A

cademy produce a really nice

series of Phantoms, and this is the

1:48 F-4J. The build started with

the cockpit. The raised detail on

the side consoles and instrument

panel is actually quite nice and it seemed a

shame to have to ile it down, but since I was

using the Eduard etch set, I had to. The main

cockpit colour on the etched set didn’t match

the call out of the instructions (FS36231) – as

I was using Gunze Aqueous. I therefore tried

to match the colour on the etch to a Gunze

pot I had, and funnily enough was almost

identical to RLM76. I sprayed the cockpit tub

and all other associated areas with this and set

aside to dry. Once dry I added the etch panels

using PVA tacky glue, and the it was excellent.

I added some Micro Crystal Clear to the dial

faces to represent the glass, added some

light chipping/wear to the cockpit loor and

then gave the whole thing a wash with some

thinned oil paints. The front undercarriage

well now has to be added to the underside of

the cockpit tub. This is made up of ive pieces

• two sides, two ends and a supporting
  mid-section strengthening rib which
  also has the gear door arm on.
  The detail is really nice in
  here with ribs, struts

and rivets which, when painted up and given

a wash looks really nice. Once joined to the

cockpit this can then be added to a section

of the forward fuselage underside. This was

glued in place and set aside while I moved

onto the rear wheel wells.

Initially these look complicated and

over-engineered with no less than ive-

pieces making the outer wall structure. The

instructions would have you add the gear legs

prior to adding the completed unit to the inside

Ashley Dunn builds the 1:48 Academy F-4J with Eduard Accessories

Manufacturer: Academy

Scale: 1:4 8

K i t Ty p e: Plastic injection moulded

Kit Number: 12305

Eduard Interior Etch Set

Eduard Super Fabric Seat Belts

Eduard Brassin Wheel Set

Eduard Canopy Mask

F-4J Phantom

Skull and Crossbones

Spook

(^18) F-4J PHANTOM WWW.MODELAIRCRAFTMAG.COM