Plumbum Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Hello----is the old Revell F-4K British Phantom any where near accurate? Was thinking of giving it a try.---John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Not according to this review: http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/phantom/models.php If you've not already bought - try to find a Fujimi Phantom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver66 Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 If you haven't already got the revell kit.......DONT! As theplastic surgeon says buy a fujimi kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plumbum Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 Thanks. Haven't purchased anything yet, just inquiring.---John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennings Heilig Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 The Revell kit is the old (ancient) Matchbox tooling from the early 1970s, and it's "rough", to be generous. As noted, the Fujimi kits are outstanding. There were original releases of the Fujimi kits, then they updated the tooling to improve it. I believe if you search the forum you'll find some fairly recent discussion of which kit is which. Even the original ones are quite nice though, and the updated ones are little gems. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panoz Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 The Revell kit is the old (ancient) Matchbox tooling from the early 1970s, and it's "rough", to be generous. Nope, it's even worse. It's the Jurassic Revell F-4B from the mid 60s reboxed with British markings. Don't ask me how I know... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatalbert Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 How'd you know :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panoz Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 (edited) Because I bought it. (I was 12 at the time and there was no Internet in 1988...) Edited March 23, 2014 by Panoz 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Driver66 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Yes revell kit is not a reissued matchbox kit ( which is a little basic ), as panoz states it's so much worst and not really a british phantom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 That revell kit was for a long time the best F-4B in 1/72 scale, this until Fujimi issued their series in the mid '80s. If you don't mind older kits with no detail, it can be made into a decent F-4B... still an F-4B though, not a British version ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borz666 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 What with the Fujimi being so pricey ( and my recent switch back to the gentleman's scale). Another gap for Airfix to fill... A 1/72nd Brit Phantom with bits for both FG1 and 2 in the same box please!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennings Heilig Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I purchased a revised FG.1 (Silver Jubilee boxing) for under $30 (£18) on eBay not long ago. They're out there if you look a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 If you see a Revell British Phantom in 1/48 scale (late 70's) avoid that one too as it aint packing Speys either. Scale Models did a conversion article at around the same time. The intakes were a breeze, it was the back end that defeated me. Trevor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempestfan Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 That revell kit was for a long time the best F-4B in 1/72 scale, this until Fujimi issued their series in the mid '80s. If you don't mind older kits with no detail, it can be made into a decent F-4B... still an F-4B though, not a British version ! ...but I don't think the Revell "F-4K" included the B style exhausts, so you'd be left with a fairly decent B with pseudo-Spey exhausts. Of course you could buy an Airfix multi-version kit as it contains alternative parts resembling both the long and short J79 exhaust and take the short ones for the Revell kit, but then you're left with a thin-wing Airfix with long exhausts... The original Fujimi kits were numbered H-6 to H-9, comprising K, M, 1 and 2 (not in numerical sequence), the updated kits possibly H-17 to H-20 ( I only have 18, the FGR.2). IIRC the retooling mainly concerned various aux air doors moulded slightly open, and wheels and tyres moulded separately - I think those changes were first introduced on the hi-tec releases as "25 years" and "Alcock & Brown". The "older" and updated kits may have been in production concurrently, way back when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panoz Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) ...but I don't think the Revell "F-4K" included the B style exhausts, so you'd be left with a fairly decent B with pseudo-Spey exhausts. It was the exact F-4B kit molded in dark grey (rather than white as in the original boxing) plastic. No changes whatsoever my mistake. Edit: I was wrong. The exhausts had been modified. Moral of the story: Don't rely on 26 year old memories. Edited April 16, 2014 by Panoz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 Nope, it's even worse. It's the Jurassic Revell F-4B from the mid 60s reboxed with British markings. Don't ask me how I know... Horrendor-pig! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerofan Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 That Revell F-4 Phantom II was from the 60's. I recalled how they also made it into a F-4E by just making a new nose (longer), adding the gun, revising the exhaust but left the rest of the kit the same as the F-4B. With the F-4K they just revised the exhaust to make it look like a Spey but the fuselage didn't reflect it. Haseagawa also did that to their old, from the 70's, F-4J kit which was also released by Frog. At least Matchbox made a F-4K/M look like one with the modified fuselage for the Spey. Until Fujimi came out with their Brit Phantoms, Matchbox was the only game in town that was really a Spey powered Phantom. Best to go for the Fujimi ones. Also always found it strange why Hasegawa did make a new tooled 1/72 scale Brit F-4 after they issued the whole new tooled 1/72 Phantom family. They have a 1/48 Spey powered Phantom so you'd think it would be natural for them to do so in 1/72 as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempestfan Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I fully agree, it would have been natural for Hasegawa to do the Brit versions as well based on their 48th kits. Possibly they felt the Fujimi kits were too good to warrant to try and compete with them. Revell has abused that venerable B kit to represent just about every version. Possibly only for the German market, they reissued the kit with a spurious recce nose (but no other changes) as as RF-4E (H-109). They also did a pseudo C (Air Commando series) and I think a J, issued as a Blue Angels set. One boxing of the E (H-179) had an attempt at representing the wing bulges, but I think they did them symmetrically, with the top bulges looking much like the ones below. To return to the topic, I take your (aerofan) statement to confirm that the Revell F-4K indeed had Spey exhaust representations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelldoc Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 The british Phantom by revell, an interesting story. Most of them is the first issue: https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5324221462/ It shows the YF-4K experimental aircraft from McDonnell, see the sign on the fuselage. It is XT595 the first one. modelldoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panoz Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Revell has abused that venerable B kit to represent just about every version. Possibly only for the German market, they reissued the kit with a spurious recce nose (but no other changes) as as RF-4E (H-109). To return to the topic, I take your (aerofan) statement to confirm that the Revell F-4K indeed had Spey exhaust representations. No the RF-4E was sold throughout Europe. Mind you it did have different exhausts... Regarding the F-4K, since Modeldoc built it recently he is the only one that can answer the question. The british Phantom by revell, an interesting story. Most of them is the first issue: https://www.flickr.com/photos/21603181@N08/5324221462/ It shows the YF-4K experimental aircraft from McDonnell, see the sign on the fuselage. It is XT595 the first one. modelldoc Can you photograph the engine exhausts? We are having an argument here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempestfan Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 No the RF-4E was sold throughout Europe. Mind you it did have different exhausts... Did it ? I'd class this as an exhaustive discussion rather than an argument. As I have a couple of both the H-109 and H-129 boxings, I'll see if I can manage to find them to confirm how their rear region looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panoz Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) Did it ? I'd class this as an exhaustive discussion rather than an argument. As I have a couple of both the H-109 and H-129 boxings, I'll see if I can manage to find them to confirm how their rear region looks. You do??? Great, that will answer the question. Mind you I can't find an inbox review of any of the old tool Revell Phantoms anywhere. It's as if people wanted to erase them from their memories. (And who would blame them... ) Edited April 15, 2014 by Panoz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempestfan Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I still like the pure straight B - there was a US edition from ca. 1980 ("eye" boxing) featuring a Jolly Rogers scheme and benefitting (?) from a couple of AIM-9s added that regrettably seems to have never been officially available in Europe. Could actually be quite buildable, though they never bothered updating the wing tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelldoc Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 My YF-4K is straight out of the box. It was a the H-129 McDonnell F-4K Phantom, in shops 1968 - 1969.This kit is a reissue from H-110 from 1965 the McDonnell FR-4B Phantom II. I add only a pitot tube (saw it on some pics). modelldoc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerofan Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 (edited) Tempestfan, to say that the Revell 1/72 F-4K has a Spey exhaust representation is putting it quite kindly. They seemed to just make a tube look like a Spey. Since they didn't modify the fuselage, the diameter is not for a Spey but more for a J-79. Same with the old Hasgawa/Frog/Novo F-4K/M kits. These would all be best avoided for any attempt at a 1/72 F-4K/M. You'd have a better chance with the Matchbox one. But if you don't want to waste your time with modifying the Matchbox's F-4K/M, get the Fujimi ones. You can go with the less expensive Matchbox Phantom but it'll cost you just as much as the Fujimi one after all the bandages, ointment and other medical costs to heal your cuts . I also remember the Revell F-4B "Jolly Rogers" kit. The decals were a bit lacking compared to their F-4E kit. Modelldoc, was the YF-4K a Spey or J-79 powered Phantom? I remember the H-129 boxart. One of the better ones for the F-4K (being ready for launch off a carrier). Edited April 15, 2014 by aerofan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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