Weathering
The whole model then got another coat of Klear to protect the decals and left to dry overnight before the weathering stage began.
MiG productions Dark wash was added to all panel lines in a capillary action and not painted on as it adds too much wash to the area and can look overdone. After an hour the wash was tidied up with a cotton bud and a coat of matt varnish was misted on.
The front undercarriage was added at this stage as I did not want to run the risk of knocking it off whilst decaling and weathering!
Wheels
I was a little disappointed with the wheels in the kit, they just looked…. plain. Luckily for me Eduard had just released a new Brassin wheel set for the Academy Phantom, so I just had to use them!
They really do look so much better than the kit efforts and come with wheel chocks if you wish to display them on a base. Some careful painting brings out the crisp detail Eduard have created in this lovely add-on.
AIM-9 Sidewinders too
Also bought was 4 Brassin AIM-9 Sidewinders to replace the kit missiles, not that there is anything wrong with them, just that I saw them whilst searching for the wheels! These come with resin seeker covers and photo etch remove before flight tags.
I opted for 4 AIM-9s and 3 fuel tanks for the load out, I was going to add the bombs but didn’t like the looks of them either! (Brassin Mk-82s have since been released)
I attached the clear canopy parts with PVA glue to avoid glue on the glass then left that to dry for an hour or so. I then added all the undercarriage doors, weapons, tanks and wheels.
At the beginning of the build I fancied having the IFR (In-flight Refuelling) probe extended so this was now fitted.
All I needed to do now was add a little wear and tear in the form of a tiny brush and added some Vallejo dark grey to the areas that would take a battering.