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F-4E Phantom questions and building process


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Additionally - I don't think Pave Knife was much, if at all, carried by the F-4E, these generally being equipped with the Pave Tack /Spike designators.

Pave Knife is more closely associated with the F-4D's of the 433rd TFS, 8th TFW (and the A-6).

HTH,

Andre

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Ok, I think I will buy a Revell F-4F to use their wing-tanks as source for "Weapon pylons". Don´t know what I will do with the Revell Phantom, but somehow it won´t end up as scrap, I´m sure!

To give you an idea what I´m planning as bomb-load, here is a picture from the Squadron Signal publication.

Bomb-Load_zps354fa4e5.jpg

I won´t do it exactly as in the picture, but my idea is (from one side to the other):

1x MK-84 TER M117 Centerline Tank TER M117 MER MK-82

HAJO

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Ok, I think I will buy a Revell F-4F to use their wing-tanks as source for "Weapon pylons".

If you do, don't just cut the pylon off flush with the top of the tanks - cut down into the tanks so you have the extra plastic from the tanks attached to the pylons! You'll still have to add some plastic on the bottom. You may want to ask in your German forums for a set of outboard pylons from one of the the Fujimi kits, but you'll have to cut off the weapons adapter on the bottom.

Gene K

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Non-tank pylons must be in the Hasgawa box! AFAIK the Tankpylons are different to weapons pylons!

No outboard weapons pylons in the Hasegawa box.

As concerns tank pylons and weapons pylons: only the very early McDonnell tanks had separate pylons (they included weapons capability); the Sgt Fletchers have the pylon integral to the tank. Navy outboard pylons use a weapons adapter, AF does not need it.

Gene K

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Ok, I think I will buy a Revell F-4F to use their wing-tanks as source for "Weapon pylons".

Far be it to dissuade a fellow modeler from adding a Phantom to the stash, but I could spare you a set of Fujimi wing tanks with integral pylons.

Don´t know what I will do with the Revell Phantom, but somehow it won´t end up as scrap, I´m sure!

*cough*Norm 72*cough* :)

Cheers,

Andre

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Thanks, but I think I will buy the Revell-kit anyway and use their pylons with some scratchbuilding.

As for the Norm72... Well, I think I´d either prefer something more modern of the Luftwaffe or even do a USAF-bird in Hill II.

HAJO

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Ok, I think I will buy a Revell F-4F to use their wing-tanks as source for "Weapon pylons". Don´t know what I will do with the Revell Phantom, but somehow it won´t end up as scrap, I´m sure!

To give you an idea what I´m planning as bomb-load, here is a picture from the Squadron Signal publication.

Bomb-Load_zps354fa4e5.jpg

I won´t do it exactly as in the picture, but my idea is (from one side to the other):

1x MK-84 TER M117 Centerline Tank TER M117 MER MK-82

HAJO

I wonder if I could add an ALQ-87 or ALQ-101 (or even both?) under the front Sparrow bay with that load above? Or would that be too much of weight for the aircraft?

HAJO

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I wonder if I could add an ALQ-87 or ALQ-101 (or even both?) under the front Sparrow bay with that load above? Or would that be too much of weight for the aircraft?

You could.

However, loads this heavy with only the centreline gas bag would suggest a short haul sortie, meaning South Vietnam. ECM pods were not usually carried in the South.

Cheers,

Andre

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Current status:

IMG_4098_zpsf505d628.jpg

Hopefully I will be able to visit the LHS today and get myself a Revell F-4F for the outer pylons and the un-slatted wings. I still didn´t got them via mail, don´t know what went wrong there.

I installed the "long gun" (MIDAS?) under the nose, as pictures of that particular aircraft with the "In-country markings" show it with the newer system.

HAJO

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Coming along nicely! Good to see her on her own legs.

Midas-4 was introduced in 1970, I believe.

This was developed to solve two problems - engine flameouts caused by ingestion of gun gases into the engines, and a loud whistle which could often be heard around the target area way before the approaching F-4E actually reached it.

Not good if you want the element of surprise...

Cheers,

Andre

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Damn, I visited one of my local hobbyshops at thursday - NO Revell F-4F! And the mail with the wings didn´t arrived yet, too! So I will drive into town tomorrow and buy at another store.

Meanwhile I was thinking about the weapons load again.

I just did a simple calculation and came to the conclusion that with a MK84 and a TER with 3 M117s on one side and a MER with 6 MK82s and a TER with 3 MK82s on the other the aircraft has an asymmetric load of about 300lbs in favor of the "MK82-side" (4779lbs vs. 4460lbs, not counting in the weight of the TERs and MER).

Would that be OK to fly?

HAJO

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Would that be OK to fly?

No - that's a tremendous imbalance for the pilot to handle (even though I think it could be done). In addition to the weight, you'd also have to factor in the moment arms to get the true difference between the wing loading. Then for takeoff, an engineer would have to calculate how many clicks of aileron trim would be needed (there's no gauge for that), drag index, etc, etc, etc.

But then, it's "only" a model ....

Gene K

Edited by Gene K
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Gene, did you see that picture?

Opps ... I mis-read your post where you said 300 pound difference. My tired eyes read 3,000 pounds.

Quite a strange (interesting) load (to me), despite what the caption says. But then, my background is limited to mainly in-country and Laos air-to-ground. The airplane in the picture obviously wasn't going too far without a tanker, and once on target, would be making multiple passes since each weapon requires different delivery parameters.

Looking forward to your finished model with your "interesting" load.

Gene

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Ah, thank you, that explains a lot! ;)

Over the weekend I finished Steve Ritchie (a left over from the Monogram F-4D):

IMG_4106_zps3dc7cb5b.jpg

And, since I had no Revell-kit to play with, I cut the Hasegawa-pylons off the tanks and added some styrene.

IMG_4108_zpsf7674204.jpg

HAJO

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Tankers were very often available:

scan0111-3.jpg

scan0307.jpg

scan0308.jpg

any one time there were a lot of tankers flying around. Our base alone would launch tankers every hour and steadily and often many more times, and other bases had tankers in the air.

There was a lot of traffic that needed fuel:

scan0291.jpg

scan0332.jpg

scan0095.jpg

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I believe at that time she was flying out of Tahkli A.B. The A-7s were based out of Korat with the 3rd T.F.S.

or should I say along with instead.

Edited by ikar
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