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Hi
everybody, I’m from Germany and this is my first submission to ARC. Steve thank you, a very well done
page!!
This
is my F-111B in markings to show the Phoenix test bird 151972 at Culver City.
The Kit was weathered in the Cockpit entry area and
equipment bays of L/H & R/H front fuselage as well as on the fwd. and rear
Engine Bay Doors on lower rear fuselage.
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Parts of the Hasegawa Rear Fuselage were cut off. New Revell parts are
shown. I decided to use the Revell Main Tires to reflected the
smaller Navy Tires which are only 42 x 13. Airforce Tires are 47 x 18.
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Click on
images below to see larger images
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Dry fit of the wings without flap/slat and first look of "things
under wings". The two AIM-54 are from Hasegawa's first F-14A
release, in the hope that these are AIM 54A's.
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The booty of the hunt :-), Microscale 72-132. The sheet was in very good
condition.
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The Hasegawa Front Fuselage was cut off, Revell F-111B Radome and parts of
a early "AWG-9" System. At this Step I decided to open the
Radome.
The Revell part fit very well. A little bit sanding was needed.
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The
following story will tell you, how I’ve tried to build a Navy F-111B.
In
the late seventies I spent a two week vacation on the
Baltic Sea . To cover a cloudy day I travelled with my wife to Lübeck.
There
I found a well sorted book store and while I was looking for military aviation
books I found Bill Gunston’s “Modern
Fighting Aircraft F-111”. After buying it I recognized the first coloured
picture of the Navy’s F-111B in my life.
As
I’m a modeller, an idea was born which ought to be unrealizable.
But
I was a kind of infected by this idea and bought the old 1/72 Revell Kit
“F-111 Tactical Fighter TFX” in my local Hobby Shop. The kit enables you to
build a Navy F-111B.
But,
I didn’t start it, due to the fact that the decals reflected an in service
aircraft (VF-124 & VF-84) and with information out of the book I got to know
that they never existed in that way. Furthermore the kit doesn’t contain
pylons and weapons. The burner cans from the TF-30 Engine seem to be incorrect
as well as the intakes and Crew capsule.
I
stowed away the kit and the idea to the attic because I was unsatisfied.
Years
later, I visited the Aviation Megastore in Amsterdam
with my son and a friend of mine. An excellent Shop with a lot of great stuff!
There it was! I couldn’t believe my own eyes!!! In front of me I found Tommy
Thomason’s book “Naval fighters No. Forty One – Grumman Navy F-111B Swing
Wing”.
I
bought it … the resurrection. You should be asking why??
The
idea was back again with my new famous book with a lot of references and an old
Revell Kit. All I need was a Hasegawa F-111C because of the long wing and the
Microscale Decal sheet 72-132. That’s all.
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View from L/H wing tip, to show the flap/slat in full down position. The
AIM-54 Pylons are from Italerie's F-18A. They were slightly modified.
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Bottom view
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images below to see larger images |
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Left Hasegawa lower rear fuselage, right Revell.
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To
get the F-111C was fairly simple. I bought it as blemished item in a warehouse
for approx. 12€, the only reason was that the box was damaged.
Now,
to have both kits I could compare the two kits and I found out that
the Revell Kit was not so bad as I thought years ago.
In
some pics you can see that I've used Revell parts.
But
to get the decal sheet was a nightmare. To cut a long story short, from Flight
Dec’s over Great Model Web Store to Hannants and all the others worldwide and
likewise all German Scale Modelling Stores
answered the same: No sorry, what you are looking for is since a loooong
time out of production and therefore it is sold out. Can it be true? :-((
My
last hope was EBay.
And,
after a lasting for months search there
I got it :-))
I hope you have
enjoyed the model and article.
Franz
Click on
images below to see larger images
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