:48 probably you will have less trouble than i did. some of the tiny ones simply ignored all my attempts to convince them stick to the model.....

Rex
Geez, a stenciler's dream,,,,,,,,look at this sheet from them. hobbydecal.com/detail.cgi?number=al32003v1

Thanks for the tip, I see the markings, the stencils, and the door numbers. And "only" 8 sheets of stuff to stick on the model, lol.

I will send them some money.

Spanjaard Autor
i must also say that i have tried to contact them several times about a missing sheet in my set. and they never answered. i also see that they have not published anything new in 2016 and that there is nothing in the section of "coming soon" of their site.... so i think they may be out of business, or almost. Their products appear as "out of stock" in most online stores. so i have been reluctant to try to buy the set complete set again from their site.... if you order and you receive it, it would be good to know.

Michael Phillips
Wow, this is awesome! And those stencils... makes my brain hurt to even think of applying all of those.

This is going to be epic when finished!

Christian Bruer
mhh, don't know why I missed this?! Very nice and clean work. I much like the effects in the exhaust area but first of all the overall look 👍

Cheers, Christian

Spanjaard Autor
glad you like it Michael and James. welcome to build Christian 🙂 your opinions are really appreciated.

Jay Nakasone
I like this scheme. The amount of stencils ... wow, that's a lot of work.

Spanjaard Autor
it certainly took a while😉
and i still have a few pending, just a handful.

Bart Goesaert
Well, you still have some open spots (not that much) to place them if you would receive them...

Spanjaard Autor
indeed 🙂

Clifford Keesler
I like it!

Ed Froix
Nog nooit gezien, maar wel erg mooi!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford and Ed. i was hopping to get it finished (or at least close to it) before the end of this month, but it is been hard finding time for it 🙁

Michael Hickey
Keep going Mate, your almost there, and she's looking great.👍

Dale Marston
Nice F-4 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks for the encouragement Michael, and thanks for the compliment Dale 🙂

lug
Very Nice!

Greg Baker
I'm feeling residual pride by association in this build because "one of us young guys" is the mastermind behind it.😉

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Tim, lug and Greg. 🙂

Miguel Vasconcelos
That's a beauty.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Misha

Clifford Keesler
Amazing, very well done.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford, really appreciated.

Gordon Sørensen
Amazing patience for all those small decals! Looks great Spanjaard!

Robert W Martel
Nice going Spanjaard ! Another nice F-4

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Gordon and Robert. i am looking forward seeing it finished 🙂

Michael Phillips
Me too!!!! 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
🙂

Christian Ristits
Just wow!!!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Christian 🙂

Erik Leijdens
Looking fantastic with the decals on! 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Erik, still a few to go.

Ed Froix
Nice painting!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Ed

Donald Medley
Beautiful

Spanjaard Autor
thanks. i still have to finish it, but the end is near... 🙂

Bart Goesaert
finished? It's a beautiful bird... nice work on this one...

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Bart, it is finally finished and placed in the display cabinet in the living room.

Bart Goesaert
a well deserved place...

Holger Kranich
Dammit well done! I love the arresting hook system most!👍 Beautiful!!!

Christian Bruer
Very nice work 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Bart, Holger and Christian, your comments are really appreciated

Mats Bengtsson
Great looking Phantom. Well done Spanjaard 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Mats

gorby
Wow! That is a stunning result Spanjaard it looks fantastic, I can see now why it took so long.

Erik Leijdens
Looking very good Spanjaard, great work! 👍

Augie
wow excellent work, done vandy 1 credit.

Patrick Hagelstein
Beautiful Spanjaard!!!

Kurt Reichert
Verry extensive scratch parts... i like that. Verry cool!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Grobygould, Erik, Augie, Patrick, Kurt and James. I really appreciate your feedback, and glad you like it. and thanks a lot for the support and help along the project. by the way, next one is again a F-4J. Academy this time. i was going to use the second cockpit, but after reading comments about how well the Eduard one fits, i will probably keep the Aires for the future, and use the Eduard one.

Dan M
Very very nice 👍

Clifford Keesler
Excellent work sir, a masterpiece.

Jay Nakasone
very impressive. something to be proud of!

Martin Oostrom
Muy bien. Ziet er heeeeeeel goed uit!

Stefan Kie
very impressive

David Andrs
👍

Lex Jassies
Looks very good Spanjaard. You can be proud on the result!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks/bedankt a lot Dan, Clifford, Jay, Martin, MrLongSir, David and Lex.
i am proud of it Lex, i think it probably is my best model so far 🙂

Gary Brantley
Impressive from any angle! Great work Spanjaard.👍 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Gary 🙂

Alec K
Wow, great build and awesome album. Your narrative is great, surely a valuable resource for anyone building the F-4J 👍 Your metalworking skills are top as well. Thanks for taking the time to record it all!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Alec K, i have great help along the way in this build, so i am happy if the album helps others 🙂

Michael Phillips
This is just fantastic Spanjaard!!! An absolute beauty, you should be quite proud of this one. 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Michael, your nice comment is really appreciated 🙂

Tim Heimer
Awesome work on this! Beautiful!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Timothy

Roland Sachsenhofer
Now that´s a overwhelming beauty!

Christian Ristits
I like your "Black Bunny" very much, congrats!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Roland and thanks Christian

Daan Baars
Very nice build! You mention the use of future, where do you buy that? I can't find it anywhere in the Netherlands. Am i not searching hard enough?

Kees Kleijwegt
Great build and finish! Awesome Phantom Spanjaard! 👍👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot for the nice comments Daan and Kees

no Daan, i believe it can not be found here in the Netherlands. I got a bottle directly from US, But it is quite expensive (but works like a charm in my opinion). then I found a seller in Amazon. they ship it directly from US, But sell only in UK France and Germany. Delivered in UK is quite a good price, in Germany and France, it goes more than double. I asked to ship here, but they said no.
I am thinking in getting a couple of bottles to UK, if i go there for work at some point, or maybe to friends in France or Germany, but it bothers me to pay double......although it still a lot cheaper than what I paid to ship directly from US.....

Michael Phillips
I can get the large bottles of it at Walmart for like $6USD. If we could figure out how much shipping costs are from the US to wherever maybe I could help out getting some to Europe for those interested.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks for the offer Michael, how large are those bottles? i got one of 27oz (798ml), i am sure that in US is possible to get them bigger.
problem is that shipment may cost a lot, duty import should not not be a big deal, since the value of the package would not be that high....

Erik Leijdens
Eriks top tip: ebay.co.uk/itm/231144736712

Maybe a bit expensive but it's the real thing and easy and fast to get

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Erik but with 250ml, with shipment, it is 20EUR. it is basically the same price as getting it by yourself from US.....

Daan Baars
thnx Spanjaard!

Spanjaard Autor
you are very welcome Daan 🙂

KlausH
Very nice work Spanjaard. It´s a pleasure to see the beautiful result! 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks for the nice comment. and thanks again for the help during the project, really appreciated 🙂

KlausH
You are very welcome! 🙂

Kerry COX
Spanjaard. :-O A masterpiece and there is no other word for it. There is not one image that hasn't had my jaw on the keyboard. just beautiful work and the attention to the detail speaks volumes of your patience and talent.🙂 👍
I am seriously in awe. 👍 👍 👍 🙂 🙂 🙂

Dale Marston
Looks good Spanjaard. Black is one of those colours that is hard to get right,

Murad ÖZER
i can't believe how i missed this build, looking stunning Spanjaard big huge kudos 👍 👍 👍

Konrad -
Absolutely great! 👍 No more words needed!

gorby
Fantastic job Spanjaard -it looks great in black!

Kerry COX
The guitar string with the copper wire coms cable, and the hand painted helmets have me thinking your a wizard with a master touch. 👍.
I keep going through you album, and every time I do, I discover something else you have not mentioned. You deserve all the comments and compliments posted on your build Spanjaard. 🙂
You have left all of us in your dust. 👍
Genius. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Björn Svedberg
All of that detail you got into that kit is just awesome! Great job!
/B)

Spanjaard Autor
wow, i am really happy with all those comments, thakns Dale, Murad, Bernd, Konrad, gorbygould, Björn and specially thanks Kerry, you make me blush 🙂 . it took a considerable amount of time and work and i am happy you all like it. i certainly do.

Stephan Ryll
Outstanding and very detailed work 👍 I like it a lot 🙂

Kerry COX
You have certainly got my creative juices re energised Spanjaard. Inspirational is what it is. hehehehe. ZOOM. !! :-O 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Stephan, and thanks again Kerry.

Kees Kleijwegt
She turned out very, very nice Spanjaard. Great work mate!! 👍👍

Kerry COX
🙂 Any time mate 👍

Vinny Panda
Superb work.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Kees and Vinny 🙂 really appreciated

Clifford Keesler
Outstanding.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford 🙂

Clifford Keesler
I think it is about time I did a spook. Can't decide between it or a Tomcat.

Spanjaard Autor
difficult choice 🙂

Augie
turkey or a rhino... hmmm I would have a hard time choosing too Clifford.

Clifford Keesler
I know, AAARRRRRGGGGGGG!.

Kerry COX
Augie. What did you say for Clifford to be have like this. :-o :-o :-o ???

Augie
Lol just the old choice... rhino or turkey.

Spanjaard Autor
well, for me, after two rhinos in a row (second almost finished), next planes will be .... two turkey 🙂 but not before I do something with wheels, for example

Donald Dickson II
Spanjaard, well done sir! Not sure how I missed this. I love how you constantly say scratch built. Easy. Pfffttt.

Clifford, thats easy. Snag a 1/32 Tamiya Phantom buddy. That will keep ya busy.😉

Clifford Keesler
I could only afford a Tamiya 1/32 scale F-4 in my dreams. LOL. But I do have a Revell 1/32 F-4G with all the Tamiya aftermarket goodies(Photo etch) Metal gear, resin wheels and seats. I actually took it out today and looked at it, then put it up.

Kerry COX
OMG. :-O Decisions decisions !!! How hard you guys have got it . 🙁 hahahahaha 🙂 👍

Donald Dickson II
Clifford, I managed to snag one in a trade. I came out WAAAAYYYYY ahead. The guy was an armor guy and I had the exact kits he was looking for. He did an even on swap. I could not believe he did it, but he did. So keep your eyes open.

And an aside to that. A guy I have done business with before is allowing me to make payments on the Tamiya 1/32 F-15E. So I will have that baby in a few weeks. 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Donald. 1/32 spook? tempting, but at my current speed, it will take me a couple of years! besides, I am thinking on going into smaller scales rather than bigger ones. they take a lot less space later, and can be as much fun, or even more, if you want to make the same details 😛

Donald Dickson II
I have come to the conclusion that limiting the scale I work in is not going to work for me. Too many things I like in a variety of scales.

Augie
Well said Don, I am having the same issues.

Donald Dickson II
Augie, plus it impacts space limitations not at all. A 1/72 Herc or BUFF is still a really big model. So my motto is that is what we have ceilings and 30lb test fishing line for.😉

Spanjaard Autor
the main enemy of those models is not the danger of falling, or dust... is the people that live in the same house 😄

Greg Baker
LMAO! I have that same problem... 🙂

Konrad -
Yeah this is really a problem Spanjaard 🙂.

Spanjaard Autor
🙂

Bart Goesaert
only the people? Not the beings (people, pets, ...)?

Konrad -
For me only two small children 😉.

Spanjaard Autor
yes, cats and models can be an interesting combination... dogs are probably safer, since they less inclined to climbing....

Martin Oostrom
The cleaning wife, who doesn't understand.... 🙁

Spanjaard Autor
or cleaning husband/partner for the ladies here 🙂

Donald Dickson II
The house I just moved into was previously occupied by a young cat. The POS owner kicked him out the door and left him. So he is a neighborhood cat now. I feed and water him. But I can not bring him in because I would have to make him into Chicken and cashews if jumped on my shelves. LOL The dogs dont even look up there.

Spanjaard Autor
in the name of the cat, thanks😉

Dennis
Whoa, I really love your detail work and scratch build - very impressive! Man, I love F-4s 😄

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Dennis 🙂

Greg Baker
I think we should just automatically bump Spanjaaard's F-4 builds once a month to the top of the newsfeed so we can all oooh and awe over them. I never get tired of them... I mean, the number of decals alone...😉

Donald Dickson II
Yeah, he does an OK job with it.😉

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Greg and Donald, you are making me blush! 😳 🙂
i need to finish the second, and get to build something different, probably even without wings this time 🙂
and one day, i have to take proper pictures of them finished.... the "foto session" of the completed bunny was not exactly what i had in mind.....

Zsolt Czegle
WOW! Great work! 👍

Kerry COX
We all expect nothing less Spanjaard. Always a stunning result. 🙂
Cheers mate. 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Zsolt and Kerry, i have a lot to learn from you both 🙂

Kerry COX
Patience grasshopper. 🙂 👍

Spanjaard Autor
😄 🙂

Mike Daniels
Awesome detail!!

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Mike

Clifford Keesler
Totally a masterpiece.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford

Clifford Keesler
You are welcome Sir. Well deserved.

Tom
I like you black bun! Sexy!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Thomas 🙂

Cuajete
Brutal... qué pintaza tan buena tiene ese Phantom. Menudo trabajazo le has hecho y el resultado bien ha merecido la pena. Me gusta mucho ese esquema. Enhorabuena, Spanjaard!

Spanjaard Autor
@Cuajete Muchas gracias! creo que el black Bunny especial, vi el de monogram hace 30 años y al final me he quitado la espina 🙂
@Lode, thanks for the compliment, but i think you have that and more seeing your 1/350 Prince of Wales!! 🙂

Stephan Ryll
Very nice overall result Spanjaard 👍

David Thor
Wow. That is one beautiful phantom. Good job!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Stephan and David.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Lode

arne vd burg
gr8 detail Spanjaard!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Frank and Arne. it was actually finished 8 months ago. a but surprised to see this build getting so much attention lately 🙂 (no complains about the compliments of course 🙂 )

Clifford Keesler
Amazing job. Most Impressive.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Clifford

Bob Hall
As we say in the states, YOU GOT SOME MAD SKILLS ! Amazing detail !

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Robert, you are making me blush 🙂

Ingo F
Awesome build Spanjaard! 👍 Love the details and especially the cockpit. Very good!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Ingo, glad you like it. your comment means a lot to me 🙂

Ingo F
🙂

Ed Froix
Wow nice retailing

Spanjaard Autor
you mean detailing?😉 thanks

Mike Thomas
I've said it before and I'll say it again. You military and airplane guys, your detailing never ceases to amaze me. Great job, Spanjaard.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Mike. my current project is not exactly military 🙂

Peter Hardy
Black Bunny was a marvel! Beautiful and inventive build! Well done Spanjaard!

Greg Baker
I was wondering when this build would pop up again! For me, this is almost like the "mascot" build of Scalemates. I think this was one of the first projects that made me realize what kind of community is here beyond just the database... and I've been following Spanjaard around ever since!

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Peter and Greg. You make me feel really happy. I am also really happy to be back in the bench, after a extended "break"

Peter Hardy
Greg this one was posted prior to me joining Scalemates but I have long been a fan of Spanjaard's F4s. Maybe if we ask very nicely he might, you know ……. Ummmm ……. do another one? 😁

Cuajete
It's an honor to have the privilege of seeing this fantastic work again after a long time. Congratulations, Spanjaard!

Konrad -
And here we go again😬! Nice Spanjaard this reminds me to do a black bunny too😬! Someday…

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Peter, Cuajete and Konrad. I am blushing now!
I have some F-4 in my stash... but not in 1/48. Actually one of them will be a Bkack Bunny (a lot less decals on 1/144 scale) But there is the second cockpit (done in this build) that should get some use....
Konrad, if you do a Black Bunny, I suggest the decals i used in this build. I think they have them also in 1/32, if you are insane enough 😄

Konrad -
Haha😂! I think 1/48 is crazy enough 😂!

Spanjaard Autor
believe me, it was a great pleasure when I finished those stencils, this set has (literally) a thousand of them. but I love to see how it looks now, so it was worth it 🙂

Konrad -
That's absolutely true!!

Neil
Hi Spanjaard - I appreciate I'm a bit late to the party here, but just spent some time in my lunch hour having a look through this album, as I saw it pop up the other day and... Wow! I know I can't add much more than others have already, but what a thoroughly fantastic (and informative) build. Just looks awesome! You must be rightly proud! 🙂 👍

Jos Jansen
Missed this incredible build Phantom...pooah nice mate!

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks a lot Neil, really appreciated.
Thanks also Jos, coming from the maker of one of the best Phantom I have seen here, your comment means a lot to me!

David H
Those belts are amazing. Do they come with the Aries cockpit set ?

Spanjaard Autor
hi David, yes they are part of the Aires kit. You only need to paint them and place them. it is one of the things i like of Aires, nothing is pre-painted. that, and the amazing detail. and on top of that, if something is wrong their customer service is also really good. I wish only they would require less sanding to fit in the cockpit.

Chan Li
Why I missed this?
Overall good built, classic results.
I bet you must input a lot energy into it👍

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Chang Li, yes, it took me a while and all the holes I made on it to get all that aftermarket took certainly some energy 🙂. But it was a pleasure to build it, and I love to see it in my display cabinet, so quite happy about it

Donald Dickson II
Excellent work! Beautiful result sir!!!!

I really need to get the decals to do this one to go with my Vandy 1 F-14D.

Rui
Wow...this is an amazing project 👍
I spent nearly an hour enjoying and studying every photo.

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Donald, this decal set certainly takes some time, but the Tomcat will certainly look great in this livery!
Thanks also Rui, that is a really great compliment, really happy you like it so much

David H
Wow, incredible attention to detail, lovely spook 👍🏻

Guy Rump
Beautiful! 👍

Donald Dickson II
Spanjaard, the 14 looks awesome all black. Once I get the 4 done, they will look great together. You should do a 14 to go with this one! The AMK kit comes with the markings.

F-14 Group Build F-14D Vandy Complete | Album by smokeriderdon (1:48)

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Guy
I will have it in mind Donald, they will look great together!
I have a couple of cats in my stash that are waiting for far too long actually. Maybe next will be a black one!

Stephen Lesley
Absolutely beautiful work. The paint job and markings are stunning.👍

John
Great rendition of the black bunny! Probably the most striking scheme the Phantom ever wore. Definitely an eye catcher on the shelf with "mere" camo and ADC gray birds. Great build. 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Stephen and John, really appreciated
i agree in regards to this lively being really attractive. But i also have a grey F-4J, I actually built both one after the other 😄

Cuajete
It is a pleasure to enjoy again the magnificent photos of this album after all this time. I love the black scheme with the bunny and those blue stripes. Congrats again, Spanjaard! 👍

Spanjaard Autor
Thanks Cuajete, really appreciated again

Dick
Well this is truly a Phabulous Phantom😳… a black beauty, impressive build Spanjaard!

Greg Baker
This build is like one of the Scalemates standards. Been seeing it annually for 9 years now, and it never gets old. 🙂

Love it!

Alec K
Aye aye 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a lot Dick, Greg and Alec K. it may miss a bit of weathering, but I doubt I will ever dare to touch it again 😄

Cuajete
I agree with Dick and Greg 👍
The years have not taken their toll on this black beauty. I'm glad to see it again after all this time.

Spanjaard Autor
you are too kind Cuajete!

Alexander
Wow, what an awesome build - lots of great detail, including all your scratch-build solutions. And a great finish too with the black surface and those white markings (especially the bunny on the tail 😄). 👍

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Alexander, the markings are the fantastic set of dry transfers F-4J Phantom II (HobbyDecal AL48001V1, 1:48) , it takes quite some time and patience to place those 1000+ stencils, and the big ones like the "NAVY" and the bunny are intimidating, since they are truly make or brake, in fact I had an issue with the A of one of the "NAVY" ones but managed to get it to look decent

Martin Weinpold
Awesome!

Spanjaard Autor
thanks Martin
the issue with the transfer that I mentioned before can be seen in some of the pictures, like 136 F-4J Phantom II Black Bunny WIP & finished pictures | Album by hetspanjaard (1:48) , let's call that weathering 🙂

S B
Very nice, Spanjaard! Excellent build. 👍

Greg Baker
Man, my finger gets tired scrolling to the bottom of this thread...

Also... you said "they are truly make or brake" which I'm going to adopt as a new phrase. Not sure if you intended it or not but usually it would be "make or break"... but as model builders there is no such thing as a broken model. We just might have to apply the brakes and slow down a bit and fix something, but it's almost never a complete loss.

Or maybe it should be "make or take a break" - that works too... 🙂

Pay no attention to me. 🙂

Spanjaard Autor
ha ha ha, you are certainly correct, it was a typo, and I meant "make or break"..... but "make or brake" or your even better "make or take a brake" is really fitting for our hobby!
I usually check what I write to avoid typos etc, glad I did not do the job correctly this time (probably quite often anyway!!! 😄 )

Clifford Keesler
Most excellent Spanjaard, a masterpiece. Agree with Greg, takes forever to get to the bottom of this thread, but very much deserved.

Peter Hardy
Yeah, I think Greg's right. There are a few builds that have become quite iconic on Scalemates and this is one. I have spoken to Spanjaard about this build a couple of times asserting that it is my favourite build of his. I have gone back to it a few times just to add a little wonder to my day. I suppose I am guilty of searching for motivation from time to time and each of my "Mates" has a build I search out on occasion. It may not even be their best build but they each have a build that I feel attached to. Lode's Prince of Wales battleship and Alex G's Lamborghini get me back time after time!

Martin Oostrom
If you're tired of the scrolling, check this and upvote: SCM Newsfeed

Spanjaard Autor
you are make me blushing! placed at a similar position to Lode's Price of Wales or Alex G's Lambo..., I wish!! glad you like the Black Bunny so much, but those two are a different league 🙂

Clifford Keesler
I would consider you in that league Spanjaard.

Spanjaard Autor
thanks a million Clifford!