Considering taking another foray into "winged thingies", I'm looking for a kit of the Phantom RF-4C. Not too worried about the scale - 1/72, 1/48 or even 1/32, I don't really mind.

What are my options? It appears Hasegawa do one - but is it the only one, and is it the best?

The reason I've chosen this particular aircraft is because in 1970, one of these things crashed a mere 3 miles or so from my home when I was a kid (both crewmen ejected safely, although the pilot sustained a broken leg). I didn't witness the crash myself, but people I know did, and the woods (including the crash site itself) were old haunts of us kids when I was growing up.

As chance / fate would have it, it was also only a short distance from where an RAF Meteor had crashed 15 years earlier in 1955, killing the pilot (link here if you're interested in reading about both incidents in detail):

http://nicwhe8.freehostia.com/millthorpe/

Of course, I'd like to build that specific Phantom, so my next obvious question is where I might start looking for decals for that particular unit (the USAF's 1st TRS / 10th TRW, RAF Alconbury 1970). Bear with me - I'm usually an armour & figures man, and know little of what goes on in the scale world of flying machines!

Any tips and advice gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

- Steve

You've got a number of options for the RF-4C in 1/72 and 1/48 scale as you can see here:

http://www.1999.co.jp/search_e.asp?Typ1_c=102&scope=0&scope2=0&itkey=RF-4C

I don't know about the Hasegawa kits in 1/72 scale, but I do know the Fujimi kits are very nice. In 1/48, I don't have Hasegawa's RF-4C, but I do have their RF-4E and it is a very nice kit.

In 1/48, I wouldn't bother with Italeri's kit, while pretty good on the outside, there is next to no detail in the cockpit.