RichB63

Problem is the ZM thread has drifted into a discussion of the Meng kit!

Haha…Hey at least I was in the right neighborhood! Now that Meng have announced an Echo model to follow, the strapless wing might be a concession to accommodate “ab initio” thick-skinned versions. Easier to add a strap vs. removing one. Or maybe Meng will include a vinyl G-strap (how’s that for a visual?!) for the Wild Weasel boxing...We’ll find out soon enough.

When it rains it pours…keep the Phantom coming!

The tail antenna looks good: properly proportioned and positioned atop the tail…a marked improvement over the Hasegawa G in this area: The chin pod looks good too, at least to my eye…again, an improvement over the Hasegawa predecessor:

Additional work will be required to close these gaps. This is where the new Meng kit offers an advantage, with its one-piece fuselage.

That’s my guess too. Even a follow on short nose F-4C, D or J, which Tamiya’s tooling and parts layout hint at, would require a substantial set of changes, not least of which a new wing. I hope they choose to make the effort.

And Gene, thanks for the storage tip!

Wow…way to go GreyGhost! Those Hornet images are spectacular.

Relieved to hear this, I “only” have 3 copies in my stash!

One more, and some commentary… Overall, I think this is a very good kit, as indicated by these images: nice surface features and good attention to detail. 2 years ago I would have rated it as excellent all around. This recent shift in perspective is twofold: First and foremost, Jumpei Temma’s keen-eyed observations on Phantoms, as documented on his website. Secondly, last year’s release of the sublime Tamiya F-4B in 1/48, rumored to have incorporated much of Jumpei’s research. Both of these developments have raised a

Continuing…

Adding to Cooke’s photos…

Meng appear to have depicted USN style belly access panels, appropriate for F-4B and J. USAF Phantoms differed in this area, owing mostly to alternative engine start design features. In fairness, other manufacturers have done the same: for example, the Zoukei-Mura F-4C and D kits; where they simply copied the features of their original F-4J release. To ZM’s credit though, they corrected this error on their new F-4E/G kits.

Additionally, some changes to fin cap antenna and rear instrument panel as shown here.

IRST chin pod available now from Aires/Quickboost: