1/48 Phantom most painless construction

[Charlie D.]

Quick question for you phantom phanatics who have built all the latest kits. How would you rank the 1/48 Tamiya, Academy, Meng, ZM for ease of construction? And where would the Hasegawa (recessed panel line) kits fit in there? Level of detail or number of parts not a concern. I’m more concerned about ease of assembly, fit battles, filling, etc….Thanks!

[seawinder]

I don't see how the answer could be anything besides Tamiya.

[phantom]

Actually the one Tamiya I built was indeed HARDER then the tried and true Hasegawa. May have come out better, with much better detail but Hasegawa WAS easier. One of the two Tamiyas I have built had to be built canopy down as the front fuselage had a huge gap. Might have been my fault but I did not do anything different one the first Tamiya from the second. Find the Academy easier then Tamiya, but I often have to file and rescribe the weak fitting major assemblies. The Tamiya needs ZERO putty, unlike every other kit out there, except on my first build, again, might have been my mistake....but......Yet to try the Meng and ZM.

 

I will say for ease....1 Hasegawa

2 Tamiya (but looks better when done)

3 Monogram

4 Academy

5 ZM / Meng, no score , no reference.

Edited April 29, 2023 by phantom

[Buckmeister]

Tamiya gives you the best of both worlds - ease of construction and accuracy.  ZM is pretty good, but you have to be more careful.  Meng - meh.  Not that great.

[fulcrum1]

I recently built a Hase F-4G and it was painless. The only issue I had was the lack of detail in the cockpit and I did not care for the weak tailfin attachment. Had to block, brace, and use brass for those. It was built as a ceiling hanger for the kid's room....so perfect.

[Charlie D.]

Thanks for the reply’s! I appreciate it. Up to this point I’ve only built the old Esci and Monogram. Looking to start another one with the Tamiya/Academy/Hasegawa in the stash but I’m looking for a stress free build. Still looking to eventually get the ZM kit.

 

FYI the Academy F-4B is available now on Amazon for $40 shipped (prime) if you’re USA based. Couldn’t pass up that price and grabbed another one. Prices always fluctuate so I don’t know how long it’ll be at that price. 

[Curt B]

I am still in progress on the Tamiya F-4B and the Zoukei Mura F-4C.   The Tamiya is absolutely painless, and frankly, the ZM has not been all that much different, except for the air intakes, which admittedly may be my fault.

 

I have the ZM F-4S, the ZM F-4G, a second ZM F-4C, and the Meng F-4G a yet unbuilt, but I will certainly build all of them!  I don't see any of them being  overly painful such that I'd pass up building them.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Curt B

[airmechaja]

Easiest build is Hasegawa....stress free. Nicest is Tamiya and ZM for sure!

[jgrease]

I haven't built the Tamiya -B yet so I can't speak to it. However, having built the Hasegawa and now working on the Meng, I have to say that the Hasegawa is simpler but the Meng is a pleasure so far. The detail on both is not complex but the Meng is the better engineered kit of those two.

 

John

[andrew.deboer]

Check out D-Ran’s build of the Meng F-4E:

certainly looks like a great-building kit.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by andrew.deboer

[Sodasorb]

That’s the way I see it as well.  Built all three (plus the Academy….enjoyable build) Hasegawa is the easy build but theTamiya and ZM kits are top notch. 

On 5/1/2023 at 6:54 AM, airmechaja said:

Easiest build is Hasegawa....stress free. Nicest is Tamiya and ZM for sure!

 

[Charlie D.]

Thanks for the comments! I’m leaning towards digging out the Hasegawa F-4S in the stash!

[Nathant]

Depends on how picky you are. I’ve built all the brands mentioned, and cannot fathom how anyone could say that Hasegawa is the easiest build. It has many lumps and bumps and antennas to sand away to even remotely resemble the model F-4 you want to build, not to mention the brittle plastic and the always broken off fuel dump post that is rattling around somewhere in the box. The top spine seam can be problematic, especially for beginner modelers. I’d say Meng hands down for ease of build. The one piece fuselage is quick and easy, and the separate vertical tail can be added after painting. There is no need for sanding away any bumps or antennas that don’t belong. All the ordinance is provided in the box and the decals are of great quality. Tamiya and Academy have too high a parts count and are more complex to be in first place. 

[phantom]

14 hours ago, Nathant said:

Depends on how picky you are. I’ve built all the brands mentioned, and cannot fathom how anyone could say that Hasegawa is the easiest build. 

 

 

Easy, you build it over 150 times.

[lgl007]

Shawn... you gotta get another hobby 😉  LOL

 

-Greg

[BillS]

I’ve built at lesst 4 Hase, 3 Academy, 9 ZM, 2 Tam and finishing a Meng E. Overall, Tam is by a skosh the easiest but I’m amazed at Meng largely due to internal alignment features that even Tam didn't include. The Meng is the first F-4 kit of any brand where the intakes mated PERFECTLY to the main fuselage. Since the fuselage is only two main pieces, there is very little seam mis-match. I’m was very suprised at Meng’s overall quality. Best of luck in your pursuit of the “perfect’” phantom.

[Jon Krol]

No love for the Monogram F-4J or F-4C/D?

[Nathant]

57 minutes ago, Jon Krol said:

No love for the Monogram F-4J or F-4C/D?

I’d say less and less with each new F-4 kit released 

[Crutch]

22 hours ago, phantom said:

 

 

Easy, you build it over 150 times.

and there's that!

[Jon Krol]

1 hour ago, Nathant said:

I’d say less and less with each new F-4 kit released 

Well it is the easiest.

[Charlie D.]

8 hours ago, Jon Krol said:

No love for the Monogram F-4J or F-4C/D?

I still have lots of love for it and the Esci kit. There’s more of them in the stash than any of the others. They make cheap decal platforms for the multitude of sheets I have. They

can’t all be Tamiya/ZM.

 

I left them out cause I wanted to build one of the newer kits, but just one I won’t have to battle along the way, and doesn’t have a million parts. 

Edited May 4, 2023 by Charlie D.

[DET1460]

I bought and built the ZM Early E from a recommendation of a member here. I had my doubts as I built the 32 Skyraider (which I bought directly from 'The Old Man' at the Orlando Nats.) and had several difficulties. So I was a little apprehensive about the kit. BUT... it went together beautifully and with no putty and only one easy correction on the 'spine'. Very detailed and molded. Already bought another! My next project  is going to be the second ZM E when my current project is finished. (Monogram B-58A)

Hope this helps...

 

DET1460

[BillS]

I just finished a Meng E and love that kit. It has the least amount of seams to worry with vs Tam or ZM. I love those kits as well. In a nutshell, mybonlybbug bears with Meng are details they left off that the other guys depicted. For example, the nose gear lacks the very prominent steering actuator. This model has many fine details but lacks a total temp probe, fixed ramp support vanes, and arresting hook uplock. The stabs have the reinforcement “fish plates” molded on as well as a pad to mount the centerline tank versus a more realistic flush rack ala Tamiya and ZM. Otherwise, this is a splendid kit (I think) with outstanding positive fit, wonderful engraved surface detail, a good starting point for the cockpit, pre cut masks, an optional metal pitot tube and excellent decals. If you're an F-4 lover, I think you’ll really  like this kit

[arnobiz]

On 5/14/2023 at 6:16 AM, BillS said:

I just finished a Meng E and love that kit. It has the least amount of seams to worry with vs Tam or ZM. I love those kits as well. In a nutshell, mybonlybbug bears with Meng are details they left off that the other guys depicted. For example, the nose gear lacks the very prominent steering actuator. This model has many fine details but lacks a total temp probe, fixed ramp support vanes, and arresting hook uplock. The stabs have the reinforcement “fish plates” molded on as well as a pad to mount the centerline tank versus a more realistic flush rack ala Tamiya and ZM. Otherwise, this is a splendid kit (I think) with outstanding positive fit, wonderful engraved surface detail, a good starting point for the cockpit, pre cut masks, an optional metal pitot tube and excellent decals. If you're an F-4 lover, I think you’ll really  like this kit

 

Totally agree with your analysis Bill, it's a very fun kit to build. Yes it has some shortcomings, which either don't bother me or are pretty easy to fix with affordable aftermarket.

 

Arnaud