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How would you rate the 1/48 scale Phantom kits


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How would you rate the 1/48 scale phantom kits currently available and what would they need to make a good model?

 

I know the ZM kits have just about everything you could want but what about Testors, Italieri, Entex, Monogram, Academy, Hasegawa and others.

 

Personally I think the Hasegawa RF-4 kits are best and Monogram would be second but they are all fighter versions and both need intakes and exhaust and perhaps PE for the cockpits.

 

I have not built an Academy kit yet and Testors kits leave a lot to be desired detail wise so please tell me your opinions of these kits and what you feel they need.

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This is my breakdown and how I spend my money:

B/N-Academy

C/D/J/S-ZM

E/F/G/RF and RC-Hase

 

Honorable mention goes to Monogram...older kit but the shape looks right to me. However, after building one I'll never build their J/C/D again with the recent offerings.

 

The flaws in both the Academy and ZM don't bother me and if you can pick up a good deal on the Hase or Promodeler long nose kits then that's currently your only option.

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I also depends on what you're using as your rating system.  Most expensive?  Over-engineered?  Simple?  Weapons selections?  Least expensive?  Ease of construction?  To ask how we'd rate the Phantom kits, we'd first have to know the criteria.  Based on my own beliefs, I'd rate them as followed:

 

1)  Monogram

2)  Everyone else

 

Eric

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Excluding the ZM kit, the most detail per dollar spent, will probably be the Academy kit. It is also pretty easy to build. Just take care with the ventral plate below the intakes. 

 

The Monogram kit is pretty detailed and cheap. Engineering isn't the best, and some parts fit poorly. 

 

I like the Hasegawa phantoms. They fit MUCH better than their 72nd scale phantoms, and have the most subtypes available. The kits are about 30 years old now, and some of the details are not at the level expected of similarly priced kits. 

 

Testors and Italeri's phantoms (same plastic) are very simplified and inaccurate. If you want a cheap phantom in 1/48 go with Monogram/Revell kit instead. 

I have no idea what the Entex kit is. This is the first I've heard of it. 

 

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1 hour ago, RKic said:

I have no idea what the Entex kit is. This is the first I've heard of it. 

 

 

I have found this one on ebay before, and asked about it. It is a very basic kit from the early 70s. 

Italeri can be tricky. The older Italeri and Testors Boxed kits are best left to collectors. There are more Italeri kits currently available which are based on the Esci tool, which have engraved panel line details.   The Esci kit is not bad, but it has very basic detail.  The Current Italeri kits are almost as expensive as the Academy kit in the US.  I tend to agree with  this statement:

 

15 hours ago, fulcrum1 said:

B/N-Academy

C/D/J/S-ZM

E/F/G/RF and RC-Hase

 

And in addition, for the British Spey engine Phantoms, Hasegawa is your only choice. 

 

So, what variant of the Phantom do you want to build? 

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2 hours ago, KevinS said:

I am really not a fan of the Academy kit. The way they have you assemble the wheel well and install the landing gear before you assemble the wings sucks.  I found the intake area to be a PIA as well.  

It's easy to bypass their sequence - search for build articles, they are out there pointing out the easy step to allow the main gear to be installed later. It's literally one little stub to trim away and the struts slide right in, just anchor well during attachment and problem solved.  I built two Academy F-4B's side by side when they 1st came out and spotted right away that their suggested method was a load of hooey, but lots of instructions are that way.    As far as intakes I agree getting the interiors to look nice is a chore, but all the kits have that trait, I choose to pick by battles and go with FOD covers, to each their own though.  Cheers

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OK so you asked... here is my $0.02

1.  Academy F-4B/J and C/D- easy and a nice amount of refined detail, however as noted there are certain bugaboo's (as with all kits).  LOVE the one piece fuselage, just watch for a tad bit of mold line flash.  It defies all understanding of WHY Academy has not rolled out the F-4E years ago, that thing would be a license to print money.

2.  Hasegawa - for being long in the tooth they still build reasonably well even if detail is lacking in the office, wheel wells and attaching the stabs is a pain.  LOADS of resin out there to help/irritate/frustrate you should you want.   Avoid the earliest releases with raised panel lines, you can do better.  Their Weasel, Spey-engine, and Recce birds are really the only game in town.

3.  Monogram - Eh, it gets a lot of love but I don't see it, maybe it just seems tired and coarse.  Then again what do I know, maybe its a gem.

 

I left off ZM because I have not started my F-4C yet.  I -really- like the box contents, just wish they had gone the extra mile with more canopy rail detail and included more of the wiring 'clutter' between the pits.  Looks like a breeze to build.  It is confirmed they are bringing out a F-4E maybe next year.   As far as the shape 'issue' with the aft fuselage, I'm of the opinion that is hardly a deal-breaker - fixing will not be for the faint of heart (or a light wallet), nor really necessary (since I was asked).

 

Edited by metroman
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  Lots of REALLY good points here! Z-M, Academy, and Hasegawa all have their good features. Think it depends on what YOU want to do.  

  You're building the kit!! If you want some detail that's NOT INCLUDED, you BUILD IT. If your Academy bird needs intakes and you don't like what you have, scrap 'em and get some XMM intakes or Aires cans or cockpits and go to town. It's your build and YOU decide the detail, the sequence of the build, and the detail. (I only occasionally follow directions)!

  No one will ever get EVERY detail- so it's up to you, your desires, and your skill level. The manufacturers merely give us a starting point- and some pretty damn good ones too! 

  FULCRUM 1 has a very good starting point. I know the real F-4B/N/J/S very well (ex NavAir), and his recs are good. But every kit has its faults. AND the more detail you demand with the basic kit, the more you're gonna shell out for it. 

 Got an Hasegawa RF-4B NEW, at a show for $10.00!!!! No lie!  But needed the Aires detail set  for another $35.00 (also at the show)- and they go for about $(70.00 or so). Still got off really cheap; but it's turning into a Beautiful Phantom!   

  I've built the Monogram F-4, and enjoyed it! And in its day, represented the brute of a bird it was!   But no intakes, exhausts etc.  Still, a nice build!

  So you, the builder, pick what you want, and build the plane in your mind! Not what some magazine or someone that can blow $150.00 bucks on after market goodies says you "have to have this to get a '"real"' Phantom....!

just my two cents....,( full respect to metroman )! Again , some really good perspectives have been illuminated here. Look at them all.

Sincerely,

Afoxbat

 

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Okay a lot of info here!!! My plan is to build at least 7 or 8 RF-4C's, 1 F-4B and 1 F-4C, maybe an E model since I have one already. The RF-4C models will be mostly Hasegawa and the rest Testors/Italieri since they are cheaper and will only represent the birds I worked on. I have a Monogram F-4C currently working on but the canopies are proving to be a real test of patience and skill (haven't got to the wings yet) and have probably sanded a lot of details off already.

 

For the Hasegawa RF-4 kits I have some Rhino intakes, Eduard PE for the cockpits and am working on detailing the cameras (I was a camera troop for 20 years in the A.F.). They ALL need exhaust cans!

 

For the F-4B I'm thinking the Academy kit since it has intakes and the markings I want (VF-111) so all I would need is the exhaust feathers. Having a bunch of 32nd scale Phantoms I'm hoping it is a true "flat wing" Phantom unlike the 32nd scale counterparts which are ALL thick wing versions.

 

I'm retired so "bang for the buck" is a factor so the less I need to spend on aftermarket stuff the better and you guys have been most helpful in that respect. If I could, I would put intakes on all of them, since I like the look, cockpit stuff not so much since you can't see much in there anyway. Exhaust cans are going to cost me a bunch as it is so spending money for intakes will also be kinda limited.

 

I'm also planning to build a complete (SEA) revetment and if my calculations are correct will need 22 long sections ($6 each) and 2 end pieces ($5 each) from Lonestar Models and that will be a good chunk of change too but it will make a great display piece for these birds.

 

Still waiting for Ed McMahon to bring my Publishers Clearing House check!!!! 😄

Edited by Sgt Shultz II
corrected name spelling
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It sounds like you have what you need. The Academy B does indeed have a true thin wing.  I also had a lot of trouble with the Monogram F-4 canopies.  I waited until the end to glue them in place, and they just do not fit. The rest of the model turned out great, but with the canopy issues, it looks  like a four year old built it.  That experience taught me to test fit the clear parts early in construction, and not be afraid to sand and putty clear parts. 

 

 

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On ‎9‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 10:34 PM, fulcrum1 said:

This is my breakdown and how I spend my money:

B/N-Academy

C/D/J/S-ZM

E/F/G/RF and RC-Hase

 

Honorable mention goes to Monogram...older kit but the shape looks right to me. However, after building one I'll never build their J/C/D again with the recent offerings.

 

The flaws in both the Academy and ZM don't bother me and if you can pick up a good deal on the Hase or Promodeler long nose kits then that's currently your only option.

I agree with your list there and all the comments made re: those two manufacturers kits. Additionally, all 1/48 Phantom kits except for Academy and ZM have incorrect cockpits for USN phantoms. If that is important to the builder they will have to get an aftermarket cockpit to replace.

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Ive built 3 f-4

2 J blue angels hasegawa and revell. Now the revell look nice. But next to the hasegawa well it shows who is who. 

My third was the pro modeler revel hasegawa. 

 

For me hasegawa is the minimum. Plus they are decent price on the second hand market. 

I have a academy J in my stash. Looks good in the box that all i can say for now. Oh and it was 30$ at Luckymodel.. thats hard to beat. 

 

Your best best is to ask ARC Phantom hes built 140+ of these things

 

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