Regarding the number of stencils, my father (RAF armourer for 28 years) used to say if you were short of reading material, just get yourself an American jet.
In fact, I have that model (that's why I saw the video) and I have another one that Airfix released a couple of months ago with RAF and Phantom "Colonial Navy" decals.
sweet job, loved the video, i used to make models years ago and have only just come across this type of video. pmsl...always wondered how my models never came out brilliant as i never even considered using something as simple as tweezers. ohh the memories of seats stuck to my fingers ...canopies destroyed by glue...makes me want to start again. especially in the paint department, i am already looking at paint guns ...ohh the hours of work that could save and no brush marks. keep it coming ...you have made a 46 year old consider modeling again...not me..the aircraft.
Must build one of these one day...My Dad has one, but then he knew and worked on the real one. He was the engineering officer for 892 Squadron on Ark Royal in the mid 70's, and I couldn't help but notice the rather familiar tail insignia as I was scrolling through my YT feed. They used different engines to the US F4 ( Rolls Royce Spey units) plus a different avionics package. He had the opportunity to compare like for like when they were on exercise with squadrons from Nimitz. Sadly, 892 was disbanded in 1979 and the planes ended up with the RAF. Mind you, his next assignment was on the flight trials unit of the Sea Harrier.
This was a great build given the limitations of the engineering of this kit Brett. It was once again so much fun doing the Advent with you. Thanks for sharing buddy 🤗🫡
I build a lot of Airfix kits and in the past ten years I’ve noticed they have been making massive improvements but there’s noticeable teething problems. I had the same fit problems and some design choices are definitely strange but overall it turns out to be a really nice bit of plastic.
I agree, Airfix is definitively trending in the right direction, I just recently reviewed their new Westland Seaking kit, and it is quite stunning (video for that coming soon).
Fantastic build, video and commentary, thanks for posting your tips and tricks. You did 892 Squadron RN and HMS Ark Royal proud! I fully agree hopefully one day Airfix will do a RN 1/48 Phantom ... I did personally request one with Dale when I spoke to him in Nuremberg this year... here is hoping!
Nicely done Sir. Somewhat different from my only Airfix Phantom build back in the early 1970s, even back then you got a huge array of weaponry with the kit - that may well have been why I bought it. Looking forward to your next one, regards..
I built the 1/48 Hasegawa version of this aircraft. It was an old kit (1988) but compared the this the parts fitted like Lego. Lovely build and well done for sticking to it.
You did a beautiful job! I love that you did not over-weather the aircraft as so many RU-vidrs are prone to do. To my eye, the stencils look a bit out of scale for 1/72. They look like they would be more appropriate for a 1/32 Phantom. There are two chores I hate doing in modeling...building tracks on armor models and applying stencils to airplanes. The level of monotony is through the roof. It's just something you have to push through to get done.
Great to job on this. I love British phantoms too. If you want to do a British phantom in 48th or 32nd? The last phantoms Britain received were F4J with no British changes. Some of the eternal avionics might have been changed but its something I plan to do down the road.
Hi Brett! Great execution on such a small scale! I always love seeing 1/72 aircraft as they just seem so impressive and hard to do. I guess I will stick to 1/48 for now :) Hope to see more phantom in the future!
I remember when this kit came out a while back - it's no surprise that with all those build options it could get a bit complicated, and I agree that they should probably have had two different front undercarriage legs to depict the launch and at rest configurations. And given that it has the launch and in flight options, some pilot figures would have been nice, but I suppose you could always source them from other kits or the aftermarket.
You know its funny, I hadn't even thought about pilot figures until someone else mentioned it, but yeah, thats a big oversight, especially considering Airfix is usually pretty good at including figures in their kits.
Very nice build. I've always loved the pommie Phantoms, especially the early navy version and color scheme, but I'm holding out with ever fading hope that Airfix will one day tool this kit up in 1:48 scale.
Great build. When I saw those guys I immediately thought YMCA. Fred (with arms up): Come on George, sing it with me. Y. Geoege: I told you Fred, I'm NOT doing it.
Hi. This is a lovely build. I have the old Matchbox kit of this aircraft and I have been wanting to build it for years. I don't think that I could such a great job as this one but I will do my best. All those stencils jeez . I was givdn a lovely book when I was a kid and it had some really nice photos of this aircraft in Royal Navy colours. In fact as I remember it there is a picture on the cover of one of them being launched, all steam and power. What a picture. I will try and find this kit in my stash ab nd give it a go. Very good video with such great work, well done. Regards.
Thanks for the nice video. I have built this kit and mine went together fine from memory. Airfix kits tend to have very tight tolerances so I don't paint any mating surfaces, as this can cause misalignment in my experience.
@@HammerheadModelMaking i tend to only build Airfix. Tamiya tend to have looser tolerances from the kits I've built. I guess something in the design process.
Lovely job, well done. Have a look at Coastal Kits Display Bases. They have all sorts of inexpensive bases in all major scales, including a forward elevator from HMS Ark Royal!
Very nice result! I love the paint scheme, the grey plus the British markings and tail design look awesome! Good idea with the diorama. You could have used an MDF piece as the base, instead of printing it out :) I feel your pain regarding the fitment issues, I once built a 1/32 Phantom from Revell that a friend gave me and boy it was a pain in the butt!
Thanks for watching. The reason I choose 3D printing over a wooden base, is because I lack the woodworking tools to get the shape that I wanted, and it was easier to print. But MDF is absolutely an option for diorama bases for those with the tools/skills to use them!
Very nice indeed........ She looks just the ticket 👍🏻👏🏻👌🏻 The RN and, later, the RAF (F4K and F4M) had Rolls Royce Spey engines rather than the GE J79s of the US jets, hence their different look at the back. It was kind of a fop to placate the decimated UK aircraft industry which was almost destroyed in the 60s, resulting in the need to shop abroad for fighters. I think they made the British F4s a bit fatter, heavier, slower at the top end, though I believe that they accelerated a bit better...... Anyhoo, all gone now, more's the pity...... I loved the Phantom 😏
The way in which you painted the tail was excellent. Thank you for that. As others have mentioned the grey isn’t dark enough. It’s extra dark sea grey. Also the Fleet Air Arm Phantom’s were kept pretty clean so the panel lines look weird. One interesting point about the tail squadron markings is that they thought that 892 squadron would be the last Royal Navy fixed wing squadron so they used the omega symbol. The last letter of the Greek alphabet. Thankfully it wasn’t as the Sea Harriers were purchased.
from experience, the reason paint cracks(from what has happened to me) the paint isnt dry enough or the humidity is bad anyways great build i love the british phantom!!
Great looking work. Did you have to use any nose weights for this build. I got sidetracked a few seconds and don't recall if you had to use them. I've been building models for 54+ years and still amazes me that I learn more from every aspect of model building for each video that i watch. You definitely do some great work with much detail. Back when I started the hobby. We didn't have much weathering or airbrush paints and detail kits with accessories and decals, as in today's time. Use to in my younger days. I carried around a list of all my paints. And bought the ones that were needed for each model i bought. I watch many videos that show the colors being used. But I am noticing alot more in today's model building world. Hardly anyone actually uses the exact color that the box or directions say that is used. Does the weathering and varnishing and the many types of using the paints make it unnecessary to use the exact colors that each model calls for. I also noticed that many model builder's don't even use a paint booth for their work. Also, what is your choice of manufacturer's of the biggest part of your paint supply. Especially when using an airbrush, weathering supply, such as varnishing or doing so much weathering on your builds. Hobby Lobby is about the only thing that resembles a model hobby shop in my area. Even with multiple residents that I have. Are there complete kits that can be ordered off line. Versus ordering 1 item at a time. Or driving around in search for supplies and even then. Not finding what you traveled for several hours. Sorry for the long comment. I really appreciate what you do. Always willing to learn something new everyday.
I hope I answer all your questions here! I did not need to put an weight into this one, there is enough plastic in front of the rear wheels that it doesn't need it. Hey, I'm still learning myself, I watch videos too and pick up new things all the time! Yeah, when I started out the only thing available to me was testors enamel paint in the little glass bottles and some testors spray paints. Had to make due with that! Regarding not using the colors listed in the instructions, I find that many times, they are not always correct or accurate. Not that I ever strive for 100% accuracy, I'm fine if my colors are a few shades off, but doing research from period photos will often get better guides for which colors to use. Regarding a paint booth, I don't have the room for a dedicated paint booth in addition to my workspace, but I have a large extraction hood over my workspace that vents outside that I use when airbrushing as well as plenty of other ventilation. I would say I have an even split of Vallejo acrylics and Ammo Mig acrylics as my main paints, but I will use a little of everything depending on my needs. Yeah, both Vallejo and Ammo Mig sell paint sets, I'm sure most paint brands do, if you are needing a good online retailer I would recommend kitlinx.com or spruebrothers.com. I use them often and totally trust them. Cheers!!
@@HammerheadModelMaking Thanks for the reply and the 2 links. I'll check them both out. I appreciate the information. I'm sure I'll be asking more questions in the future.
Brett, this was a gorgeous build. I have the same kit in my stash and hope it turns out a percentage as nice. May I make a recommendation? Your videos are top notch with excellent narration, but would you consider breaking them up a bit? Instead of one 40 minute video, perhaps two 20's? It would make for easier viewing when there are other things on one's plate.
Thank you, and thank you for the feed back. I've tried doing a few videos as series instead of all in one, and they don't really do all that well. But I totally get that 40+ minute videos are quite a time investment in an already busy day, so maybe I'll try out a future video as a series and see how it does.
@HammerheadModelMaking Thanks for your consideration. I really love your videos. Your channel is in my top 3 of all the RU-vid modeling channels I follow. Your narration truly stands out. Comments on paint ratios and airbrush pressures are also helpful. It's just tough sometimes to watch longer videos. It took me 3 days to watch all of this one, as an example. Part of it is I prefer to view them cast to the TV, and with a family you can imagine there is a run on that. Add in the NHL playoffs and I'm stretched. 😁
Great build! Do you have any advice for masking the radome? Since that area is always not perfectly round, I struggle with masking it off and usually end up brush painting it. I can never get the tape to sit properly. Very cool build, and thx for any advice!
Hi, thanks for watching, yea, I find the best way to get a good mask around something like the radome, is to use a very thin strip of tape, like 1-2mm. this will be very flexible and will easily conform to the compound curves. Then, you can mask off the rest with larger tape to protect the rest of your paint job. Hope this helps.
I have a failsafe method for large amounts of stencils. I start with the largest decals, work my way down, and as soon as i think "this is getting ridiculous" i throw the remainder in the bin.
Awesome! The only thing that kinda irks me is the poor pilot/RIO standing with his hands up in the air like he just don't care. I think he's meant to be inspecting the slats or flaps on the aircraft, and his buddy is watching him do the pre-flight inspection I guess. But you left him standing there with his arms in the air. I guess he could just be really excited about seeing the Phantom? ;p /jk
See, I figured they were deck crew directing the aircraft on to the elevator, so the dude had his hands up to guide the aircraft. But, I kind of like your take, dudes just really excited about the phantom!
Hi, nice work on the Airfix British phantom, funny I prefer the US phantoms and I'm from England, one question about airbrushing as I have not done much, is when painting with acrylics and changing colours, do you flush the airbrush through or strip the airbrush down completely to clean all of its components?
Hey, thanks for watching. I will usually do flushes when I'm switching between colors in the same paint session, but once I'm done with the airbrush for the day, I'll do a more thorough flush, remove the needle, clean it make sure the nozzle is clean. I only do a full breakdown once every few weeks.
Hello, what kind of pressure do you use for the vallejos, and also what kind of thinner? I can see spattering on the black primer in the cockpit, but the colors tend to sprayed nicely and the iwata has probably 0.3 nozzle. thanks
Hi, I thin Vallejo paints with Tamiya X-20A thinner, as far as ratios, it really depends on the color, but I would say anywhere from 15-25% thinner. The spatter you see from the primer is because I used a spray can primer, not the airbrush.
I totally get its a stylistic choice to add a panel wash, and on top of that the size of the Airfix panel lines make it more exaggerated, but I like the look.
Very nice model but you should try the fine molds kits. The best phantoms around i would say , if you can find them. By the way does anyone know whats happened to Matt over at doogs models?
I'm doing FGR 2 which similar your one. I ha 6:31 ve to say Airfix definitely wasted this project. The cockpit,air intake....... lots of wrong. I like British phantom. But this one no better than the old kits from Fuji.
The Ark Royal elevators had a rather distinct shape and I don't have the tools needed to cut that shape out of wood, so for me the easier option was to 3D print, but it that would be a totally valid way of doing it.
