1/48 Hasegawa FGR-2 Phantom

by Chris Lovell (Yellowbelly)

--------------------

 

This is my first submission to ARC, although I’m sure everyone was tired of hearing about my trials and tribulations building this classic kit in the Jet Modeling and Tools and Tips forums. I hope you enjoy the pictures (including Pennsylvanian foliage) as much as I did building the RAF rhino.  Many thanks to Murph, eddygrantham, Dave Fleming etc.  Your advice and encouragement kept me going through the dark times.  

I used the classic Hasegawa 1/48 FGR-2 Phantom kit depicting a 41st Squadron rhino from my home county of Lincolnshire with that fantastic reconnaissance pod & shark mouth.  Why are RAF recon pods so fantastically outlandish?   The following aftermarket sets were used:  

  • Black Box FGR-2/F4 J resin cockpit set

  • Hasegawa Weapons set D. 2 TERs 

  • 2 sets of Flightpath resin Matra rocket pods.

  • Almark Decals RAF Phantoms FGR-2 Sheet A48 -2:  41st Squadron 1976 Conningsby

Paints used were airbrushed Model Master Enamels (British Dark Green, Dark Sea Grey, Light Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey), Model Master Metalizers (Burnt Iron, Steel and Chrome Silver) and Pollyscale Acrylic Gloss and Matt coats.  Weathering techniques included various grey chalks/dishwashing liquid washes and Tamiya Smoke/Clear Blue to give the burner cans that “tempered afterburner look” and for the cockpit windshield its recommended anti-glare blue finish.  

The biggest problem I had was fitting the Black Box cockpit set.  The key lessons learned were to really thin down the resin cockpit side wall pieces and continually dry fit.  Unfortunately, by the time I learned this lesson the starboard side of the cockpit was slightly pushed out but as I planned to have the canopies open I didn’t have the heart to start over again. While Black Box detail is superb, you really cannot see much with the canopies glued in place.  Still, I look forward to trying the other Black Box FG Mk.1/F4-S with my Hasegawa FAA Phantom kit in my stash.  I did have to replace the port stabilizer plastic positing pin and also the ROI canopy pins with brass 1/16 and 1/32 pins respectively to overcome my clumsy modeling techniques.  Came out reasonably well and I plan to use brass pins for future resin/styrene connections for additional strength and accurate positioning.  Connecting the Flightpath resin Matra rocket pods to the TERs nearly drove me insane – thank God, I didn’t try 3 Matras per TER as SWMBO would have probably burned my model stash and instructed me to find a more relaxing hobby.

Chris AKA Yellowbelly

Click on images below to see larger images

  

Photos and text © by Chris AKA Yellowbelly