Doing a bit of work here and there on these! I am not sure it was such a good idea to build both at the same time, no synergies yet! It seems as if I spend most of the time sorting through a multitude of sprues !


Interior parts ready for primer, a C-fuselage already closed up and a set of parts for the RF's wings.

It pays to be careful when building these, with slight adjustments fit is almost perfect and with glue applied from below very little sanding is needed. And I don't feel like sanding that seam between the inner and outer wing!



Magnus

Hi again.
@ Jessica . Just to get things straight are you saying that the only version of a phantom that can be built from the Airfix 1/72nd kit is the F4B unless you wish to undertake open bonnet surgery?

cheers
Martin

Yes, that's pretty much the case
F-4Bs were updated to the -N standard by the usual method of adding heaps of electronic gear under various warts which were grafted onto the airframe so that wouldn't be such a terribly difficult conversion to undertake but any other variant needs the bulged wing so you may as well just get another kit unless you've got a dead Phantom you can rob the wings and landing gear from.

Thanks Jessica,
Then the only version I can build is the USS Forrestal aircraft.

Thus it is and I will continue in that vein.

Martin

Mind you having said that, it is the aircraft I recall as a kid always wanting to make but the decals were a bit daunting to a 9 year old so I never built it.

Here we go

F-4A is the most improbable one of them all for it was litterally a different aircraft. Although I agree totaly to what Jessica is telling, if you really want to build an USAF Spook from that kit you can finish it as F-110. It is basicly early F-4B in USAF service. They used just a few for testing the abilities of the airframe but they did:} And they are a nice Air Superiority Blue as far as I remember.

Thanks folks. I'm sticking with the Fujimi RF-4B, I haven't unearthed the old US Airfix kit anyway.

I've managed to not build an Phantom II prior to this GB. Even when I got back into the hobby back in the '70's (when at least half of the kits listed for sale in 'Scale Modeler' were Phantoms), I managed not to buy one at all.

Now I have 5 in the stash, the Airfix F-4'D', the Fujimi RF-4B, a Hasagawa F-4E, and an Italeri F-4G in 1/72 and a Revell 1/32 F-4J. Are any of them reasonable representations of the plane on the box?

Can't say anything about Airfix personally but, Fujimi Phantoms are generally neat and accurate general simulations, rather less parts and easy fit kits which makes them my second favorites(to ols Esci kits only). Hasegawa has two different molds for F-4E(as far as I know, maybe more) if it is the cheeper and older one with the raised panel lines it is slightly lesser to the Fujimi counterpar, if not it is close to overkill excluding the cockpit. Italeri is a really good spare parts box..eheh eheh...no really it is a fine and good fitingh kit but again with raised panel lines. 1/32? I don't accept such an abomination of a scale. I shun such monstrosities! All hail the True scale (1/144) and it's subservent 1/72!!!

Well, about 85% of the stash is 1/72. This 1/32 kit is a 'hand-me-up", my son got it at show, might have started it and abandoned it to my stash.

All but the Airfix are what they say they are, and all the 1/72 kits will give you a decent model. The old 1/32 Revell -J kit is quite rough and needs a lot of TLC to be a good model. It's been completely overshadowed by the Tamiya kit.

As others have said, there are two Hasegawa toolings. The old tool is pretty poor, the new tool is probly the most detailed and accurate F-4 in 1/72 but it is also very fiddly and over-complicated. The Fujimi F-4 isn't as detailed but goes together easier IMO.

A man with a plan...



Cheers! // PolarBear

That's a LOT of aftermarket!

I thought I would show that I am not neglecting the build, just taking some time to dood it.
My eyes dont allow me to make much out of anything smaller than a 32 scale pit so this is how far I got today, real progress huh?

Hi,

I hope to build a 1/72 Fujimi F-4M of No 2 Sqn with that big camera pod. I have the Airdoc decal set for this build.

AeroF4M1 by StefanBuysse, on Flickr

Cheers, Stefan.

Nice progress, Magnus.

Bjoern, that is a lot of plastic and after market stuff. What is your plan?

Nice start Paul - I find the older jet cockpits are much more interesting to model, compared to modern "glass" cockpits which are really quite uninteresting.

Stefan - The Spey engined Fujumi kits are superb - you'll enjoy building that one

Well, since this is (hopefully) my return to the hobby after a long hiatus, I thought I'd go all in. This is what I plan:

I originally thought I build this one as a 1973 bird, but I have since discovered the following -
- My #109 was part of the first delivery (Originally "609" - Peace Echo I F-4E Block 40 68-0470 - Just to confuse things/modellers/arab neighbours, there appears to have been another 109 - later 209 - in Peace Echo IV) in 1969 and, as far as I know, most likely had hard wings during the Yom Kippur war. My kit has slatted wings. It should have upgraded the wings sometime during the following months or years.
- The "One Squadron" did not have red rudders with white and blue chevrons until mid-1975. I like red rudders with white and blue chevrons...
- I bought the hebrew stencils. I believe that the Israeli Air Force didn't exchange the english stencils until sometime between 1975 and 1980, but I don't know exactly when. Please help if you know!
- By 1977, # 109 seems to have transfered to another squadron, and in 1978 it was lost in an accident.
(Please correct me if I'm wrong on any of the above)

Hence, I've decided to build the #109 how I believe that it appeared sometime late 1975 or early 1976.

Cheers! // PolarBear

Hi guys
got the MK1 set to join the seats.

will scare some plactic soon
Andy

Hi All!

Yet Phantastic entries from you guys!

Ok, let´s get seriously back to the hobby! The campaign should force me (I hope so) to finally finish A kit - have enough Hangar-Queens so far since started back. Phantoms are great! So for me it´s a must - and after visiting JG 71 "Richthofen" in Wittmund/Germany it will be of course a German one.





And especially (because of the anniversary campaign)it´s an anniversery Phantom F-4F II. Painting and Markings need not much weathering and it will come OOB (Kit is quite fine and enough detailed) - And here it goes...



Enjoy your build
Thomas