1/48 Hasegawa RF-4C Phantom II

by Bill Lachance

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This is an Air Force RF-4C that I built for a customer. It was done OOB, with the exception of True Details resin seats and decals by Fox One. The seats are a BIG improvement over the kit parts. I had never used Fox One's decals before (I build WW II aircraft for myself), and I was very pleased with the results. They conformed beautifully, and the carrier film disappeared completely. If you build jets, check out their decals.

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The instrument panels and consoles have crisply molded detail. A wash and drybrush adds needed depth to the dark cockpit. Four cameras are included for the nose. Despite the darkness, they are visible through the windows on the fuselage sides and bottom.

I painted the camouflage freehand, using Gunze Sangyo acrylics for the Light Gray, Tan, and Dark Green. Model Master enamels were used for the Medium Green and White. I used Alcad II metallics on the tail. The shades are Airframe Aluminum, Aluminum, Duraluminum, Dark Aluminum, Magnesium, and Steel. The washes were done with mixes of enamels and oils. I use a darkened shade of each color, mixing it with black oil paint. Since I used acrylics for much of the camo, I had to mix approximate shades with enamels first before I could add the black. I used a dark gray oil wash on the metallics.

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This was a fun project, helped by the SEA camouflage scheme. I enjoy painting camo and metallic finishes, so this wasn't much of a stretch from my usual WW II subjects. A nice change of pace indeed.

Bill

Visit my website to see other models of mine, I also build models on commission.  http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/

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Photos and text © by Bill Lachance