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Gary Brantley
44 articles

Monogram RF-101B Voodoo

January 13, 2023 · in Aviation · · 28 · 0.8K

"Black Magic" is the name I gave her way back when she was first built. It has now been about 20 years since I came up with a "what if" plan for the kit. I had the kit in my stash for awhile before deciding to do a fictional scheme. I wanted an all-black Voodoo in a pseudo Blackbird-type look. I don't think any recon or otherwise Voodoos were painted this way, but it makes a striking appearance for these fast jets . I am aware of the beautiful, glossy black Voodoo operated by the Canadians at one point. The Voodoo was a fast mover before the area-ruled fuselage came in vogue (iirc); I guess she did it with good ol' brute power! 😁

I used flat, semi-glass and gloss black enamels, as well as the same range in clear acrylics to paint it and weather it. The decals are from an 1/32 F-117 kit, iirc. I took these at the Cameron Municipal Airport years ago, over the course of two different sessions. The wind was blowing way too hard during the first one and I watched the horizontal stab flutter up and down so much I was afraid I would lose it.

This model was posted here way back in 2012, when many, if not most, of our current members had not arrived. A few of you may even remember it from back then. But, with the recent appearance of several articles featuring really great Voodoo models, I thought that some folks might enjoy seeing another one, but done up in a fantasy scheme.

I hope you enjoy having a look at the old "Black Magic"! Thanks for your interest!

Reader reactions:
11  Awesome

6 additional images. Click to enlarge.


28 responses

  1. the plane, the scheme, the photos! What's not to like about this one? 10 out of 10 in all categories. Love this!

  2. Actually, the F-101 - like the F-8 Crusader - stumbled by chance into a fuselage design that met the requirements of the area rule when the area rule was not yet known. That's why neither of them had to get "coke bottled" which was how designers who weren't so lucky came up with saving their project once the area rule was known. The only US supersonic fighter that could go supersonic that didn't meet the area rule was the F-100 (and the fact the F-8 did meet the rule was why - using the same engine - it was 400 mph faster than the Hun).

    A very nice "what if."

    • Thanks Tom @tcinla! I'm curious about the features of their fuselages that met the area rule requirements; both the F-101 and the F-8 had somewhat "chunky" bodies. It seems like I've read something similar about the MiG-21 and the area rule. Also, that's an interesting fact regarding the Hun. I knew those two aircraft were contemporaries, with the Crusader just a bit more "recent".

  3. A great build Gary. Again good to see another old Monogram kit looking good πŸ™‚ Cracking

  4. Very nice work. Thanks for sharing.

  5. I thought I saw somewhere before. Nice to see it again.

  6. Hi Gary, it’s definitely still got that β€œold black magic”.

  7. Very cool "what if", Gary (@garybrantley). It is amazing how much it resembles some of the current dark paint schemes. The Operations Officer in my first assignment had flown F-101s back in the day and would sometimes share some old war stories. Monogram kits build into really nice models. Well done.

  8. It’s a voodoo party lately. Lovely work!

  9. A fantastic model and a gorgeous "what-if" scheme, Gary!
    Well done!

  10. This looks great in black, it also looks real! Nice job.

  11. Very impressive, Gary @garybrantley
    At first I thought I was looking at pictures taken from a real aircraft.
    Even though this scheme is fictional, it suites perfectly.

  12. Very nice diorama and photos!

  13. Love it! I love the Voodoo, and man, she looks striking in this scheme. Why didn't I think of this?

  14. Hi gary, the "black" gives it a very powerful look. I like it.

  15. @orion, Thank you very much Dirk! I'm glad you enjoyed it! πŸ˜ƒ

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