F4 Phantom Makeover

[jetfool]

Davegee,
Plan to have the Phantom finished for the show hopefully so trying to do as good of a job as I can. The Show is not what it used to be pre-covid, but it is slowly getting major venders back and the static part is drawing many models again from national competitors. Still 3 days of the best spring event to attend in our area. Dayton, Ohio has a swap show about 2-3 weeks later and it is HUGE for swap meets. You would love living closer because Indiana, OH, and Il. have many scale rc events in the summer. If I had the money you could go to an event almost every weekend, May thru Sept.
The Cub will be ready for our New Years Day fly
I plan to enter my P-47 in the WW-2 cat. at Toledo also, need to freshen it up and add just a slight weathering to add caricature to it
Rex

[davegee]

Davegee,
Plan to have the Phantom finished for the show hopefully so trying to do as good of a job as I can. The Show is not what it used to be pre-covid, but it is slowly getting major venders back and the static part is drawing many models again from national competitors. Still 3 days of the best spring event to attend in our area. Dayton, Ohio has a swap show about 2-3 weeks later and it is HUGE for swap meets. You would love living closer because Indiana, OH, and Il. have many scale rc events in the summer. If I had the money you could go to an event almost every weekend, May thru Sept.
The Cub will be ready for our New Years Day fly
I plan to enter my P-47 in the WW-2 cat. at Toledo also, need to freshen it up and add just a slight weathering to add caricature to it
Rex

That all sounds great, Rex! I remember reading about some big draws up in the midwest and the magnificent modelers and aircraft that they produced and flew. It was a big inspiration for me. I didn't get into rc airplanes until about 2001, and soon bought a Aerotech 1/6 scale gas P-47D that I painted up as Hiairless Joe from the 56th FG. It flew in several contests, including one airshow in England at the old airfield that the real one had flown 60 years earlier, in 2004. It's been at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo since 2005. I have seen it at the museum once or twice, still in great condition in a great show case cover. But unfortunately it is too far away to see on a regular basis.

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

Davegee,
I saw your P-47 in Florida at a Museum in 2019. It was Fantastic. Remember seeing Aerotec at Toledo (early 2000?) and wanted his KI-84 bad but was out of my price range then. His models were excellent kits at the time. Sad to see those great scale kit companies expire. Few want to build anymore.
Wy. is a beautiful area but far from anywhere. What encouraged you to settle there?
Best Regards, Rex

[jetfool]

Slowly making progress. I have brushed 4 coats of poly acrylic clear and still have more 3d parts to add to the fuselage. Started priming the fuel tanks and missiles, first coat on tanks. Will need to sand and repeat. Parts are lite weight and smooth. More to come.
Best Regards, Rex

[f4u ausie]

Looking awesome Rex..lookin' to see end result. Will be incredible..... Since the official f4 thread a bit quiet... will take the opportunity.. I have now 65 flights on my 8s Camo version.. the HRB 6000. 4s. Times 2. 8s. Weight at. 1100 grams(bit heavy). Has been a godsend. Thanx Hugh..
Not even close to looking like any stalls in the turn don't forget Rex let us no the. Weight increase overall ... Maya's well. Take this opportunity. To wish all my squark. Friends. A very merry Xmas.. from down under.....


Steve. Dave Rex. Hav fun b safe

MERRY. XMAS. GUYS

[Elbee]

f4u ausie

Thanks Craig, and a very Merry Christmas to you and yours, Sir.

I'll even add Have a Happy New Year's Eve.

Best, LB

[jetfool]

f4uausie,
thank you.
Nice to hear you are enjoying your Phantom on 8s and have that many flights on it. I will let everyone know the final weight. By sanding smooth every clear coat of poly lightly it doesn't take a lot of primer to get ready for paint so hopefully weight build-up will be lite.
Seems all forums on the net are less active this year
I have plenty to do this winter, get the Phantom finished, P-47 ready and finish rebuild of the Cub.
Hope you're enjoying your flying season, Rex

[Elbee]

Slowly making progress. I have brushed 4 coats of poly acrylic clear and still have more 3d parts to add to the fuselage. Started priming the fuel tanks and missiles, first coat on tanks. Will need to sand and repeat. Parts are lite weight and smooth. More to come.
Best Regards, Rex

Rex,

Are those the OEM Tanks or something 3Dp?

Look great, BTW.

Best, LB

[jetfool]

Elbee,
They are the OEM tanks with lite sanding between the poly. It has a very hard shell now and I think after 2 primer coats I will be ready for tank details.
Anyone have any close-up photos of the tanks, missile and pylon details? I have a few but looking for better detail. Believe the tanks had 2 circular seams on them.
I'm looking at photos of the instrument panels and want to figure the best way to make the instruments for my 3d cockpit. Any ideas?

Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

Davegee,
I saw your P-47 in Florida at a Museum in 2019. It was Fantastic. Remember seeing Aerotec at Toledo (early 2000?) and wanted his KI-84 bad but was out of my price range then. His models were excellent kits at the time. Sad to see those great scale kit companies expire. Few want to build anymore.
Wy. is a beautiful area but far from anywhere. What encouraged you to settle there?
Best Regards, Rex

Hi Rex: I really liked the Aerotech P-47s. I had two of them, one that is in the Kalamazoo Air Zoo in MIchigan, and the other is in the Spruce Goose museum in Oregon. Both flew in competitions back in the day.

I think the one that you saw in Florida in 2019 if you were at the Valiant Air Command museum in Titusville, was actually a heavily modifed Yellow wood kit, that is modified to look like a P-47M from the 63rd FS of the 56th FG in the last months of combat in WWII in Europe. It has that unique "disruptive blue" paint scheme that I really like.

I grew up in Colorado, did get to Wyoming quite a bit, especially in college when I was a geology major and we did a lot of mapping projects up there. Why did we choose to move to Wyoming? Good question. We had no plans to do that after I retired from the airlines, but the state and local elections of 2018 was the breaking point for us. We reluctantly decided we were done with Colorado, and Wyoming had many advantages over Colorado and any other place to retire that we could think of. And, having spent most of my working life in extremely busy, crowded, dirty, and polluted cities, Wyoming was literally a breath of fresh air. We've been here 6 years now and have no intention to ever leave. It's a good fit, for us.

Cheers

Davegee

[Elbee]

Elbee,
They are the OEM tanks with lite sanding between the poly. It has a very hard shell now and I think after 2 primer coats I will be ready for tank details.
Anyone have any close-up photos of the tanks, missile and pylon details? I have a few but looking for better detail. Believe the tanks had 2 circular seams on them.
I'm looking at photos of the instrument panels and want to figure the best way to make the instruments for my 3d cockpit. Any ideas?

Best Regards, Rex

Rex,

This is what I have done and doesn't add much to help.

At the time of my F-4 build, I had just gotten my Prusa i3 Mk3 and was just beginning to design anything.

I bought the MRC OEM Cockpit set and added photos of the side panel like Dirty Dee had done with his Freewing A-10 Cockpit set.

It wasn't until my Spittie and Hornet build that I began adding my own cockpit designs.

So, not much assist for you, and I am certain you can find a better solution than shrunken photos, not there is anything wrong with that.

I plan to build another Phantom one day and it will have an LB Cockpit to do it justice.

In the mean time, I have sent you some reference items via your email account.

Best, LB

[jetfool]

Davegee,
Yes, it was your Yellow P-47 I saw, The Museum was great also.I understand why you moved. When I travelled the big cities drove me nuts. Wife and I both are country farm kids and live in a smaller residential area after selling our farm in 2013.

Elbee,
The info you sent is great, Thanks
You need to build/modify another Phantom soon
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

Davegee,
Yes, it was your Yellow P-47 I saw, The Museum was great also.I understand why you moved. When I travelled the big cities drove me nuts. Wife and I both are country farm kids and live in a smaller residential area after selling our farm in 2013.

Elbee,
The info you sent is great, Thanks
You need to build/modify another Phantom soon
Best Regards, Rex

Hi Rex: I'm glad you liked the Fire Ball P-47M. We had an eventful competition run for a couple of years on the circuit.

You seem to have found an idyllic spot in Indiana to live. Glad it suits both of you so well. We feel the same about our place in Cody.

I am printing up your pilot for your P-47 now. We need to go over parts you would like me to send you when you get through the holidays. I don't remember how much detailing you did on your plane so far, but we could maybe add a few details, including an accurate printed pilot that you can paint, and maybe some other things, too. I competed in Top Gun, Scale Masters, and a bunch of other contests back in the day, and we always were super competitive in at least the static judging. Maybe we can find something that you would like to add to make it look its very best for the judges!

Cheers

Dave

[jetfool]

Thanks Dave,
If it's nice tomorrow, 58' today, I am going to take LUCKY outside for a photo shoot. Hoping outdoor pics gives you a better view of the paint.
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

Thanks Dave,
If it's nice tomorrow, 58' today, I am going to take LUCKY outside for a photo shoot. Hoping outdoor pics gives you a better view of the paint.
Best Regards, Rex

We're going to be just abnut the same temp tomorrow here in Cody! A little summer in December, for a change!

That would be very helpful to get some pics of your photoshoot. Also, good photo coverage of the cockpit area would be helpful for me to know what parts I have that could be of help to you.

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

Ok

[jetfool]

I have been very busy this week working on a few projects


4 coats of poly-acrylic clear, smooth and think all blemishes have been taken care of. Once primed no going back




Funny how black primer shows the bad spots, back to filling and sanding



Filling seams on the nose cone. Also been repainting Cub and engine detail

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas

Rex

[Elbee]

jetfool

Lookin' good, Rex.

Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Best, Steve

[jetfool]

While waiting on family to arrive, I have spent the morning sanding the filler and primer down. Almost all primer sanded off and its smoother and slick. Used 120, then 320 sandpaper. will prime again to fill little imperfections sanding with 400 wet sandpaper .
Wife informed me my first 2026 Honey-do will be deep cleaning the shop, my side and hers. The things we do to keep them happy!
Everyone have a great Christmas
Rex

[jetfool]