RF4-E, Italeri 1/48....

[Artie]

Hi all....Well, I must admit I'm an absolut ignorant regarding modern aircraft, and the Phantom wasn't going to be an exception here....

I've seen an Italeri RF4-E at my local hobby shop this very morning, and was wondering about the idea of backdating it ot RF4-C standard, so I'd be able to build a Spainish Air Force example.

I've been looking for info about this kit, but all the reviews I've came across are somehow vague.....i don't have any bibliography about the Phantom, so any help would be great....

[Hook]

It would seem doable. The Italeri comes only with the longer F-4E style burner cans and Air Force-style inner wing pylons, which means you can't build an RF-4C OOTB, but someone's bound to have spares. 

 

HTH,

 

Andre

[scotthldr]

With exception to what's mentioned above you'll also have to source a set of unslotted rear stabilizers and remove the RWR blister from the top of the tail. Everything else looks good, you even get the IFR probe and choice of camera housings(Spain used both types).

[Artie]

Thank you very much for your quick answers......!!!

It seems reasonably easy to do, so will go for it.... Modern jets are not my piece of cake at all, but the kit is fairly cheap and it's something quite different from my ordinary interest....

cheers.....

[JMChladek]

18 hours ago, scotthldr said:

With exception to what's mentioned above you'll also have to source a set of unslotted rear stabilizers and remove the RWR blister from the top of the tail. Everything else looks good, you even get the IFR probe and choice of camera housings(Spain used both types).

 

Indeed that IFR camera probe is a nice bit to have. Hasegawa kits with that feature (molded in white metal) are very tough to find and command a royal ransom. Resin ones seem too brittle for use.
 

The Italeri kit obviously is a bit cruder than the benchmark, which is the Hasegawa kit (RF-4B would be the one to get, but it needs unslotted stabs to do a C model), but like other Esci/Italeri Phantoms it is buildable if you are willing to take the time with it. The beauty of it is there are a lot of Phantom bits out there one can get, either in resin or as scrap bits from other kits. One thing I really like which Italeri modified was how the engine nozzles attach to the fuselage. Before you just glued them to flat areas. Now there are cutouts for them, meaning it is a little easier to stick in aftermarket nozzles with internal details (although some cutting may still be needed).

On an F-4C/D I was working on, I even managed to fit in a True Details resin cockpit without much trouble. The True Details pit was essentially a recast of a Hasegawa pit with a few more details added, so even a stock Hasegawa one could probably be adapted the same way. The very tall nose gear bay causes some issues, but if you sand the bay down and cut a slot into the pit (between the back wall of the front pit and the instrument panel of the rear pit), you can get the pit in without it sitting too high. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 25, 2016 by JMChladek

[Bear13583]

Building this from the box as the Luftwaffe version. Pretty mixed but the airframe went together nicely although there are ejector pin marks everywhere. Just check the U/C doors! Despite the cockpit and awful seats I really like how its going so looking forward to seeing yours come together!