F-4 Phantom guide for the masses

[RB211]

External refuelling probe was fitted to all variants of IAF Phantoms, not just the Kurnass 2000. Biggest giveaways were the Hebrew script Kurnass 2000 on the fuselage side and a large black rectangular shaped antenna under the nose gun fairing.

IAF Phantoms did still have the boom refuelling door on the spine, and the door actually raised even when the boom was fitted to allow the refuelling system to engage.

you cannot give any accurate info on what model does what,did you know some RF-4 were nuke carriers/

[RB211]

you cannot give any accurate info on what model does what,did you know some RF-4 were nuke carriers/

YOU GUYS GET SO INVOLVED IN PETTY STUFF YOU MISS THE GREATNESS

[HPeter]

Hi All!

I am new on this forum, so this is my first post!

I have a question about Hasegawa F-4B/N combo kit, scale 1/72. Anyone who knows this can tell me the panel lines are engraved or not? I read many post here, but i want to confirm this exactly.

So thanks

HPeter

[Pete]

The only F-4 still issued by Hasegawa with raised panellines, is the old F-4E kit. All other F-4 kits (including a new F-4E) have recessed panellines. Only in 1/48 they have a mix of kits with raised (F-4B/N and F-4C/D) and recessed panellines (F-4E, F-4F, F-4G, F-4J, F-4S and the recce versions).

Oh, and welcome to ARC.

[HPeter]

Many Thanx!

That was the problem, i got half information without scale. It's very good news for me, I'm working in 1/72 only.

Thanx again!

Greets

HPeter

[HPeter]

Hi All!

I have one more question... sry:)

My last problem:

Fujimi - F-4S Phantom II Black Bunny series: F-49 item code: 721804

or

Hasegawa - F-4J Phantom 2 `VF-41 Black Aces Special` item code: 01905

The Hasegawa is more expensive then the Fujimi (double price), is it worth it?

Regards

HPeter

[Litvyak]

I'd have a couple of questions.

1. An earlier post mentioned that the USN used their QF-4s for towing targets... would these have included the TDU-10 as included in Hasegawa's 1/72 US Air to Ground Missiles package?

2. I have the Hasegawa 1/72 F-4B 2-pack and am looking for what to do with the second one. I was considering doing it as a USN bird from the Vietnam war that had gotten some kill marks, but in reading this thread I realised I could do it as an F-110, which would fit with my plan to model all the Century series aircraft... are there any decals in 1/72 for the F-110?

Thanks in advance!

[Fanakit]

I'd have a couple of questions.

1. An earlier post mentioned that the USN used their QF-4s for towing targets... would these have included the TDU-10 as included in Hasegawa's 1/72 US Air to Ground Missiles package?

2. I have the Hasegawa 1/72 F-4B 2-pack and am looking for what to do with the second one. I was considering doing it as a USN bird from the Vietnam war that had gotten some kill marks, but in reading this thread I realised I could do it as an F-110, which would fit with my plan to model all the Century series aircraft... are there any decals in 1/72 for the F-110?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Litvyak

Hasegawa released an F-110 kit with decal but it's limited edition , I don't know if this kit is avaible today

Hasegawa F-110A Phantom II 1/72 ref 00618

Ivan

[gmat]

You may also build it as one of the other 29 USN F-4Bs loaned to the USAF and flown at MacDill AFB (12th TFW and/or 15th TFW) pending arrival of the F-4Cs. SNs 62-12168-96. The Hasegawa kit represents one of the other two borrowed F-4Bs marked and presented as F-110As. The TAC badge on the aircraft and on the kit decal is oversized. Far better to search out the RF-4C 'USAF kit,' 00791. This is the gull grey/white kit. You can cut up the numbers from the decal sheet to make one of the borrowed F-4Bs used at MacDill. Example: 12194, FJ-194.

Sorry, I didn't realize that you wanted to make an F-110A.

Best wishes,

Grant

Edited January 2, 2011 by gmat

[Litvyak]

Thanks for the replies!

But, I was mainly after info on decals only for an F-110A, as I've already got a kit itself... there's been no aftermarket set for F-110A?

[McCoy]

I've got the Esci RF-4C/E in 1:72 that I'm more or less plan to build as my next bird when I'm done with my Goose. I plan to build it OOtB n' even use the 'ol decals provided with the kit. I'm leanin' towards the Spanish alternative for my build. The question though is if there's some major errors that I'll need to correct or if I can build it straight away n' get away with it as it is. I'm not that good at scratchbuildin' n' such.

[Eri]

Guys, I m on a 1/72 mission. And the F-4 Phantom is next in the list. But recently, i ve some problems with my compressor. Recently i ve just completed a tamiya 1/72 A-4 Skyhawk. It was a great kit, not much details but it was clean and quite easy to build.

I m eyeing this 2 kits, now can anyone advice which one would be compatible for me to produce a US Navy Vietnam era white grey scheme or a USAF 1990s gunship grey and ghost grey similar to the F-16s?

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=IT%20170

http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=TA%2060713

[Jay Chladek]

Both the S and the G there are Italeri kits. Both as I recall have raised panel lines. The S model won't work for a Nam era F-4 as those would be B N and J models WITHOUT Slatted wings and the Italeri kit has slatted wings in the kit. You might be able to get away with doing it as an early F-4S model from the time period when the planes were still painted gull gray over white though.

As for the G, it may not have all the bells and whistles of a more modern kit, but it is okay. There are some key details left off in spots though. In fact, while I have never owned either kit and can't compare them, it would not surprise me if both used common tooling in spots for the wings, tailplanes, engines, landing gear struts, cockpits and canopy glass leaving the fuselages to be unquely tooled.

If you want to do a decent Nam bird in 1/72, the Fujimi kits make nice starting points and they have done B, N and J models. Hasegawa has done some as well, but they are expensive for what they are. As for a Hill Gray Phantom, if you can't find a low enough priced Fujimi or Hasegawa F-4G, you can always do an RF-4C instead as more than a few squadrons of Recce Phantoms were around when the USAF went over to the three tone gray scheme.

[Andre]

As for the G, it may not have all the bells and whistles of a more modern kit, but it is okay. There are some key details left off in spots though. In fact, while I have never owned either kit and can't compare them, it would not surprise me if both used common tooling in spots for the wings, tailplanes, engines, landing gear struts, cockpits and canopy glass leaving the fuselages to be unquely tooled.

Confirmed. Italeri's G has seperate external parts (chin and vertical tail pod fairing, spine antennae) for the F-4G version (it can also be completed as a slatted 'E and a German F-4F). However, it lacks the prominent button antennae panel on the side of the nose wehich is a feature of the Hasegawa Weasel.

Fujimi missed that one as well, and in addition their F-4G comes with just Sidewinders and Sparrrows weaponwise - at least Italeri gives you a Shrike and a Standard (as well as four AIM-9J/P's).

HTH,

Andre

[wh1skea]

I have the Testors reboxing of the Italeri G in my closet right now. There are parts some parts the the S model in the kit, such as nose, pylons, intake antennae, nose gear doors, and maybe some other things. Basically the main thing keeping you from building an S is that is doesn't include the part of the fuselage under the cockpit for it, just for the E/F/G. And really, you can't build an F model cause the kit only includes slotted stabilizers....otherwise I would be building the kit as an F-4F ICE.

[sukhoi710]

Can someone tell me wich colors are used on the F-4F!? I know one of them is the is the FS36320, in my research turned out

that the other one is FS35237, but I think that the last one it's too dark, looking at the photos of the real plane

on airliners. I'm very confused :S

[Pete]

Hi, welcome to ARC.

You didn't specify which scheme you need on your F-4F, and since there were quite a lot of them, I'll just give you the link.

All you ever wanted to know about schemes on Luftwaffe Phantoms but were afraid to ask.

Scroll down to Deutschland.

These days, they fly in the Norm 90J scheme. Good luck!

Edited May 12, 2011 by Pete

[Tailspin Turtle]

Probably more than you wanted to know about the F-4As:

Click Here

[sukhoi710]

Thanks Pete! Yes I was looking for the colors of the Norm 90J scheme!:) but Im still having a doubt

about the tone of the FS35237, it looks too dark and the real plane it's not that dark. Should I

mix it with white?

[Otto]

I worked on F-4Js from 1977-1981 when we received the S model (VMFA-235) only up to 1979 our birds did not have the formation (SLIME)lights they were mounted on all the newer Js. These were designated F-4J/S visually they looked identical to the J but had the marker lights. There were differences in electronics inside the cockpits. These birds had the same smokeless engines and new turkey feathers as the late F-4J. The Designation F-4J/S was on the aircraft. These aircraft did not have the slats and slots on the wings. The inboard inner wing leading edge flaps were bolted closed and the outboard set were functional.

[Spectre711]

I just want to clarify some things in my head.

So the F-4F had hard wings and non-slotted stabilizers?

The Japanese F-4E had hard wings and slotted stabilizers? What about the EJ?

[Jay Chladek]

I just want to clarify some things in my head.

So the F-4F had hard wings and non-slotted stabilizers?

The Japanese F-4E had hard wings and slotted stabilizers? What about the EJ?

The F-4F was basically a stripped down F-4E. It had slatted wings and non-slotted stabilizers, mainly because St. Louis had tooled up their F-4E production line by that point to do the slatted wings (unless they were RF-4s, which were still built with clean wings until the very last production batches built for Greece and Turkey).

Technically, there is no such thing as a Japanese F-4E. All the gun nose equipped Japanese Phantoms are EJs since they were license built by Mitsubishi except for maybe the first one or two that were test flown in the states (hence the "EJ" designation). The first few were assembled from kits sent to Japan by MDD and yes, they ALL had hard wings and slotted stabilizers. When many of the EJs were upgraded to EJ Kais, they still kept the hard wings. I imagine the reason for that is the Japanese were not intending to turn and burn in ACM fights with their Phantoms. They would be using them for intercepts and later ground attack. The hard wing is a little less draggy than the slatted wing, so they can fly a little quicker.

Now where it gets confusing with the Japanese Phantoms as while the gun nosed birds were license built EJs, Japan also operated RF-4Es (not EJs). The RF-4Es were built in St. Louis while the armed Phantoms were Japanese built (hence, NO "J" behind the "E"). The reason why it gets even more confusing is Japan also operated RF-4EJs, which were license built gun armed Phantoms equipped with a centerline recce camera pod. The RF-4EJs came about when Japan started upgrading EJs to EJ Kais. Those F-4EJs that didn't get the upgrade treatment to Kai standard became RF-4EJs with the camera pods (and still retained their combat capabilities).

Confused yet? ;)

Edited June 27, 2012 by Jay Chladek

[Rex]

add in one more aircraft type,,,,,,the RF-4Es that were not EJs received a Kai mod, becoming RF-4E Kai,,,,creating 5 designations of aircraft from the two types built

[Jay Chladek]

I don't know if they necessarily called the JASDF RF-4Es with the Kai mods RF-4E Kais. Technically, the Hasegawa JASDF RF-4E has Kai wings in it, but it is still only marked as an RF-4E.

[GeneK]

Just revisiting great "older" threads I follow(ed), Jay. Lots of great info here - do you have any intentions of updating this thread, for example to include FineMolds F-4 kits? Or cutting, editing, and pasting the info here and starting a new thread?

 

Gene K