Lysus' Academy 1/72 F-4Y "Specter 5" Custom

[Lysus]

So...to make a long story short I bought a kit expecting one thing and got another. In the end--and thanks to Amazon--I basically got a free kit, this one:



Yes, that's a snap-tite. Hooray. While I muse over whether to pull the trigger on another F-4 kit (time is a factor, my dance card is full) I thought the heck with it, I'll build this sucker even if it's not truly eligible for any sort of "win." That's cool, I'm actually not one to be concerned about winning a GB/SiG, I just want to have fun. Besides, it's still an Academy kit and looks quite nice.

See, these two look like they're having a BLAST:


"Keep blowing, son, airbrushes are for weaklings."

The kit comes with a full panel of decals to make the "Showtime" jet on the box art...



As well as...*sigh*...some stickers if you don't want to use decals:



Now, I should check my attitude. It's fantastic to see such a well detailed kit be made with young or new modelers in mind. I praise them for trying to open the hobby up to new people. So no more complaining, yeah?

Manual and painting/decal guide. It turns out the cockpit parts (and possibly the wheels) will actually need glue. So there's that.



A box of baggies:



And the runners (looks like some ordinance has come loose). As with the 1/48 kit, the Academy mold has a single fuselage top half:


"Phew, looks like it was a dud."

It appears they're molded in (sort of) the right colors for someone to just snap this up and slap on the stickers. We won't be doing that, particularly if we want to make sure we don't get a nasty telegram from Vleugelmoer.

Some shots of the detail:







As you can see (I hope) there's actually some pretty decent detail going on here. I can only imagine the 1/48 version is just as nice, if not more so. This fella seems to think so.

So yeah. I'm going to consider whether to do this up to match the box art or perhaps do something COMPLETELY different. Like a What-if paint scheme. Sounds appealing. I think if I do get a second F-4 then yeah, this will be a what-iffer. If not, then Showtime it is. I have a Tamiya build on the run, so this will get started slowly (which means I'll build it tonight since I always end up doing exactly the opposite of what I say I'll do.)

Plenty of time to decide.

[MightyDraw]

I have this one stashed, and some alternate decals. Looks and sounds like its an excellent kit. I got this one after seeing reviews that it falls together with no fuss, sometimes I want a kit like that so I can cut to the chase and get painting!

[Lysus]

I have this one stashed, and some alternate decals. Looks and sounds like its an excellent kit. I got this one after seeing reviews that it falls together with no fuss, sometimes I want a kit like that so I can cut to the chase and get painting!

I totally agree. Painting is my favorite part, and quips about the glue aside it's a fantastic looking kit. I mean, I'll know more once I start but right away I'd recommend it if you just want to get to the painting straight away.

[ladip63]

Well Lysus, your box is different from my Academy 1/72 Phantom. I will be posting later this week. This is going to be fun building the same kit. I to am in it for the fun, this is my first SIG. I just want to see if I can finish on time. So let's build these together. I will also be doing a video on my channel.

[Lysus]

Well Lysus, your box is different from my Academy 1/72 Phantom. I will be posting later this week. This is going to be fun building the same kit. I to am in it for the fun, this is my first SIG. I just want to see if I can finish on time. So let's build these together. I will also be doing a video on my channel.

Awesome! The more, the merrier. Looking forward to seeing it.

Congrats on your first SiG, too

[Twokidsnosleep]

I bet you get a free bowl of soup whenyou buy a kit like that
Ahhh, funny scene from Caddyshack

Actually the kit mouldings look better than my Italeri/Tamiya Putty Pig
Good luck with it, bud

[Lysus]

I bet you get a free bowl of soup whenyou buy a kit like that
Ahhh, funny scene from Caddyshack

Actually the kit mouldings look better than my Italeri/Tamiya Putty Pig
Good luck with it, bud

[Twokidsnosleep]

Oh God that was funny
I know I have warped my kids for life as they have watched Caddy Shack, Austin Powers and National Lampoon movies since they were, well really young

Your kit does look exactly like the Academy one

[Lysus]

Oh God that was funny
I know I have warped my kids for life as they have watched Caddy Shack, Austin Powers and National Lampoon movies since they were, well really young

Your kit does look exactly like the Academy one

It actually IS an Academy, it's just the "starter" version, complete with our goofy dad and son image. I'm curious to watch Ladip63's just to see if there's any difference (other than all that tasty PE Ladip grabbed!).

[Twokidsnosleep]

Ya the PE is nicer than my older Eduard stuff
I think you guys might be in luck as there is only top to bottom seams, not the horrible Moulds from Hell of Italeri

[Lysus]

Ya the PE is nicer than my older Eduard stuff
I think you guys might be in luck as there is only top to bottom seams, not the horrible Moulds from Hell of Italeri

Ya, that's what drew me to Academy in the first place, no join down the middle. Like, why don't more kits do this?

Though, maybe I'll end up with Grand Canyons down the wing roots, so we'll see

[Vleugelmoer]

Nice to see you pulled the trigger Jason and decided to join after all

See, these two look like they're having a BLAST:


"Keep blowing, son, airbrushes are for weaklings."

And that this photo shows something that is as rare as rocking horse kaka, Asians showing emotions Must be acter's.

With a full dance card I do understand that getting a different kit would be a tricky proposition .

Even if it is a snap-tite kit is doen't look like a real toy with all the surface detail gone into the castings.

As it isn't painted like to see what you are going to make of this non run of the mill entry will be dropping in on occasion to see how it's coming along

As always happy modeling and keep sticking styrene.

The Other One

[GuyMac]

See, these two look like they're having a BLAST:


"Keep blowing, son, airbrushes are for weaklings."

I was just thinking somethig alike : The kid is just looking like "When can I get out? to catch some pokemons"

Weird box anyway. Never saw it before. Makes me think about the Cheesy Pies commercials in the Fast Show : You can have a build, you can have a blow - you can have a blowing build (or something like that)

[Lysus]

Weird box anyway. Never saw it before. Makes me think about the Cheesy Pies commercials in the Fast Show : You can have a build, you can have a blow - you can have a blowing build (or something like that)

Let's hope I don't have a blowing build.

[Vleugelmoer]

Weird box anyway. Never saw it before. Makes me think about the Cheesy Pies commercials in the Fast Show : You can have a build, you can have a blow - you can have a blowing build (or something like that)

Let's hope I don't have a blowing build.

I think a blowing build does beat a build that blows personally

[GuyMac]

You 've lost me there Got to look that up in my dictionary

[Lysus]

You 've lost me there Got to look that up in my dictionary

Just don't google it at work

Update time:

After some messing around with some parts, I decided that this needs to be a what-if. The kit does have some issues (we'll get to that) and frankly I'd rather make my serious F-4 pretty, not a chore. So while I set my feelers out for a second kit to do up right, we'll have some fun with this one and experiment.

A thought about what to do came to me pretty quickly, so I got to work.

I started in on the cockpit and the cans. After priming them with Stynylrez grey, I gave the cans a coat of Alclad Pale Burnt Metal. Once that dried a bit, I hair brushed on some Alclad Magnesium followed by some air brushed Alclad Jet Exhaust.



Not bad. Not great, but not bad. The design I have in mind is a dirty one, so I don't want to get too clean.

Cockpit next, seats and such. The manual mentions a grey for the tub/panels with flat black control panels. Sure. I made it all black and drybrushed (horribly) some Tamiya X-11 Chrome to try to make the details come up. The detailing is excellent, but a little on the shallow side.


Is that a planetarium show or a cockpit?

XF-1 and some XF-62 Olive Drab for the seats. I meant to detail these a bit more, but a dry fitting told me that you'd never see it. Not ever. So I moved on.



And yet I painted buttons on the stick and some Citadel Nurgling Green for the pedals. I mean, I dunno. I'm weird. I did come back and clean them up a little, but I forgot to snap a pic.


I don't know what a "nurgling" is, but it's green.

Stuff is happening! Fun fact: the lower fuselage was held to the runner by no fewer than 10 gates! 10!



These things were fun. And by fun I mean not fun. Tiny, bent posts had to be maneuvered into their slots and this took some patience and some TET to make work. There's a tight fit, so much so that it torques right out of the post holes.



Intakes (fans sprayed in Alclad Pale Burnt Metal again, dusted with some Jet Exhaust):



And here we come to my first issue with this kit. Though the fit is nice and snug (as one would hope for a snapper) it has some baffling gaps. The details that surround it are so fine, I'm not sure how best to remedy this. Hrm.





On the other hand, some fits are amazing:



And then there's stuff like this, a gap and a huge step:



Not sure you can see it in that pic above, but the white bit has a step large enough to paint a mural on. Also, I hope there's something meant to go in the four holes on either side of the rear of the cockpit. They're YUUUUGE.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 20...



And then...and then I decided to go for flight mode. I get to skip wheels, sweet, right?! You get to choose one mode--if you want flight mode you have to CUT the bay doors posts to lay down. Neat. Except they give you no clear indication WHERE to cut, and of course they lay as flat as an Alp.



That should be fun to fix. There's that word again, I meant to say a pain in the bum.



Anyway I think I have most of a jet now. And then I looked at the canopy.



Maybe it's hard to see in this photo. Yep, that's a seam right down the middle. It's bigger in real life. Joy!

So there it is for now. Next up will be filling, sanding, polishing, cursing, and self-medicating.

[Twokidsnosleep]

She is a good looking bird even snapped together with no paint
What the heck are those huge holes for on the intakes????? Man those are enormous and might need styrene sprue rod glued from the back then sanded flush to fill them up.
For the gap at the bottom of the intake to fuselage, could you shave some plastic from the upper part to make the whole thing just seat in more fully and thus evenly??
That step needs some grinding and putty for sure

I like your paint details on the cockpit

You have been knocking the build's out of the park lately, this will be the same

[ladip63]

Nice start. Now I'm scared to build this plane, but I'm going to glue, sand, fill as needed. When I get done this isn't going to be a snap plane. It's gonna be a mean looking F4-J Phantom of the VMFA-451.

[Lysus]

She is a good looking bird even snapped together with no paint
What the heck are those huge holes for on the intakes????? Man those are enormous and might need styrene sprue rod glued from the back then sanded flush to fill them up.
For the gap at the bottom of the intake to fuselage, could you shave some plastic from the upper part to make the whole thing just seat in more fully and thus evenly??
That step needs some grinding and putty for sure

I like your paint details on the cockpit

You have been knocking the build's out of the park lately, this will be the same

Heh, well maybe it's my turn to foul out

I looked through the manual again, the holes are meant to be covered by a sticker. So, as you said, a piece of styrene rod it is! Maybe it's my turn for a putty pig

Nice start. Now I'm scared to build this plane, but I'm going to glue, sand, fill as needed. When I get done this isn't going to be a snap plane. It's gonna be a mean looking F4-J Phantom of the VMFA-451.

Thanks, Lynn! I'm actually planning on gluing it all, but it's nice to snap it together to see where the problems will be. I even had the tail all put together, but there was no problem there so I pulled it apart to make painting easier (there's zero seam to fill).

Some bits, like those gaps, will require glue as well as filling in most cases. Be ready

I'm feeling like I need to get back into that cockpit...I should at least pick out some colored buttons, maybe a display or two. We'll see how I feel after the putty dries.

[Vleugelmoer]

Next up will be filling, sanding, polishing, cursing, and self-medicating.

Jason, it does look like this kit will become a filler queen some of those gaps are almost as big as the Grand Canyon .

Like that you are going to put your own spinn on it making it a What If

I know that some late Navy F-4 had big bulge antenna's on the side of the intakes so I would suggest checking the build plan again before filling those holes and having a big DOOHH moment later on

Love the tonal variation on the exhausts turkey feathers.

My I suggest a Grey Goose, Club 51 or Crown Royal for you self medication needs as these seem to work best for me when faced with a challenge like a putty pig



Paul (The Other One)

[Lysus]

Yeah, I noticed that detail in some photos. I think maybe Academy either scaled down a mold that used it but didn't remove the holes or they are hedging their bets that they might use them some day. Either way, it's not a part included in the kit

Filling it is.

[Twokidsnosleep]

I am partial to this for my medication, but if I start too early or add too much to the mix I am toast for modelling

[Lysus]

I am partial to this for my medication, but if I start too early or add too much to the mix I am toast for modelling

Ha! It's a fine line between a palliative for the nerves and a lost X-wing blaster

So a tiny updoot. I sneaked a little more work in:

First I popped open the intakes from the fuselage and, as best I could, shaved down the lower join a few hairs so they'd sit together a little better.



Then some TET and once that set up, a little sanding away of the plastic beads. I got too careless on the starboard intake. Bye-bye detail that didn't need sanding:



Then there was this joker.



Similar to the other intake, I trimmed, applied TET (which in this case there was too much tension--the join wouldn't stay together), and then more shaving. Eventually I got it closer to good and got on with some Mr Dissolved Putty (MDP):





That will need a while--probably overnight, I'm not made of free time--to set up. MDP likes to contract as it cures so it's good to apply some and then see what happens after a day. In the mean time I'll get started on the awful wheel bay doors and that canopy.

[Twokidsnosleep]

There you go, much better fitment
Good job on those all around

aaaannnd you remembered that blasted blaster incident with a glass of rum and coke...it doesn't pay to be a lightweight drinker, just makes more work for me!

[Lysus]

There you go, much better fitment
Good job on those all around

aaaannnd you remembered that blasted blaster incident with a glass of rum and coke...it doesn't pay to be a lightweight drinker, just makes more work for me!

Thanks! We'll see about those wheel bays...they're ugly...

I feel you. Since the kiddos entered the picture I'm a cheap date at the bars.

[Vleugelmoer]

Those intakes look a lot better now that it was put together properly using glue and filler

And I forgot about the Captain Scott, that maybe because it wasn't in the liquor cabinet, what an oversite on my part

[Lysus]

Those intakes look a lot better now that it was put together properly using glue and filler

Yeah. I'm struggling to see how this is a beginner kit; not because I had to do filling, but because I have to do SO MUCH FILLING. Like, some gaps on a snapper are to be expected--and I expected to fill them--but some of these are just...well they're not what I would call acceptable even for a first time builder.

I mentioned before that the holes might be a result of just down-scaling another kit, and I think maybe the fits on some of these parts speaks to that. They maybe didn't do any QA after hitting the CAD with their shrink ray.

[Vleugelmoer]

Those intakes look a lot better now that it was put together properly using glue and filler

Yeah. I'm struggling to see how this is a beginner kit; not because I had to do filling, but because I have to do SO MUCH FILLING. Like, some gaps on a snapper are to be expected--and I expected to fill them--but some of these are just...well they're not what I would call acceptable even for a first time builder.

I mentioned before that the holes might be a result of just down-scaling another kit, and I think maybe the fits on some of these parts speaks to that. They maybe didn't do any QA after hitting the CAD with their shrink ray.

I hear you man, either that or they where expecting novice modelers would click them together wack the stickers or decals on and call here done. I'm quite sure the people over at Academy would have done a better job would they have known it was going to be entered in a SIG dedicated to the F-4 on this forum just because we are that famous

[Lysus]

Had some time with this guy. I had some styrene rods on hand, so I found a size that nearly fit and plugged up the holes in the intakes with them. Just nip off a bit, place it in, some TET, and trim off the excess.



Also started in on those wheel bay doors (ugh!) with some TET and some clamping to get them to behave a little more.



Some sanding later did a lovely job of removing all the tasty riveting and lining. Sigh.

The canopy was next while that set up. I went with a standard method of seam removal; scrape down the seam with a sharp blade, masked off the area and then sanded the strip back with a soft 400 sanding sponge, a Ultimate buffer/polisher, and them some polishing compound (Novus in this case, step 2 then 1).





Not perfect, it was my first time, but I'm pleased.

I also used more Dissolved Putty on the wing roots to close up some gaps, though I didn't remember to snap pics of that. You can see it in the pics below a little. I went in layers, closing up the gap bit by bit and worked my way towards the intake along the root gap. The gap at the front of the wings was last as it took some tricky sanding with a narrow sanding stick to reach.

Back to the intake holes, I gave them a sanding and also, of course, took the surrounding details with it. I didn't use any pressure and went until I couldn't detect any bumps. A little filler with Mr Dissolved Putty to close a gap here and there, and I sanded a bit more once that cured.





The canopy was seated, and it had a horrible fit. I had to use a lot of TET and clamping with Berna clamps to get it down flush with the fuselage, this caused a long delay while I waited for that to set.

Now on to the REALLY fun part: I tried masking the canopy with bare metal foil/adhesive foil! Hurray! Never done it before, but after looking at the canopy lines I really did NOT want to try masking that with Tamiya tape. I laid the foil down, burnished it down with a cotton bud, and then in the corners with a tooth pick. I then cut away the foil over the frame. I messed it up a little a couple times, the foil is delicate and it's easy to tear off bits you don't want to. Use a really sharp blade.



Speaking of sharp blades, I hope I didn't dig ditches in the canopy...

After I gave a quick rescribing to the panel lines around my holes it was time to PRIME! I am also keen to try "black basing" the primer this time. Rather than prime in grey then preshade, I primed in Stynylrez black and will come back and paint in a couple phases (to be detailed next time).



They always look so cool in black.

The primer brought out the intake plugs I made, so I had to sand those down a tad more then prime those again.



If you're wondering where the tail hook and tailerons are, they're on some clips to be painted separately. Phantom tails are droopy and I didn't feel like manuevering the airbrush in there to paint them well. They can be added after as a test fit showed zero gaps. Benefits of a snapper

Though...I must say, I've used a lot of TET. So many gaps...



Next up, PAINT!

[Twokidsnosleep]

New caption:
Lysus shows "the gang" his primed Phantom....Scott is the middle character in the photo

[Lysus]

Ha!

Thanks I'm pleased with the rock so far.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Hey it is no putty pig, that is for sure!
The seams and paint look great
I really did make that face and ooooo sound when I saw your pic

[Lysus]

Hey it is no putty pig, that is for sure!
The seams and paint look great
I really did make that face and ooooo sound when I saw your pic

Much appreciated, my friend

[Vleugelmoer]

Top work Jason, glad to see that the early fit issues didn't continue throughout the build. Looks like this might be the first to end up in the reveals section.

Paul

[GuyMac]

This one is flying together. Lot of progress in such a short time. Nice job !

[Lysus]

This one is flying together. Lot of progress in such a short time. Nice job !

Sadly I've not had a moment of bench time all week, a trend likely to continue through the weekend. Hopefully I can sneak in some work Friday night. I should be focused on the Tamiya build but I keep coming back to this little Phantom

[Twokidsnosleep]

This one is flying together. Lot of progress in such a short time. Nice job !

Sadly I've not had a moment of bench time all week, a trend likely to continue through the weekend. Hopefully I can sneak in some work Friday night. I should be focused on the Tamiya build but I keep coming back to this little Phantom

Ditto for me

[Lysus]

I had some time recently, so let's cover what I've done in the last week and a half or so. First, I got to try my hand at mottling after a black base of primer. Not perfect, but it was my first time I think I could get them tighter--also tried some streaks as well just 'cuz--with Tamiya XF-19 Sky Grey and XF-2 Flat White at 80/20:



I wanted the underside to be a bit darker, so:



Wait, you say, the underside should be brighter! Well...that's due to the paint scheme I settled on. Since I decided this would be a what-if where I could try some stuff out, I'm doing her up with a theme:



I thought I'd blend the Y-Wing colors with VF-84. Sooo....

Masking for some near-whte (Tamiya XF-2 and some XF-80 Royal Light Grey at 66/33)



Funny story, turns out I never glued the nose cone on. As I removed the mask it popped off...coulda' saved me some time had I realized that

Next is the yellow. I didn't apply a base of flat white to spray onto, I'm hoping it looks a little less bright. I used a combination of regular Tamiya tape and some bendy Tamiya tape. I like the bendy tape, but it can be fiddly, can lack a proper seal if you're not careful, and it's thick meaning it's easy to build up a wall of paint.

Mr Color c329 Yellow (FS13538) is the closest thing to "Cream" called for for both the Y-Wing and the VF-84 Yellow (betcha' never knew they shared the same yellow, eh?):





Next up is some Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black. I toyed with the idea of using the dark blue on the Y-Wing around the canopy frame but that might be too busy. There's still time to change my mind, though. Black was added to the vertical stabilizer, too:



Cool.





Unfortunately my masking job was not without problems.

Grrr... Not sure how I managed to get the black down there, and I missed my line a bit near the canopy. Though I've been thinking about taking the yellow all the way around the underside of the nose, so not a huge issue to come back and fix this:



Looks like I missed my line here:



And the thickness of the yellow stripe on the left (as you look at it) is off from the right a bit. I need to decide which side I should match the other up to.



Anyway, that's it for now. Next time will be some custom masks for squadron markings and insignia, ordinance and tank assembly/painting, and if I'm truly lucky time-wise, some weathering before we gloss up for wash!

[Twokidsnosleep]

I still vote a job well done
You see all those areas, but the first pic from viewing distance looks great to my eye
I am sure little touch ups will address the lines and such and will make you happy
I am very impressed with your airbrush skill here....masking , that is hard!!!

[Lysus]

I still vote a job well done
You see all those areas, but the first pic from viewing distance looks great to my eye
I am sure little touch ups will address the lines and such and will make you happy
I am very impressed with your airbrush skill here....masking , that is hard!!!

Thanks

I should also add that the spine thingy was bumped in that last pic, after I straightened it the line looked better.

From a normal distance you're right, you don't really see the difference.

[GuyMac]

Nice paintjob. Nice indeed sir

[ladip63]

Love it Jason. I'm still going slowly but it will be done when it is...at the end of December. I hope earlier.

[Lysus]

Nice paintjob. Nice indeed sir

Thanks, Guy! One or three issues to fix, but I'm pleased.

Love it Jason. I'm still going slowly but it will be done when it is...at the end of December. I hope earlier.

Yeah...I've gotten zero bench time the last 10 days or so I feel ya.

[Spook]

This is going to be so cool

[Lysus]

This is going to be so cool

Thanks man! Now if I can only get some time with it...need to fix some of that yellow and somehow get down between the intakes and the fuselage to clear that up...

Soon.

[Lysus]

So not a lot done the last couple weeks, but I got a little time in and thought an update on the paint correction would be warranted.

I masked off and resprayed the yellow for the nose, carried it all the way around, and added some Alclad Burnt Aluminum to the tail and horizontal stabilizers. I realized partway through the yellow that I might be throwing off the hue, one yellow to another, and I was right. More blending will be needed before I can move on to final paint touches and then weathering.







I need to turn out some progress on the Tamiya build, but I hope to have a nice, fat update for this in the next week or so.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Loving the paint scheme here

[Lysus]

Loving the paint scheme here

Thanks, bud!

[Lysus]

I got some bench time!

Sooo...I was worried that two months of sitting on my desk would do bad things for the masking while it waited. And waited. Turns out it was ok, though not everything worked out as I would have liked. I needed to fix the color difference on the yellow stripe up front and get the squadron logo done. Yellow was the same as before, though I did manage to blend it up a bit better, there's still a noticeable change at the tail end where the canopy pinstripe starts. Hrm. Maybe I'll leave it and let weathering crush that a little...or not. We'll see how my mood is tomorrow.

The tail logo comes from the character Sabine in Star Wars Rebels--the Mandalorian rebel this jet is patterned after. She marks her activities (explosions!) with this star bird, meant to symbolize the Old Republic. There's a growing rumor that she has a big part to play in the formation of the Rebel Alliance and that her logo/tag will become the logo of the Alliance as a whole.

My custom mask I cut into masking tape worked alright, though some of the detail got a little fuzzy. I should have checked the masking tape a little more thoroughly.





You can see how the top two wings are blobby and not as sharp/pointy as the bottom two. The other side fared better. I need to decide if I can live with it or need to fix it. Again, a night of sleep will help. I laid down some Mr Color 1 White and then a coat of c58 Orange Yellow with a few drops of 68 Madder Red to get an orange I wanted. I tried not to get it too uniformly since the character uses spray paint and isn't too careful about getting it perfect--probably because she needs to get out before getting caught, but whatevs.

Also I managed to bend the pitots but good. So hooray. One more thing to fix



So there it is for now. I need to get on the ordinance and get this puppy sealed up with a gloss coat for weathering. It did occur to me to dirty up the metal by the tailpipes, so that might need to happen tomorrow as well.