Fujimi 1/72 British Phantoms, are they worth it?

[Rabspat]

What are the Fujimi British Phantoms like in 1/72? Are they worth the price?

[Giorgio N]

They're brilliant kits, with very good surface and interior detail. Sometimes I find it hard to believe how old they are, still look very modern. Yes, they are expensive, but if you want a good well detailed Spey phantom in 1/72, you have no other choice. Ok, there's no other choice anyway if you want a spey phantom in 1/72...

[F111Fan]

I can echo what Giorgio has said, but I have the Ark Royal one. The kit itself is fabulous, but the decals look to be a little thick and also seem to, despite being a newer issue of the kit, be rather yellower than the white they are intended to be. There are loads of aftermarket sheets available though, so they shouldn't be a problem

Edited July 27, 2010 by F111Fan

[Enzo the Magnificent]

What are the Fujimi British Phantoms like in 1/72? Are they worth the price?

Most certainly, yes! Excellent kits, although they are a little hard to find these days. Relish Models have some in stock at a superb price.

The original kits had a couple of minor issues. The auxiliary air doors on the side of the fuselage were in the wrong position and the jet exhausts had very little detail. However, a re-issue sorted those problems and added a bit more detail in the cockpit. If you buy one from Evilbay, you may get an early moulding, but even if you do, the fixes are very easy. Just glue the doors in place, fill, sand and rescribe. I believe that aftermarket exhausts are available as well.

The moulds were also later changed again to provide the fin-top RWR fairing, so if you want to build an early Phantom from a later kit, you will have to do a bit of surgery. Not difficult at all.

The "Last British Phantom", "Treble 1", and "Royal Navy & Royal Air Force" boxings definitely have corrected air doors and nozzles, as well as the RWR pod.

The "25th Anniversary" and "Alcock and Brown" boxings have corrected air doors and nozzles, with the early fin tip.

The "F-4M Shark Teeth" boxing has the incorrect air doors.

There are at least three other boxings, "F-4M Firebirds", "FG.1 Silver Jubilee" and "F-4K Yellow Bird", but I can't speak for any of the other boxings.

[Dave Fleming]

The moulds were also later changed again to provide the fin-top RWR fairing, so if you want to build an early Phantom from a later kit, you will have to do a bit of surgery. Not difficult at all.

The "Last British Phantom", "Treble 1", and "Royal Navy & Royal Air Force" boxings definitely have corrected air doors and nozzles, as well as the RWR pod.

The "25th Anniversary" and "Alcock and Brown" boxings have corrected air doors and nozzles, with the early fin tip.

The "F-4M Shark Teeth" boxing has the incorrect air doors.

There are at least three other boxings, "F-4M Firebirds", "FG.1 Silver Jubilee" and "F-4K Yellow Bird", but I can't speak for any of the other boxings.

The fuselage moulds always had both fin tip types - from the original 4, the F-4K and F-4M boxings had the early type and the FG1 Silver Jubilee and FGR2 ones had the RWR. Fujimi also released two 'special' hi-tech' boxings of Alcock and Brown and the AAEE aircraft with extras such as white metal and PE, and the unique AAEE radome.

They then retooled the kit, amending the side intakes and adding the ones under the fuselage) and replacing the single piece exhausts with multi piece ones. They then re-released the 4 kits with IIRC, different numbers and different box tops, but the same decals.

they then released the various special boxings - the Blue 19 & 92 aircraft, Black Mike,. then the main ones and both 25th Anniversary AAEE and Alcock and Brown as standad plastic kits.

One thing they did that was strange was that the FG1 kits had the weapons on the same sprue as the unique FG1 parts, so that the FGR2 kits only had ground to air weapons. The later Alcock and Brown kit has the FG1 spure, but the rest of the kit is FGR2

Any of the current boxings are the later style with revised engines etc, but the older ones turn up on ebay. (and in my loft!!)

Edited July 27, 2010 by Dave Fleming

[Dave Fleming]

First Issue F-4K

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/3/3/6/1/3/6...392388102_o.jpg

First issue FG1

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/3/3/6/1/3/6...32_o.jpg?nc=718

First issue F-4M

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/3/3/6/1/3/6...392388170_o.jpg

Later issue F-4M

http://i.ebayimg.com/08/!By6Bbsg!W...wdT74Q~~_12.JPG

First Issue FGR2

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/3/3/6/1/3/6...392387969_o.jpg

The original Hi-tech AAEE FG1

http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/001/0c/57/4221_12.JPG

Although it is the box catalog number that is definitive - from memory, the originals were numbered something like H07-H10, and the later ones were in the teens.

Edited July 27, 2010 by Dave Fleming

[thx6667]

Definitely worth the money, seems like yesterday that SAM and Mike McEvoy were chomping at the bit that a proper British Phantom kit had finally been release, eek, 1987, 23 years ago!

I can remember thinking £7.99 seemed an outlandish amount - given that my local model shop was still selling Matchbox, Heller and ESCI stuff for £1 - but with my first pay cheque I decided to see what the fuss was about, bought mine from Beatties.

Great kit then, great kit now.

[AnonymousAA72]

I hate to think how many I've built over those 23 years!! Shame digital photography wasn't available then..... (and I have one "in progress", and a couple in the stash.....), ALSO the new tools featured separate lower wing speed brakes..

I would add though one slightly negative - the cockpit and the seats. The latter being a bit chunky the former being a bit "generic". There are plenty of replacement seats available, though with the lids down they're fine....

Also worth looking out for P P Aeroparts/Flightpath's crew access ladders...sets 'em off nicely!

Edited July 27, 2010 by Bill Clark

[Andy Mullen]

I have a few in my stash after I started building the first one I got back in 2005. I am hoping they will last until Fujimi re-release them again, hopefully sooner than the 5 years between the last reissue.

I have only built the one so far, but I am gearing myself up to build a few more.

Close up of basic tub

[Max Headroom]

One detail not picked up on this thread is that there is a bulge in the ventral position just in front of the exhausts. To be accurate this should be filed down as the countours in this area sideways on is straight not curved.

Apart from that and the stickies it's a fab kit.

Trevor

[Enzo the Magnificent]

I have a few in my stash

I have only built the one so far, but I am gearing myself up to build a few more.

I have eleven in the stash and four built! Haven't built one for a couple of years now, but I have two planned for groupbuilds next year, an 892NAS FG.1 for the Ark Royal GB and a 17 Sqn FGR.2 for the F-4 GB.

[Dave Fleming]

One detail not picked up on this thread is that there is a bulge in the ventral position just in front of the exhausts. To be accurate this should be filed down as the countours in this area sideways on is straight not curved.

I think that's down to the original jet pipes being parallel sided rather than 'cone' shaped - the rear end is the correct dimension. So to get the rear fuselage line to 'fit, they had to turn the lower up a little

[Nick Millman]

I'm ashamed to admit I have two, both F-4K "Yellow Bird" boxings, H-8 and H-19, and FWIW can confirm that the latter has separate speed brakes and rubber tyres and seems to be a completely different molding.

Nick

[Jennings Heilig]

I can remember thinking £7.99 seemed an outlandish amount

Oh, these kids today have no idea. Why, in my day we had it tough! My dad used to wake us up four hours before we went to bed, beat us with a stick....