Unfortunately i don't have photos of that.
What i do have photos of is my attempt 25 years later.
This kit fought me from start to finish. I started out by trying my level best to make it the best kit i could. By the time i got to putting it together, i just wanted it done.
Box Art. I believe this kit was first popped in 1975?
Pretty simple kit.
Lotta weight in the nose.
Simple pilot with size 500 feet?
First proper try using alclad.
Fit is...ok. Pretty damn good for its age.
Looks mean in black.
Half way through the build i knocked my electric drill off the work bench (id just used it to create the holes for the skewars to hold parts being painted.) I stupidly tried to catch it. This is the result. I didn't realise drill bits could bend. (Yes the blood is where it went into my hand, no thats not what bent it)
Paint finished.
Somehow (i do not know how) i managed to make XF-1 spray high gloss. So high gloss in fact the flat coat didnt change it at all. It continued to stay gloss even after several coats of XF-86
Time for decals...or not.
Sample decal.
Remaining very very yellow decals. (Camera doesnt do the yellowing justice, they were almost brown)
After a day in the sun they cleared up a bit. But were still yellow.
I laid on a coat of testors decal matt coat. It seemed to work pretty well.
Final thoughts.
I hate this kit. It has made life difficult for me since the moment i opened the box. Everything that could go wrong did. Now that its done i want to biff it.
Literally the only reason i did this kit is because i wanted to go back to my roots to try and get my mojo back. All this kit has done is stress me out.
Hopefully you guys get some enjoyment out of it.
Would i build this kit again?...No, i wouldnt.
Do i have another one (Academy repop) in the stash?...Yes, yes i do.
Im aware this is more of a build log. But i wanted to share the process with you and show it finished.
