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Hi all. This is the Hasegawa 1/48 F-4G Wild Weasel, my latest finished model. For this build I used an Aires cockpit set, ResKit engines, Master Pitot tube and Speed Hunter Graphics decals. A few underwing parts came from various Hasegawa weapons sets. The pylons were rescribed and detailed a bit as these still have raised panel lines. The same goes for the underwing fueltanks. The intake covers were scratchbuilt from plastic card and strip. The pull handles on the ejection seats were made from twisted yellow and black painted copper wire. As usual, I painted the model with MrHobby paints, in this case H305 and H306, over a black primer from Alclad. Weathering was done with Abteilung 502 oilpaints and Tamiya panelliner. Thanks for watching.

So, having had my arm twisted by @Rabbit Leader (all I did was mention that I happened to have a Matchbox Phantom and then next thing I know, here I am… ), here’s the start of what will undoubtedly turn out to be a long drawn-out build (although not as long as a certain pair of Airfix Hawks have taken…). I originally purchased this kit from Beatties maybe 40 years ago – if you look closely at the box you’ll see I paid the princely sum of £4.50, reduced because the clear parts were missing.

Having finished a Revell FAA F4U (bloody over-complicated thing!) and my Sword Gannet, I took a few weeks off to contemplate what was next. Thought I'd take longer to think about it, but I went up to have a tidy of the 'bench' and whilst I was there had a look at the stash. Narrowed down to the following candidates.. I was very close to doing the lifeboat but the recent Top Gun hype has put me in a bit of a US Navy mood, so the Phantom won out in the end. That poor Lightning, it keeps getting so close to the top of the pile, only to be cruelly denied. Maybe next time.. Rather than the Sundowners on the front, I'm doing this as one of the alternative schemes, inspired by the lovely, well thumbed, volume Such a good book! Obligatory sprue shot (although I've hidden most of it!). I'd shied away from this for a while because I really didn't fancy painting the gloss white undersides. Now I have an airbrush I don't have that excuse. This will be a test, though, as I've so far struggled to get decent gloss finishes with the airbrush. Have tried pledge and Mr Color GX112 but I never get the high gloss (and smooth) finish that I really want. Always ends up closer to Satin and a little rough feeling. Any tips most welcome! Not much achieved so far, just a few bits painted. Since the white and grey is hard to brush I'm going to break with tradition and spray the cockpit, wheel wells, intakes, drop tanks etc. I don't normally get the airbrush out for small things as I spend more time cleaning it that actually painting, but I think its necessary this time.. Wish me luck! Al.

What not first! Spunky VI early F-4E in Nam with an asymmetric load out as discussed in forum. FineMolds release from 2021. will add pictures tomorrow Chris

I love the Phantom. I think it's my second favourite military aircraft only beaten by the Avro Vulcan I remember seeing them at the airshows I went to as a child in the 70's, always giving a fantastic display. I love the whole look of the airframe, the way the tail planes slope down in position to the end of the wings kicking up, just brilliant. I've had this in the stash for a while. Last month I was watching some YouTube videos on the British Phantoms and I couldn't resist it any longer. I built it straight out of the box, no third party add on's, no third party decals. The kit was a pleasure to put together with all parts fitting together very well and needing little or no fill and sanding. I love the new style Airfix instructions, they are very easy to follow with lots of space for notes if you need to make them. Paint wise, I used a mix of mig and Vallejo model air with Alclad 2 for the metal finish abound the rear, all applied with an air brush. Between the paint and the decals I used a couple of coats of Pledge floor polish and after the mammoth decalling job I gave it a coat of Vallejo satin varnish. It was then finished off with some weathering and a Flory wash. I did quite a bit of research into the weathering before starting. I wanted it to look well used, without being over the top. Here's some pictures of the finished model. Thank you for looking and I hope you like my interpretation. I know the upper silver probe has bent up on the above image. It has since been back into the hanger for repairs.

Phantom FGR.2 (04962) 1:48 Revell Following a period of cancellations and upheaval in the UK aircraft industry the Royal Navy & Royal Air Force found themselves lacking capability in the 1960s. The decision was taken to purchase the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom already in use in the US. An F-4K (FG.1) version was developed for the Navy and an F-4M (FGR.2) for the Air Force. These aircraft were not the same as the US ones as it was agreed that larger and more powerful Rolls Royce Spey engines would be fitted and the radars would be built under license by Ferranti. While the F-4J was the basis for the UK models the fuselage was redesigned by BAC to accommodate the larger engines. These changes would mean that the unit costs would more than treble over the F-4J. Due to changes in the Navy 20 aircraft originally ordered were transferred to the RAF, then in 1978 following the loss or HMS Ark Royal all remaining Naval aircraft were turned over to the RAF. The Kit This is a reboxing of Hasegawa's kit from the 1980s. this is still the only injected plastic kit in 1.48 scale of a British Phantom. Despite its age this is still a good kit. Revell last reboxed this kit in 2004 and it has always been sought by modellers for its better price and better decals than the original Hasegawa kits. The kit comes on 7 sprues of grey plastic and one clear sprue. Construction starts in the cockpit. The seats are made up first. These come without belts and are fairly simple as they are designed to be used with the kits pilot figures. The cockpit tub is then built up. Instrument panels, bulkheads and side consoles are fitted to make a complete assembly. The front wheel well is also fitted under the cockpit. Once this is made up it can be put inside the fuselage, and the fuselage closed up. On each side then the intakes can be assembled. Next up construction moves to the wings. The lower section contains the centre section, and the left & right uppers contain the folding parts at the ends of the wing. Separate flaps are provided which can be modelled up or down. The wings can then be attached to the fuselage. At the rear the engine exhausts and tail top fairings are then added. The auxiliary inlet doors are added along with the tailplanes. At the front the nose cone is made up and added. The landing gear is then made up and added. The front has twin tyres while the mains one large one. Each gear leg has its own retraction struts and doors to add. On the underside the air brakes are also added. Moving back to the top sides the intake ramps are added along with the 4 part canopy. The main canopies can be open or closed. For stores the kit supplies the main centre line tank and both wing tanks. Also for the centre line there is a 25mm gun pod and the large EMI reece Pod. Sparrow/Sky Flash missiles are provided for the fuselage, but while sidewinder rails are supplied for the wing pylons there are no missiles in the kit. Markings The new decal sheets which looks like it comes from Cartograf by the serial number features 3 aircraft wearing different schemes. XV470 - No. 56 Sqn RAF Wattisham, 1992 In the Later Grey Scheme. XV408 - No. 92 Sqn RAF Wildenrath, 1991 In the overall Blue anniversary scheme. XT898 - No. 2 Sqn RAF Laarbruch 1974 In the Grey / Green over light grey scheme. Conclusion It's a great to see this kit back in Revell's line up. The same plastic with much better decals, and dare we say at a much better price point. Highly recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

At the IPMS/USA 2017 National Convention Zoukei Mura confirmed Source: https://www.cybermodeler.com/special/ipms_usa/ipmsusa2017.shtml V.P.

In 2022 Jetmads is to release a 1/32nd McDonnell FH-1 Phantom resin kit Sources: https://www.facebook.com/JETMADS2016/posts/950570759198543 https://www.jetmads.com/product-page/1-32-fh-1-phantom Douglas X-3 Stiletto thread is here: link V.P.

Finemolds is to release from August 2020 new tool 1/72nd McDD (R)F-4E/EJ Phantom II kits. Source: http://www.finemolds.co.jp/202006-08NEW.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recap - ref. FP37 - McDD F-4EJ Phantom II - JASDF - released https://www.finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP37.html - ref. FP38 - McDD F-4EJ Phantom II - JASDF - released https://www.finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP38.html - ref. FP40 - McDD F-4EJ Kai Phantom II - JASDF - released https://www.finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP40.html - ref. FP41 - McDD F-4E Phantom II (early) - USAF - released https://www.finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP41.html - ref. FP42 - McDD RF-4EJ Phantom II - JASDF - released https://finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP42.html - ref. FP43S - McDD F-4J Phantom II - US Navy - VF-114 "Aardvark" - released https://finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP43S.html - ref. FP46S - McDD F-4C Phantom II - Air National Guard - released https://finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP46S.html - ref. FP47S - McDD F-4D Phantom II - USAF - The First MiG Ace - released https://finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP47S.html - ref.72737 - McDD F-4EJ Phantom II - Tactical competition 1982 (306th Sqn) - released https://finemolds.co.jp/FP/72737.html - ref.72738 - McDD F-4EJ Phantom II - Tactical competition 1995 (301th Sqn) - release January 2022 https://finemolds.co.jp/FP/72738.html - ref. 72838 - McDD F-4EJ Kai Phantom II - JASDF Last Flight Memorial “Blue” - released https://www.finemolds.co.jp/FP/72838.html - ref. 72843 - MccDD F-4J Phantom II - US Marines - VMFAT-101 "Marlins" - released https://www.finemolds.co.jp/FP/72843.html - ref. 72937 - MccDD F-4EJ Kai Phantom II - JASDF Phantom Forever, Thank you 1971-2021 - released https://www.finemolds.co.jp/FP/72937.html - ref. 72938 - MccDD F-4EJ Kai Phantom II - JASDF Last Flight Memorial “Yellow” - released https://www.finemolds.co.jp/FP/72938.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Connected or not to the Platz project? https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235037980-172-mcdonnell-douglas-f-4ej-phantom-ii-new-tool-by-platz-release-in-2019/ V.P.

Good evening mates, to be honest, at the moment my Jaguars’ main wheel bays are a little too demanding in terms of …inspiration and I’ve ended up postponing and postponing them. Now there are a few things happening to other members that have let me understand that probably…it’s normal to loose a bit of motivation when a project is taking too long to be brought to an end. Fritag has a perseverance I admire, but we’ve just seen he just went through what first it looked like an experiment (with those PE) and it may turn out as a new job!!! Ex-FAAWAFU was a bit tired with his Sea King and is now going Through Supermarine’ production!!! Perdu is passing with nonchalance from a “Perduxbox” Buccaneer to a “Pernovo” Gannet, Martian’s putting everything else momentarily aside to start a Kamov 28. Forgetting for a moment he did momentarily put his Roc project aside to go on with what seems to have been another project momentarily put aside … the Karel Doorman’s last cruise. This last Thread , whose meaning I understood only on a second time (initially I thought Karel Doorman was a friend of Martian’s!!!) reminded me an old dream I had for a long time , but I never started for lack of …existing models in the right scale (for me 1/48). Back in 2011, on one of my many journeys to the UK, I had bought Aircraft magazine’s April issue, to have something to read in the night. ] In it there was a beautiful article about Ark Royal’s last cruise.I literally felt in love with the opening page picture ( here below ) and I started dreaming of a diorama depicting a Gannet, a Phantom and a Buccaner parked on the flight deck. All those coloured tails were wonderful and a Wessex as that depicted in the article’s third page would have been a nice addiction. At that time, I discussed the idea with my friends modellers and I must say the picture was a real success. But then, the idea only remained an idea for all these years. The “Royal Navy… air” I’ve been breathing since I joined BM and in particular Martian’s friend Karel’s thread brought the old dream back to my mind. The only thing I’d liketo avoid, is to bring the Jaguars to an end first and start working to the Ark project every now and then. About it I have a question for the well informed,: did these helicopters belong to a Squadron ? The aircraft on board the Ark during her last cruise I found what follows: 1. NAS 809 on Buccaneers. 2. NAS 892 on Phantoms. 3. NAS 849 on Fairey Gannets EAW3. 4. ??? on Westland Wessex. 5. NAS 824 on Westland Sea kings. 1. I had been waiting for years for a Decent Gannet AEW 3 in 1/48th , but finally went for the Sword model in 1/72nd, as I saw it and couldn’t resist! That was my first model in 1/72nd after more than 20 years!!! The model looks great and I thought to depict it while landing… …so I purchased the Eduard PE flaps ( I love that system and some times I’ll scratch build it for my Wyvern, which I…left momentarily aside a few years ago!!!). Of course, the fact this set is dedicated to the Revell EAW1 kit wouldn’t have been a problem…untill I heard on this version the wing was shorter!!! My wife, whom I call “Treasure” is always disappointed as she says I don’t listen to her and she’s got to tell me twhat I’ve got to do at least twice! Eduard Staff may have been listening , and that’s probably why I had a doupble copy of theinstruction sheet!!! Anyway this isn’t going to be important, as I’m not going to use most of the set!!! I also purchased the ALLEY CAT decaal sheet dedicated to thie version of the Gannet, as I heard the orignal stencils are so thin, the ay just …get lost in the decalling process. 2. The news that Airfix British Phantom’s will be released in the next few months, together with the high quality standard this glorious Manufacturer has reached in their last products, did the rest! I’ve got it on order. I also ordered Xtradecal dedicated sheet 72268, to have more choice. The Phantom doesn’t say much in the parking configuration, much better to show it ready to launch, maybe with the deck’s heat deflectors open. 3. Perdu’s Matchbox Buccaneer’s thread gave me strength and I bought aRevell reboxing of the thing. If I follow Perdu’s instruction , I can do it!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNIrEYimmXs …sorry, but I couldn’t find the english version!!!! The only problem seems to be the decal sheet: I’ve got the Airfix sheet for 1/48th kit, but 4. Italery Wessex will be chosen to represent the SAR aircraft. About it I have a question for the well informed,: did these helicopters belong to a Squadron ? I can’t identify the crest on the top starboard (…correct…???) side, behind the cockpit. 5. Hannants seems to have only the Airfix kit on stock, which should be a new tooling. Any ideas if there’s some PE or decal suggested for the version belonging to NAS 824 on board Ark Royal in her last cruise? On second thoughts, I’m getting interested in depicting the Ark herself. The model which seems to be the closest one to this configuration of the famous ship seems to be Fujimi 1/700th scale kit. The main question mark for a project like this is: how to develop it? I mean, the first idea started from was a diorama with a Gannet, a Phantom and a Bucc as shown in the picture. This could do, with all aircraft in parking configuration with wings folded. On the other hand, these aircraft could be depicted in a quite effective “ready to take off” pose . • The Buccaneer is quite singular in both cases, ( wings and airbrake folded or nose up , ready for launch).Even showing it on the lift notfully up wouldn’t be bad!!! • The Phantom’s best configuration is with th nose gear extended , ready for launch. • The Gannet is quite singular with folded wings , hook down, open canopy and ladder out, but it’s not bad even with those curious flaps extended. Even a pre-flight configuration could be interesting , with a couple of crews and what seems to be a starter, as seen for Buccaneers too. At the moment I’ve already started cutting the Gannet’s flaps, just to discover the Eduard PEset is wrong for this model. I could still use the folding mechanism struts( if this is the right name for them!!!) and modify the flaps cut off the wings. • The Wessex could be depicted parked with folded rotor or even i 1/144 scale in the background of a Buccaneer or the Phantom ready for launch, as shown in one of the article’s pictures. • The Sea king is the less colorful of the party and is still a question mark. Suggestions are welcomed. I could : 1. build a big base depicting the flight deck for the three aircraft as in the article’s picture; 2. Build a separate base for each model; 3. Build a big base with some sort of …”islands “for each model, something like my F-15, as in the picture below.I like this idea, but room might be a problem. That’s all for now… enough written modelling , for this weekend!!! Hope I’ll soon share some real modelling. In the meantime, any answers to my questions or suggestions are welcomed. Thanks for your patience!!! Ciao Massimo

Tamiya is to release a new tool 1/48th McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II kit - ref. 61121 Sources: https://www.tamiya.com/japan/featuredreleases_early2021.html#Static https://www.tamiya.com/english/products/61121/index.htm Price is not cool https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/TA61121 V.P.

Hello Happy Phantom Phanatics (and others!)! Here is my last Phantom from my USAF Phantom saga (for the time being) : the Hasegawa RF-4C. Another Hasegawa classic, well known, built with the same amount of modifications to the base: Complete refurbished cockpit, resin wheel wells , belly louvres, airbrakes, ailerons, riveting, etc as already mentioned in my previous builds. routine... What was not routine was stuffing the camera bay accordingly to the version depending on the aircraft mission. To simulate the KY camera lenses, I used the tiny iPhone or mobile phone lenses, that gives a realistic effect, especially when you replace the too thick kit transparencies by thinner windows. For the markings and version I chose a Desert Storm warrior from the Alabama ANG, the "Boss Bird", thinking that the Carpena decal sheet will add more value than the Hasegawa one. I will come later on this subject ; The choice was also made based on the good iconographie about that particular aircraft. Camouflage pattern is fairly simple, the Hill Grey, but "toned downed" to respect the scale effect. I weathered it quite a bit because of the harsh Middle East conditions. Decals: I started to use the Carpena sheet 7270 (desert storm part 2) but it turned to be disastrous: most of the decals started to break into small pieces when wet, some markings were not accurate (e.g. white shading of the Code Letters, shark mouth...), so finally I had to use a mix of self-made decals, paints and use some Hasegawa ones which are, unfortunately, too thick (well known default). No armament, the configuration is max range with an AN/ALQ 131 ECM pod (aftermarket), as seen on some pix. The result is that this beast is not on the top of my F-4 list, but i am too lazy to start another one. maybe one day... Here are the pix: The true flying camera: The fake one: ... and the little dio: I scratch built the ladder, the sound generator comes from the Hasegawa but, as the other pieces, is completely wrong so rebuilt: That's it for that saga, hope you enjoy the poor-quality photos, critics happily accepted, may be I will be tempted by the FM F-4 one day!

F-4C Phantom Update Set & Masks (for Fine Molds Kit) 1:72 Eduard The new Fine Molds Phantoms are great kits and released onto a receptive market, however this has not stopped Eduard from releasing sets for them. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Update set (73757) The set gives up tow sheets of nickel plated PE and one of brass. For the cockpit all the instrument panels including side panels are replaced along with the interior side walls of both pits. There are upgrades to the seats with new parts, firing handles and seat belts. A new HUD is provided with film for the glass. New frame hoops and rails are provided for inside the canopy parts. Leaving the cockpit there are parts for all wheels wells, landing gear legs and gear doors. Other external parts are the burner rings for inside the exhausts, new wing pylon covers, main fuel tanks rear connector, and a new intake mounted pitot tube. Masks (CX614) The set of masks in yellow tape provide for the canopies and the wheels. Review samples courtesy of

Next in the Zoukei Mura Phantom family (F-4C/D: thread, F-4J/S: thread, F-4E(J)/F/G: thread) are the 1/48th McDD RF-4B/C & E Recce Phantom II expected in 2023 Source: https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/92170-zm-unveils-148-rf-4bce-plans/ V.P.

Hello Everybody! Before the F and the G already showcased in the forum, now comes the "E"/Late. I built this Fujimi model I had it in my stock for quite a long time and I know that now far better kits of the beast have been released. However, I struggled finding at that time I started to "produce" USAF Phantoms (even the Hasegawa one was OOS), so I decided to go for only one I got (Fujimi), hoping I have good basis at hand to do a nice model. Alas! I spent so much time and efforts to improve it that, at the end of the day, I was completely disappointed by the result. Here is the list of what I did: - The fuselage is way too short at that scale, and the verdict of the 1/72eme drawings is there: it misses 4 mm. I put resin intakes (forgot the brand) to fill the empty original one and the adaptation was quite disastrous. I had to cut the fuselage aft and forward), added slices of evergreen to have the right dimension and fitting and then finally reshaped the whole stuff. This pix shows the resin intakes, the "plastic surgery" added at the rear portion of the cockpit ("pieces rajoutée" added part in English) For the rest, quite normal modifications for a F-4 kit of that era: - ailerons separated, flats modified, belly straps added, vent doors opened, airbrakes lowered, exhaust "hot area" modified, exhausts, cockpit, canopy, L/G wells and wheels aftermarket, etc... A lot of work! Translation: L/G wheel wells modified, "holes" after intake fitting filled-in, ailerons and slats removed For the marking my preference went to a Texas AFRES machine from the 924th TFG because they had a quite unique variation of the Hill Grey pattern, which I found very attractive: Not difficult to do. All decals are from extra stocks or home made and just little bit of weathering, these birds were kept in pretty nice conditions. I didn't put any armament, just a travel pod and a modified TER (from Hasegawa set but reshaped because they are wrong) and that it! Here are the pix: The real beast: My interpretation: A simple Dio: Definitively not my best Phantom, another good occasion to try the new ones! Enjoy!

I would like to show you two F-4EJs that I have recently finished. The first one is a F-4EJ of the Air Developmant and Test Wing in Gifu. They painted it 2017 in a digital or pixel camouflage. When I first came across the photo of this aircraft, I immediately started looking for decals. At that time, there was only this Fujimi boxing available for a lot of money. But I bought it anyway and after a closer inspection decided just to use the decals and build the model using the Hasegawa kit. Here is now the finished model: It is an F-4EJ (without the "kai"), although it features the antenna on top of the spine. But the very small backward facing sensors on top of the rudder are missing. Applying the decals was fun. Fujimi provided large connected areas like one wing = one decal, but I decided to divide them into smaller areas for better handling. I strongly recommend this procedure. As a basic color I chose Revell Seegrün Aqua colours which fits perfectly. The Hasegawa kit is nice, but I added some details like instruments and wiring to the area between the two seats. Also the triangular shaped reinforcement plates on the stabilizers have to be removed from the top and added to the bottom. Check your references, when building a Phantom.... A lot of stencils are provided for the underside, too: The second model shows a F-4EJkai (improved) that can be recognized by the two small sensors and the big antenna on the spine. Also it features a slightly bigger radome, but Hasegawa ignored this difference. Fine molds however have reproduced it in their new range of F-4EJs. The JASDF 302 Sq have painted two of their F-4 in a special scheme for the retirement of the type, one white and the other one black. Hasegawa have released them both. The decals are nicely done but of course they need some touch up especially in the area around the intakes. I will build the black one using the Fine Molds kit. Here the reinforcement plates are correct as they are in the kit. Hope you like the models. greetings from Germany, Norbert

So last birthday my nephew asked what I'd like, I gave him a model shop link and said anything you like in 1/72. And this is what he bought me, when asked why, his reply was "Because it's the coolest!" And it just kept getting better, the wife and I went to Wales for our anniversary, I knew we were passing SWAM but even I knew not to push it and ask to pop in. Alas she forgot card/pressie so I was allowed to go!!! But then I started the build, I had a number of issues so please forgive me. Number one was masking inprints on the gloss finish, warning to others, heat works, but bends things! Ok enough ramble, a few pic that dont show my errors too much (this is only by 7th build, but loving it) I know she probably never flew like this, but my son was insistent that all the missiles should go on Many thanks again for the questions answered in other threads. Ps I posted instruction on the stand idea here

F-4B Phantom Update Sets (648682 & 644127) 1:48 Eduard Brassin & Löök (For Tamiya kit) The new Tamiya F-4B kit was a welcome addition to their line of new tool aircraft. Eduard now bring us some update sets for this kit. All are cast to their usual high standards. As usual with Eduard's small Brassin and Löök sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package with their range specific branding, a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. My only gripe is the amount glue Eduard use the mount the look panels & PE to the backing. F-4B Wheels (648682) Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. Inside are four resin wheels on their own casting blocks, with moulded-in hubs plus a set of pre-cut kabuki tape masks (not pictured). The wheels are all attached to their blocks on their contact patches, with additional wisps of resin supporting the wheel further and helping to reduce the likelihood of air bubbles within the moulds. These are easily removed with a razor saw and a swipe with a sanding stick that should leave all the crisp diamond tread intact. They’re a much better detailed drop-in replacement for the kit parts from thereon in, and have no annoying mould seams to deal with. F-4B Löök Cockpit Set (644127) This combination set of pre-painted resin and Photo-Etch (PE) arrives glued to the backing card, and care must be taken when removing them to avoid bending the PE. It’s best to separate them using a sharp blade pushed between the parts and the card, then clean up the glue residue from the rear where necessary. The resin parts cast in black & Dark Grey, with the instrument dials, black bezels and their glossy overcoat printed directly on the resin, giving a highly realistic finish. It is easily removed from its block by cutting through the delicate fingers that attach the panel, and minimal clean-up should be needed here. We get panels for both cockpits as well as side panels. Full belts and firing handles are provided to use on the kit seat. Review sample courtesy of

F-4B Phantom Stencils (D48094) 1:48 Eduard (For Tamiya Kit) We all love an F-4 Phantom, and some of them, especially the early ones were festooned with stencils. This is a full of stencil across two sheets from Eduard. While Tamiya do give you some stencils on the kit sheet the are quite thick compared with Eduard's ones. In addition some on the Tamiya sheet are grouped together with areas of carrier film between them increasing the ability for the them to silver. The decals are printed by Eduard and have good register, sharpness and colour density, with a glossy carrier film printed close to the edges of the printed areas. Conclusion A nice comprehensive set of decals to bring something additional to your kit, whether the new Tamiya kit, or any of the others available. Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

US Navy F-4B Phantom Decals (D48093) 1:48 Eduard (For Tamiya Kit) We all love a Phantom and the new F-4B from Tamiya is a cracking kit. The kit though only has three schemes, and the decals from Tamiya are on the thick side. This new set from Eduard gives us 5 new schemes fro the kit along with the correct walkways for them, national insignia and Jet Intake warning triangles. It should be noted that only 2 of the schemes will fit the new kit from the box as they are for the late F-4B. If you want to model one of the other schemes you will need early fin cap. If you need the early cap then these are available from Hypersonic model or CMK. The 5 options in this set are; 151478 - VF84 "Jolly Rogers" AG211, USS Independence, South East Asia 1965 153020 - VF92 "Silver Kings", NG204, USS Enterprise, South East Asia 1968 148417 - VF-121 "Peacemakers", NJ121, NAS Miramar, 1964 149461 - VF-32 "Swordsman", AB212, USS John F Kennedy, Med Cruise 1972 153018, VF-114 "Aardvarks", NH205, USS Kittyhawk, South East Asia 1968 The three sheets are printed by Eduard and have good register, sharpness and colour density, with a glossy carrier film printed close to the edges of the printed areas. Conclusion This is a great set from Eduard which give you different marking options from the Kit, with the added benefit that they are thin and should go down with no issues. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

From what I've read, Iranian pilots really liked the Phantom. It's speed, weapons and durability were put to good use against Iraq especially, conducting bombing, fighter sweep and reconnaissance duties, However when equipped with the Maverick air to ground missile, the Phantom found a new and deadly role; tank killing. Nearly 50 machines are still in service with the IRIAF today. The 1/72 Hasegawa Phantoms are pretty decent kits, although do watch out for the fit of the forward fuselage to the body and the fit of the air intakes, it can be tricky to get right and the better you get the fit the less sanding you will have to do. The instructions give you three machines, but I was not happy with the colour call outs, so I went with matching colours to the box top that I believe look better. I did use their suggested Gunze 44 flesh for the sand colour, but picked RLM 71 over their suggested Gunze 303 for green which I think was too light and I went with Revell SM381 brown. Gunze 311 grey was used for the under surface and RLM 70 for the drop tanks as the green here looks darker than the air frame colour. You will have to source weapons as only three drop tanks are included, but Hasegawa has put the inner pylons along with sidewinder launch rails in the kit. The Mavericks and launch rails come from the Hasegawa weapons set.

McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 1:72 Airfix A true cold war icon, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was conceived as an all-weather, long-range fighter bomber for the US Navy. It flew for the first time in 1958 and, over fifty years later, it is still in service with modern air forces such as that of Greece. More than five thousand Phantoms have been built, making it one of the most successful post-war fighter aircraft. The F-4K, known in Royal Navy/RAF service as the FG.1, was developed from the F-4J, itself a development of the original F-4B used by the US Marines Corps and US Navy. The FG.1 was heavily Anglicised, with Rolls Royce Spey engines, a redesigned rear fuselage to accommodate the larger engines, and British avionics. The Phantom served successfully with The Royal Navy and RAF from the late 1960s, finally passed out of service in 1992. As you might expect of an aircraft that was so widely used over such a long period of time, a huge range of Phantom kits are available in all of the major scales. British Phantoms in this scale are somewhat thinner on the ground, however, with the ancient offering from Hasegawa/FROG, the slightly less ancient but still not very good kit from Matchbox, and the quite old but actually rather good Fujimi kit. Thanks to Airfix, there is finally a new kid on the block. Inside the red top-opening box are seven frames of grey plastic and a single clear frame. The mouldings are clean and crisp with plenty of detail, but the panel lines are something of a throwback to Airfix's earlier efforts, being both broader and deeper than those of the Fujimi kit, which is some thirty years older. Assembly begins with the cockpit. Each of the Martin Baker ejector seats are nicely detailed, with the seat chassis and headbox moulded separately to the cushion and harness. The tub, instrument panels and side consoles are nicely detailed, although decals, rather than moulded details, are used to represent the controls. Before the cockpit can be sandwiched between the fuselage halves, there are small fillets that have to be added at the rear of the fuselage. There are different parts to use depending on whether you want to finish your model in wheels up or down configuration. The engine air intakes also have to be assembled at this stage and fitted inside the fuselage halves. Once complete, the fuselage halves can be joined together and the part for the fuselage spine fitted in place. The engine turbine faces and the internal parts of the jet exhausts can be fitted from the underside of the fuselage before the central portion of the fuselage, which is moulded with the inner wing halves. The internal structures of the undercarriage bays are added prior to fitting this part in place. With the fuselage and inner wing largely complete, construction turns to the rest of the flying surfaces. The upper parts of the inner wing just fit to the lower wing and but up against the fuselage. The tail planes can then be added and the separately moulded rudder fitted into place. The flaps/ailerons and slats are all moulded separately to the wing, which poses some intriguing possibilities for finishing your model. Turning the now largely complete model over, the undercarriage is quite nicely detailed. despite the fairly large number of superfluous parts, you have to cut away the torque scissor link on one side of the nose gear leg in order to depict the leg in non-extended position. A range of ordnance is provided, including four Skyflash missiles, four dummy Skyflash missiles (I've never seen dummy missiles included with a kit), four Sidewinders, drop tanks and the centre line gun pod. The in-flight refuelling probe can be finished in open or closed position and a choice of canopies are included so you can finished yours open or closed. In one last flourish, you can finish your model with the radome folded to one side. The radar unit can then be added, with the radar scanner itself exposed or tucked into the folded part of the radome. You will have to carefully cut the radome away to build the model in this configuration, but the results should be well worth it. Two options are provided on the decal sheet: XV582 'Black Mike' of No. 111 Squadron, Royal Air Force, September 1989; and XV573 of No. 43 Squadron, RAF Leuchars, 1974. The first aircraft is, of course, finished in overall black, while the second is finished in Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green over Light Aircraft Grey. The decals themselves look thin and glossy and a staggering quantity of stencils are included. Conclusion Airfix's Phantom caused no small amount of excitement when it was first announced, but when the kit finally arrived the reception was somewhat muted. Although accurate in scale and outline, the panel lines are suprisingly deep and some small details such as the engine air intake bleed air vents being depicted by decals rather than moulded detail. Nonetheless, it's still good to have another UK Phantom to choose from, and I'm sure it will build up into a pleasing replica of the real thing. Review sample courtesy of

F-4B Phantom Correction/Update sets (For Tamiya) 1:48 CMK by Special Hobby The new Tamiya F-4B kit was a welcome addition to their line of new tool aircraft. CMK now bring us some update sets for this kit. All are cast to their usual high standards. Early Fin Tip (4431) This set brings us the early style F-4B fin tip not offered in the Tamiya kit. The set also provides a separate pose able rudder, again not available in the kit; PE hinges are included for the rudder.. Boarding ladder (4430) This set provides the drop down boarding ladder for the aircraft. A small recess will need to be cut in the kit to accept this. As it is cast flat a great deal of care will be needed to remove this part. In Flight Re-fuelling Probe (4429) If you want to open up some panels on your F-4B at the front this set offers the modeller the chance to put in the extendable in flight refueling probe. Obviously a hole will need to be cut in the kit to accept this. Review samples courtesy of

F-4E Masks(for Fine Molds Kit) 1:72 Eduard There is no doubt the new F-4E from Fine Molds is a great looking kit. Eduard are here with masks for the new kit Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the out side of the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort.

Plus the Magic Scale Modelling Light & sound kit. AOA decals, Quickboost pilot & RIO, painted Mig Ammo light gull grey. Link to video at the bottom showing the light & sound of engine start etc. (I know the open canopy position isn’t right but I’m delicately balancing best I can before I commit to glueing - the only minus point for Tamiya in this kit!) thanks for looking. jump to 2:55 if you want to skip my rambling