This is my Hasegawa F-4G Wild
Weasel. I wanted to build a fairly detailed and accurate replica so I added the
Aires cockpit set, Aires Exhaust and selected parts from the Eduard F-4G set.
Starting at the cockpit, the
Aires set took considerable effort to install, but the result was worth it.
I
added the photoetched sills from the Eduard Set to complete that section.
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I read in various articles that
the Aires Exhausts were a challenge to fit. The main problem is that the overall
unit when assembled is longer than the kit part. This meant that I needed to
remove some plastic from the bottom rear left and right fuselage halves to allow
the exhaust assembly to go all the way in.
The raised panels lines on the
weapons pylons were sanded off and rescribed. I also added some details that are
prominent on the real aircraft and corrected the chaff dispensers based on
photos found on ARC. Hasegawa molded the flaps in the neutral position, so I cut
them off and dropped them.
The model was painted with Model
Masters enamels in the Hill Gray scheme. Markings are from Aeromaster’s ‘Last
of the Wild Weasels” sheet. Walkways were masked and painted dark gray and the
weathering was kept minimal as this particular aircraft was relatively clean.
The bare metal areas were finished with Testors Metalizer, Steel, Aluminum and
Burnt Metal. I applied Future tinted with Tamiya Clear Blue and Clear orange to
some of the individual exhaust petals to capture the discoloration that occurs
in this area. Finally, I scratchbuilt the antennas and their bases which are
located on the spine of the aircraft and added the weapons – a HARM and a
Sparrow, both dressed up with markings from Two Bobs. I also installed an
ALQ-131 pod from Hasegawa Weapons B and painted it light gray.
Hope you like the model.
Fernan de Gannes
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