Hi again all
Sorry for the inactivity! 
I think I’ve finally got life a bit more sorted here and I hope to get my Phantom build back on the road this weekend.
All the best
Rowan 
That cockpit looks great.
I have the academy F-4D half built and have to agree about the landing gear going on so early in the build.
Sleepwalker71, that’s a real bummer about the problems you had with the fuselage correction. I have had to start over on my build in this campaign myself, so I can appreciate the frustration! You picked a great scheme to do for your new build!
have fun modeling
Mike
Well, I think I am now caught up with my Phantom build “Do Over” for this campaign. I have finished a second cockpit using a spare hasegawa RF-4E I had in my stash but this time I used Eduard PE to dress up the rather plain cockpit rather than the ill fitting Aries cockpit. Here’s the replacement 'pit before I sandwich it between the replacement fuselage halves:
Now it is time to button things up!
Have fun modeling
Mike
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I do love these intricate cockpit details. I wish mine had looked like those 
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Beautiful cockpit, Mike. Very nice and fine details!
I have made a bit more progress on my F-4E. The camouflage is on. I really love the SEA camouflage scheme. It will look good with a shark mouth on. 
More to follow 
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That is a great looking camo job, SGTJKJ! That scheme really suits the Phantom. I like the way that the F-4E looks, what paint did you use? It has a “just right” look.
Have fun modeling
Mike
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Thanks Johnnych01! I probably spend more time than I should working on model cockpits but I like the challenge. Unfortunately, a lot of the time you can’t see the detail after the fuselage is closed up and the seats added!
Have fun modeling
Mike
Really nice looking work here! I stalled on my Z-M F-4E when I tried to use a different kind of paint than I’m used to for the IAF camo colors. Could not get any good control! So I’ve sorted out Tamiya colors I can use and am trying again. Fingers crossed!
Michael 
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A lot of people say Real Colors act like Tamiya and comes in many colors.
I ordered a Z-M F4-E and want to use the South East Asia color scheme. I have some questions for you Phantom folks.
- Is there an official S.E.A. color pattern for the phantoms? I have seen many different patterns in photographs.
- What painting masks are good to use and accurate?
- How sharp of an edge is the S.E.A. paint job? Would a paint mask create the wrong edge?
- I plan on using Real Color paint. Are their any issue with the accuracy of their S.E.A. color palet?
- What brand and color are best for the heat shield and nozzels?
I am an armor guy and have lived through the German Panzer color and pattern discussions.I do not want to mess the build by an incorrect paint job so any helpful advice would be welcomed. Thanks for your help.
My build is starting to look like a Phantom! Once I was finished with the cockpit, I buttoned it up within the fuselage halves and added the intakes and wings. Here’s how it looks on my bench:
Now i is on to putty/sand/repeat to minimize the different misaligned sections that didn’t quite fit. Yup, it is a typical 1/72 Hasegawa Phantom!
Have fun modeling!
Mike
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TopSmith,
If you ordered the standard Z-M F-4E early it comes with markings and a four color fold out diagram for a Viet Nam based SEA scheme. I think the scheme was generally standard, but applied free-hand so had a fair amount of variation. That means the color boundaries were pretty soft edged and I think masks would be too sharp, though if you lifted up the edges with a piece of thread or something under them, that might do it. I don’t know anything about Real Color paints, so can’t help you there, I’m afraid.
The heat shield and exhaust nozzles had a lot of burnt metal weathering and I’ve seen people really go to town with different shades and shading. Not really my thing, overall, but I think you can find tutorials on the web.
You’ll really love the Z-M kit, but take care with the fuselage spine insert. Make sure the fuselage halves are fully joined and dry fit carefully to see if there are steps or gaps. It’s really the one area I’ve had trouble with on mine.
HTH
Michael
My thought with the mask was to apply it and make a snake of silly putty and put the silly putty on top of the edge of the mask. The mask would provide the corect patern and protection from overspray and the silly putty would provide a softer edge than the mask alone.
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That could certainly work too.
Michael
Thanks for the comments, Mike. I used AK Interactives SEA real colors set. They spray beautifully and the colors seem very accurate.
Greg, as already pointed out there is an official camo scheme. It is a beautiful colorful scheme. Luckily there are significant variations in the scheme, so you have significant artistic license.
I studied the edges of the camo quite closely myself. It is a semi soft edge, which is difficult to recreate. I think you rolls of putty could work great. For mine I used freehand first and then masked the edges with putty. Quite satisfied with the result. Notice the putty rolls should have the same thinkness to give the same degree of soft edges.
Looking forward to see more
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Greg, here are a couple of pictures further to our discussion. You can see the camo scheme pattern I used.
In the picture you can see the subtle differences in camo scheme between aircraft. This is not a Vietnam era photo but it illustrates the differences very well.
I have a Vietnam photo of a four plane flight where the differences are subtle, but shows that every aircraft have subtle differences. I cannot seem to find that photo now. Sorry.
Can someone recommend a paint mask set of the SEA pattern for the F4-E? I have seen seveal brands and I don’t know enough yet about aircraft aftermarket brands to make an informed choice.
I am also interested in some deteiled aftermarket nozzels that would fit the Z-M F4.
Thanks ahead of time for all the help.