OK its got 2 engines, some bones on it and rhymes with 'Bantam'... MDD F-4B in 1/48th scale

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

So, apres Gladiator, we have a change of direction. A quick build ( well for me anyway).

You get no prizes for guessing what it will be...but I blame Spencer Pollard.

Long John Jonners

[Duncan B]

You'll be building the Fairly Fruitbat F(COD) Mk 23b?

I like these guessing games. I'd have another go but I know I'm right so won't bother, when can I collect my prize?

Duncan B

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

You'll be building the Fairly Fruitbat F(COD) Mk 23b?

I like these guessing games. I'd have another go but I know I'm right so won't bother, when can I collect my prize?

Duncan B

So close....its the Mk23C trop

And I had a brace of Tamiya Spit IXs to give away too

Another clue to make it obvious; a flan flinger by the same name used to be on TISWAS

Jonners

[Max Headroom]

It's a Lenny Henry with Trevor McDoughnut brass bits by Eduard

Trevor

[Tim T]

All I remember about Tiswas is Sally James' leather trousers....

[Silver Fox]

and the tight white tee shirts that always seemed to be damp.

[hwallen1410]

All I remember are the leather boots and getting an autograph when she opened the local ice cream parlour in Streatham.....

Can I claim the 2 Spits???

Thought not

[hwallen1410]

_{Happy days......}

[Mike]

Well that went quickly

[hythe]

So are you doing the Tamiya in 1/32?

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

So are you doing the Tamiya in 1/32?

No - the new Academy in 1/48th with the Double Ugly VF-84 decals. The early B with the scroll Jolly Roger on the tail.

I manage to get the decals from Ebay - though it cost!

Cheers

Jonners, bringing us back on topic

[wyverns4]

So that would be the phreakishly, phabulous, phlying fantom then!

A bit of light relief after the Vampire epic, eh?

Ah, Sally James, the center of a schoolboy's world. What ever became of her? Wow two threads for the price of one.

Christian the Married and exiled to Kenya

[Duncan B]

Looks like the Fairey Fruitbat to me. Phantom? Never heard of it!

Duncan B

[(ex)Sgtrafman]

Condensed milk sandwiches anyone?

Yours aye

Iain

[Jabberwocky]

Looks like showers of mushy peas with outbreaks of custard over the weekend then.

(Feeling old now).

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

Right you lot listen up!! or its compost corner for the lot of you....

'Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo (deep breath) kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

Would anyone like an in box review of the Phantom Phlan Phlinger...

...doh stop it!!! I mean F-4B??

Jonners

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

She's 62 now (according to Google) and sells school uniforms in Surrey. No, really.

I think I'll keep the leather boots version in my mind....

P.S. Yes please on the PhlanPhlinger review

Edited May 10, 2013 by Ex-FAAWAFU

[Wolfpack]

Who's F-4B are we talking about?

Back off topic.

W

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

The Academy one - the one you did an excellent job on!

which I have been re-reading too

Cheers

Jonners

Sally James' shorts - or "nots" more accurately!! A bygone age....

[Paul Bradley]

Oooh, Jon - you've made me come over all unnecessary.....

Oh, and no thanks on the Phantom.

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

Evening all - right heres a quick in box review. I've started building since I took these pics, but this is the vanilla gen.

Academy's F-4B is presented in a large deep box with a very nice painting on the top. Opening the lid reveals an internal top panel

which gives an air of class to the proceedings, and helps keep the contents safe. Speaking of which - you get a lot of bang for your buck....

( fruit bowl, laptops and random power cables not included)

All sprues are plastic wrapped, and the whole thing has an air of "money well spent".

Painting and decal guide is well done - although, there's a lot of stencils to apply. Colour call outs are linked to Numbers on the instructions but these are keyed to a table of different paint makers too so you can use your preferred brand, plus colours are named, with FS numbers where required. Very thoughtful.

Decals give you one option ( a shame in my book - £30 = 2 options at least I'd say) for a VF-111 aircraft, though no info as to time and period is mentioned.

Here's a link to the inspiration which does give you time and place: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-4B_VF-111_CVA-43.jpg

Note the diffs between the photo ( with useful caption) and the box art too - in terms of weapon load. Artistic licence me thinks!!

The plastic itself is well moulded with fine engraved panel lines. I have no problem with the 3 differing colours used: Its a gimmick , but hell if it sells kits, fine by me. I'll be priming mine anyway so no problem - and the white lower parts may just give the casual, brush painting modeller a head start.

Highlights of the model include full depth intake trunking with decent engine fronts, deep afterburner cans - with good detail. A plethora of weaponry and a choice of diiferent fin tips and nose under bulges ( thats the "IR sensor" housing). As the instructions only cater for 1 option most of these go unused, but for those that want to know you get:

so initial F-4B 'vanilla" tip, tip with USN RHAW sensor at rear, tip with same but scabbed on forward sensor, and USAF tip with their own shaped RHAW sensor.

Ditto for the under radome bulge:

Initial F-4B/C bulge, USN bulge with added ECM, USAF F-4D bulge, and later F-4D bulge with the added "herpes" scabbed on sensor warts

If you are starting to see a pattern - you aint wrong...

... as moulded this kit only has the top wing halves to let you do a thin wing USN F4-B or N, but the parts breakdown, plus the unused bits means we have an C, and D, plus a J in the offing, as the longer burner cans of the D/J/S are in here too, as are the wider tyres of the C/D/J/S.

Also included are 2 styles of radome - one with a cutout for the under radome bulge ( OK chin sensor if you want!) and another without - again for the J/S or early D. Both slotted and plain rear Stabilators ( that all-moving tailplanes if you prefer ) are included as are separate breaking parachute caps - one plain and one with the "herpes" mod sensors.

You also get, as unused parts, the short intake ECM fairings of the later J and S, plus the longer ones of the N.

To hang under the model we have the 3 classic F-4 fuel tanks ( center tank has separate fuel vent mini-fins), straight style USN inner launcher pylons from which you can hang TERs with some mk 82s slicks, plus the launcher rails for the AIM-9s ( B, D, E, P & L models all included - did I mention that - Bs or Ds for this version though please gentlemen). There are MERS for the centreline or outer wing stations - again with mk 82s, and of course AIM-& sparrows for the under fuselage recesses. Not mentioned are the AN/ALQ-184 ECM pod and mounting and the SUU-23A gun pod with tapered rear fairing, not squared off- again both these are USAF kit.

The real highlight of the kit is the single piece upper fuselage

This has cut outs for the USN style refuelling probe on the starboard cockpit side or the USAF refuelling receptacle on the fuselage top, with infills for each.

There's a very slight moulding ridge around the top fuselage section ( slide moulding flash line I guess) but it removes with a quick run from the sanding stick.

Outer upturned wings are moulded in one piece as separate parts, and a very clear multi part canopy is supplied with a separate infill for the between canopy transparency inner framing. Wheel wells are nicely detailed and UC legs seem suitably busy. Airbrakes are moulded as separate pieces but there's no inner detail, and the under fuselage auxiliary intake doors are separate too.

Cockpit detail is 'all right' with raised detail, but its a bit low-relief to me, plus there's no throttle handles and no decals for instruments. The USN rear cockpit has no console on the starboard side ( the refuelling probe takes up the internal space) so Academy give you a nicely moulded fill-in for this area. Console tops are separate parts and alternate instrument panels are supplied for front and back ( again to cater for upcoming verions). The ejection seats are Martin Baker Mk7s - which will be right for the decal option - a post 1970 F-4B. For Pre-1970 USN Phantoms you'll need to find some Mk 5 seats or live with the difference ( Hypersonic Models do some, but other aftermarket resin options are available).

Overall the model has a nice level of finesse, and so far fit of major parts seems to be OK. The only thing thats been really picked up by other reviewer sare the rather small forward fuselage cooling air intakes. Again Hypersonic do some nifty and well priced resin replacements, so if you are buying MB Mk-5s get some of these too, plus their resin and etch Stab set too ( shameless plug for a UK based well priced AM company to which I am in no way affiliated BTW).

So - does this big beast of a model look like a Phantom?

Yes.

Have I measured it? No. Are there some errors of shape? Most probably. In this case do I care? No.

Or let me paraphrase an oft used comment: From all angles, this models bears a striking similarity to the real F-4B.

So, let me sum up.

An excellent well moulded model, that gives you a decent USN F-4B or N for that matter from the box.

Right enough of this already, you are bored and so am I - I wanna build the thing.....

Jonners

[Col.]

Once again Jonners a most excellent choice of subject. Having already poked around the kit parts I must confess being tempted to get one & go searching some VF-114 decals so fear watching your progress will seal my fate. Right, crack on, there's a good chap.

[spruecutter96]

Ya just gotta love the Rhino! An aircraft from a time when planes were planes and not just multiple computers with wings! I'm sure life was simpler in those days, too! (or maybe just seemed that way...Ho, Hum).

[Miggers]

And there I was thinking you meant the twin wind-up powered Chiltern Clockwork Chicken,

and,and Mr Kunac-Tabinor,when you mentioned lots of "bang-per-buck",I also

thought that the fruitbowl,laptop and assorted power cables came with it .........

And when it all pans out,all you have is an Academy F-4B <_< !!!!

What a swizz,shan't be buying one of those,terrible that is,really feel done there :lol: :lol:

[Jon Kunac-Tabinor]

And there I was thinking you meant the twin wind-up powered Chiltern Clockwork Chicken,

and,and Mr Kunac-Tabinor,when you mentioned lots of "bang-per-buck",I also

thought that the fruitbowl,laptop and assorted power cables came with it .........

And when it all pans out,all you have is an Academy F-4B <_< !!!!

What a swizz,shan't be buying one of those,terrible that is,really feel done there :lol: :lol:

I know. I feel like a heel. An utter sham, a charlatan, a fakir, a hawker, in the words of Terry Thomas, I'm "an absolute shower"

If it helps, I admit it - it does come with the Cath Kidston fruit bowl: But only if you bought it off Ebay and bid for both at the same time....

Still, its a Bonk Haliday, so on wiv ze modleeng.

I need to concentrate now - so I avoid starting the IAR-81 ahead of this, supposedly relaxing, build

Jonners