Dave W's Phantom

[Guest]

Happy Birthday Dave...Im 22 days older than ya !....glad to see the Phantom now in your possession...have fun !

Danny

[Dave W]

Thanks Danny.Its got canopies as well!!

[Guest]

Many happy returns Dave! Looking forward to seeing this build out! cheers Trey!

[Ian M]

Happy Birthday Dave! It's nice having a wife that feeds our obsessions in it.

Good to see that you got the kit you where after. I'm still waiting for some bits before I can button the fuselage up!

At this rate you'll all be finished well before I am.

Ian M

[flyjoe180]

Happy Birthday Dave! Nice Phantom, can't wait to see yours develop. It looks like a nice kit.

[papa 695]

Happy birthday Dave, and looking forward to your build

[Guest]

A wee bit late, Happy Birthday Dave, looking forward to seeing your Phantom come together.

Jim

[Dave W]

Bit of progress the last few days.Cockpit together and painted best I can.Theres a big hole in front of the navigators feet.So I filled that with a piece of plastic card.

My son in law gave me one of those Humbrol work trays for my birthday.Was going to sit in front of the telly with it on my lap.But Monty decided he would use it as his bed!.

I'm surprised at some of the details in such an old kit.Its got the circuit breaker panels in the back cockpit sidewalls.And even the levers for opening the canopies are moulded on the left side walls just below the sills.

I found it difficult to locate the cockpit in the right fuselage half.Theres a ridge moulded in to sit the cockpit on.But mine Didnt fit very well. I had to use some two part epoxy to strengthen the joint.Now Ive got a large gap around the rear bulkhead.And I think the rear cockpit is sitting too low.Might have to perform a bit of surgery to move it up a bit as the ejection seat looks to be sitting too low to me.

Last thing I did this evening was glue the Fletchers together.

[papa 695]

A very good start Dave Me and Danny had trouble with the fit of the cockpit to the fuselage

[Dave W]

Thanks Ian.Ive had another look at it and I'm sure the cockpit is located correctly.Ive still got to fit the top pieces to the seats.So they should look right then.And the location of the rear instrument panel stops you lifting the back end of the cockpit any higheranyway.I was going to have both canopies open.But. Can't be bothered sorting out the big gaps around the top of the rear bulkhead.Ive filled them with Microscale crystal clear.Will paint it and close the rear canopy.This is a typical ex Monogram kit.Nicely detailed,acurate but with some poor fitting parts.The fuselage halves fitted together well after I'd sanded them a bit though.

[Ian M]

Coming along nicely Dave.

I know how you have it with the cat. But at least he is white and can see him in the dark. Our two monsters, I mean cats, have learnt not to go near my model stuff! (when I am at home that is).

I have seen/heard that the cock pit fit in that kit is a bit trying, but it looks like you got the better of it.

Ian M

[Guest]

Dave thats looking good so far,i seem to be having the same prob as you,and i havent finished the cockpit details yet,my dry brushing is awful lol

mobear

[Guest]

A few things to be aware of with the cockpit...make sure the pilots control panel is well stuck if your closing the canopy ! (A lesson learned for me !), secondly, If you choose to put the seated figure in the front seat, you might need to practice a wee bit of foot amputation, like the paperwork pic, that figure is for the back seat. I think it was while putting it in front to see what my options were, that i dislodged the front panel... Hopefully theses were just my problems and wont be yours

Danny

[Dave W]

Thanks Danny.Will be using the standing figure on this build.Will try to paint a tache on it to make it look a bit like Robin Olds!.

[flyjoe180]

Nice work Dave, your Phantom is coming along nicely. Some good detail in that older kit as you say.