Meng F-4E Terminator 2020

[Dave Williams]

Just got the kit today via eBay and it looks to be a nice kit.  It’s basically their F-4E kit (with the same pros and cons) with new sprues for the instrument panels, antennas, and weapons.  A pretty good selection of stores:  AGM-142 Have Lite, AN/ASW-55 data link pod, SOM cruise missiles, Pave Spike pod, and EL-8222 ECM pod. No A-A weapons.  I’ve heard that AIM-7 has been retired and they were never upgraded to carry AIM-120.  Decals for three aircraft, two with special tail art (70th anniversary of NATO and 60 years of service), and one in the standard scheme.

 

Looks like the centerline tank in the kit may not be correct.  It only has the later F-15 type tank.  All the pictures that I’ve seen show Turkish F-4s carrying the old Royal Jet tank.  I’ll have to see if a left-over ZM tank fits.

Edited September 7, 2025 by Dave Williams

[flanker27]

pictures please? thank you

[Dave Williams]

Pictures of what?  The TMN preview shows the box art and CADs of the built up kit.

 

https://www.themodellingnews.com/2025/06/preview-mengs-48th-scale-f-4e2020.html

 

 

[BillS]

That c/l ejector is not even close. You’ll have to cut it off and cobble up a way to mount the older tank. It should be easy as the aero 27 was more or less internal and the tanks mounting lugs were concealed.

[Dave Williams]

26 minutes ago, BillS said:

That c/l ejector is not even close. You’ll have to cut it off and cobble up a way to mount the older tank. It should be easy as the aero 27 was more or less internal and the tanks mounting lugs were concealed.

It’s not right in the Z-M kit either.  On that kit, the ejector is molded on the bottom of the wing, and the tank pylon has a notch cut out to clear the ejector.  The Meng kit is the same, but the ejector is shorter front to back, so the ZM tank doesn’t quite fit.  My options are to modify the ZM tank, or get the ResKit tank, or just ignore it and don’t fit a centerline tank.

[jgrease]

I could have predicted this kit after I invested in decals and Reskit missiles to accompany my Meng F-4E 😠

[Niels]

Given the upgrade is based on the Kurnass 2000, can this kit be "converted" quickly to become an Israeli F-4E? 

[GeneK]

@Dave Williams

 

How do you add the standoffs between the "splitters" and fuselage?

 

Gene K

[Dave Williams]

1 hour ago, Niels said:

Given the upgrade is based on the Kurnass 2000, can this kit be "converted" quickly to become an Israeli F-4E? 

Don’t know enough about any cockpit or antenna differences to be able to answer the question.

 

1 hour ago, GeneK said:

@Dave Williams

 

How do you add the standoffs between the "splitters" and fuselage?

 

Gene K

 

There aren’t any on the kit parts, so not sure about the question.  If the question is whether I’m planning to scratchbuild the standoffs, the answer is likely no.

[GeneK]

12 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

There aren’t any on the kit parts, so not sure about the question.  If the question is whether I’m planning to scratchbuild the standoffs, the answer is likely no.

Dave,

 

The reason I asked YOU is because I've always appreciated your expertise and modeling prowess, and I thought you'd have figured out the best way to add these very prominent missing Phantom features.

 

Gene K

[Dave Williams]

2 hours ago, GeneK said:

Dave,

 

The reason I asked YOU is because I've always appreciated your expertise and modeling prowess, and I thought you'd have figured out the best way to add these very prominent missing Phantom features.

 

Gene K

TBH, I hadn’t even noticed that the standoffs were missing.

[RichB63]

“Stand-Off Scale” in RC modeling parlance!

 

Edited October 2, 2025 by RichB63

[GeneK]

On 10/2/2025 at 11:29 AM, RichB63 said:

“Stand-Off Scale” in RC modeling parlance!

  Don't say "Stand-Off" as it currently evokes "Stand-Off Budgeting".

 

As for the Meng stand offs, fortunately I have a friend who 3D designed  1/72 variable Intake ramps ("splitters") with the standoffs on the back side for Hasegawa Phantoms. I'll scale them up to 1/48 to see how they fit the Meng kit.

 

Gene K