Another Phantom STGB Chat - Poll open.

[Bertie McBoatface]

1 minute ago, trickyrich said:

Using my alien telepathic abilities acquired when I was abducted by aliens.... and yes they carried out those special "Tests!!!" .......  I can see future Tamiya F-4B's being added to the stash!!

 

You rotter! This isn't helping. Yes, I've been looking for Academy F-4B's at the auction, demmit! I think the market will be flooded soon.

[Bertie McBoatface]

Seeing the Coral Sea CAG bird decals has reminded me that I have not always had the Curse of the Phantom preventing me from completing an F-4. I now recall building one and using an aftermarket decal set to finish it in that scheme. So it CAN BE DONE. It's going to be very embarrassing if it can't.

[trickyrich]

Just now, Bertie Psmith said:

Seeing the Coral Sea CAG bird decals has reminded me that I have not always had the Curse of the Phantom preventing me from completing an F-4. I now recall building one and using an aftermarket decal set to finish it in that scheme. So it CAN BE DONE. It's going to be very embarrassing if it can't.

 

 

there you go my good man, that's the spirit!!    .....an I have to admit I have enjoyed some fine Scottish spirit...... so best be off to bed before I do some serious damage (to myself!!) on evilBay!!!   

[Retired Bob]

On 01/08/2021 at 17:09, Retired Bob said:

Yes, you will need Mk.5 seats, the F-4B was upgraded in 1968 to Mk.7 seats, slotted stabs were added and the main u/c legs were strengthened resulting in that small bump on the wing upper surface over the u/c legs.  Luckily both Academy and Tamiya have included the upper wing bump as a separate part so no surgery involved making an early F-4B.  Tamiya include both slotted and un-slotted stabs so it's just the seats and decals that need to be sourced.   (I will use Hypersonic seats and Furball decals)

I have been having a good look at the Tamiya F-4B and found a small problem with my earlier comment about just needing Mk.5 e/j seats to make an early F-4B, the only fin cap supplied in the kit for the vertical tailplane has the AN/APR-30 and AN/ALQ-51  bumps, the early aircraft had a clean fin cap.  It would be difficult to remove the bumps and on trying the clean fin cap from the Academy kit it is ok for length and height but is a lot wider than the Tamiya fin cap.

[helios16v]

Good info Bob.  I'll have to keep that in mind.  I've got mine slated for a VF-213 bird.  Markings are from WESTPAC '68, their last deployment w/ the Bs.  They transitioned to the J by their next deployment in '69.

Though in all reality I'll probably forget half the info by the time I actually build it anyways.  

[trickyrich]

31 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

I have been having a good look at the Tamiya F-4B and found a small problem with my earlier comment about just needing Mk.5 e/j seats to make an early F-4B, the only fin cap supplied in the kit for the vertical tailplane has the AN/APR-30 and AN/ALQ-51  bumps, the early aircraft had a clean fin cap.  It would be difficult to remove the bumps and on trying the clean fin cap from the Academy kit it is ok for length and height but is a lot wider than the Tamiya fin cap.

 

I noticed that when going over photos of the VF-31 birds.

 

Luckily evilBay is to the rescue here as well.

 

https://www.flyingleathernecksdecals.com/search?query=f-4B

 

Flying Leathernecks has released a range of tail tips for the Tamiya F-4B, it looks to just slot in place.... plus some nice launcher rails too I see!

 

For me I needed the fin cap.

 

 

[helios16v]

So much for OOB except seats.... 

[trickyrich]

do I ever build OOB???  

[Retired Bob]

12 hours ago, helios16v said:

So much for OOB except seats.... 

OK, Decals, seats, wheels and fin cap. 

[Retired Bob]

13 hours ago, trickyrich said:

Flying Leathernecks has released a range of tail tips for the Tamiya F-4B, it looks to just slot in place.... plus some nice launcher rails too I see!

They look good, but not available in the UK at present. 

[Gidge]

1 hour ago, Retired Bob said:

They look good, but not available in the UK at present. 

International shipping is your friend

[Ray_W]

12 hours ago, trickyrich said:

do I ever build OOB???

 

Yeh, why not? Some of the resin parts come in a box.

[helios16v]

12 hours ago, trickyrich said:

do I ever build OOB???  

 

That's a given for you.  Funnily enough I wasn't talking about you this time, I was talking about me......  I think I'm hanging around you too much...  

[Retired Bob]

6 hours ago, Gidge said:

International shipping is your friend

I don't need friends like that....shipping from the USA to UK costs almost double the cost of the part, so that would make the fin cap $22, if I wait for Hannants to stock it I only have to pay £8...which is still a lot for a fin cap, makes the rest of the Tamiya kit positively cheap in comparison. 

[DaveJL]

Ordered one of those early fin caps myself. They look very good indeed.

 

Just need some wheel masks now I think.

[trickyrich]

18 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

They look good, but not available in the UK at present. 

 

evilBay is your friend in this case.... and remember how lovely that resin bit will be...... unfortunately postage from the US is a cost of our addiction!! Plus stuff from the US is very sloooowwwwww!! Order some bombs for my Sufa from Spruebrothers 7 weeks ago and still waiting for them!!!! 

 

For anything else 48ers is tops.... and service/speed/postage are among the best I've dealt with.

 

16 hours ago, helios16v said:

 

That's a given for you.  Funnily enough I wasn't talking about you this time, I was talking about me......  I think I'm hanging around you too much...  

 

See I'm a bad influence wherever I go! 

[Bertie McBoatface]

On 8/4/2021 at 10:31 PM, Retired Bob said:

I have been having a good look at the Tamiya F-4B and found a small problem with my earlier comment about just needing Mk.5 e/j seats to make an early F-4B, the only fin cap supplied in the kit for the vertical tailplane has the AN/APR-30 and AN/ALQ-51  bumps, the early aircraft had a clean fin cap.  It would be difficult to remove the bumps and on trying the clean fin cap from the Academy kit it is ok for length and height but is a lot wider than the Tamiya fin cap.

 

Dammit Bob, you're right. I've got some early seats in resin for my projected F-4G but it definitely had a plain fin cap  That the Tamiya people have engineered a separate fin cap at all suggests to me that different versions will be available someday. Meanwhile the aftermarket guys will already be working on the problem. Perhaps by the end of the GB, we will be able to buy resin? Failing that Part P18 will have to be reshaped in the old fashioned way.

 

 

D'oh! I just read your later posts. (and have placed my backorder at Hannants)

[trickyrich]

3 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

Dammit Bob, you're right. I've got some early seats in resin for my projected F-4G but it definitely had a plain fin cap  That the Tamiya people have engineered a separate fin cap at all suggests to me that different versions will be available someday. Meanwhile the aftermarket guys will already be working on the problem. Perhaps by the end of the GB, we will be able to buy resin? Failing that Part P18 will have to be reshaped in the old fashioned way.

 

 

D'oh! I just read your later posts. (and have placed my backorder at Hannants)

 

???? are you planning ahead for a F-4G?  You do know that part P18 is available in different versions! The Flying Leatherheads have released all the different versions for the F-4B. I will have the plain version soo in my hot sticky wee sausage fingers very soon!

[Bertie McBoatface]

16 minutes ago, trickyrich said:

 

???? are you planning ahead for a F-4G?  You do know that part P18 is available in different versions! The Flying Leatherheads have released all the different versions for the F-4B. I will have the plain version soo in my hot sticky wee sausage fingers very soon!

 

I'm planning for the F-4G AND the B. Can't make up me mind, can I!

 

I've also been watching and waiting to pounce on some cheaper F-4s on eBay, so Ill use up all the decals one way or another.

[Gidge]

 

49 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

I'm planning for the F-4G AND the B. Can't make up me mind, can I!

 

I've also been watching and waiting to pounce on some cheaper F-4s on eBay, so Ill use up all the decals one way or another.

 

Zoukei-Mura plan to release an F-4G late this year. That'll be the definitive kit for a while.  Tamiya will likely take a few years to do long nose versions

 

https://www.keymodelworld.com/article/zoukei-mura-202122-releases

[Stephen]

5 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

Dammit Bob, you're right. I've got some early seats in resin for my projected F-4G but it definitely had a plain fin cap  That the Tamiya people have engineered a separate fin cap at all suggests to me that different versions will be available someday. Meanwhile the aftermarket guys will already be working on the problem. Perhaps by the end of the GB, we will be able to buy resin? Failing that Part P18 will have to be reshaped in the old fashioned way.

 

 

D'oh! I just read your later posts. (and have placed my backorder at Hannants)

According to a post on ARC the plain fin cap included in the ZM F-4 kits is a good match.

 

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/317961-vf-84-f-4b-from-tamiya-kit/ 

 

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

9 minutes ago, Gidge said:

 

 

Zoukei-Mura plan to release an F-4G late this year. That'll be the definitive kit for a while.  Tamiya will likely take a few years to do long nose versions

 

https://www.keymodelworld.com/article/zoukei-mura-202122-releases

 

No, no, no. I'm contemplating the other sort of G. The Navy G. Not the Weasel. Twelve Bs were converted to trial an autolanding system for carrier use. They took a fuel tank out to fit the kit. After the trials the survivors were turned back into B's. Amazingly the only one lost was shot down - none crashed. 

 

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/remembering-u-s-navy-f-4g-phantom-perform-automatic-carrier-landings/

 

 

[Retired Bob]

44 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

I'm planning for the F-4G AND the B. Can't make up me mind, can I!

You know what they say...build them both.   I bought three on pre-order, two from Hannants and one from Jadlam, the kit from Jadlam arrived first by a couple of hours so that one gets built first.

I am tempted to get another couple as dry fitting them they go together with a click, I don't think any filler is going to be required.  I have quite a few Academy F-4B's, mostly in the Eduard re-box with all the p/e and resin but building one of those after a Tamiya F-4B will be a chore because the way the kit goes together it's soooo much better than the Academy one.

The F-4N will be kitted as the intakes have a couple of pins for the RHAW waveguides that were fitted, top left of assembly step 21 there is a small diagram to remove them.

How long it takes Tamiya to bring out their F-4N  or F-4C/D, they never seem to be in a hurry to take our money, unlike Eduard. 

[Bertie McBoatface]

4 minutes ago, Retired Bob said:

You know what they say...build them both.   I bought three on pre-order, two from Hannants and one from Jadlam, the kit from Jadlam arrived first by a couple of hours so that one gets built first.

I am tempted to get another couple as dry fitting them they go together with a click, I don't think any filler is going to be required.  I have quite a few Academy F-4B's, mostly in the Eduard re-box with all the p/e and resin but building one of those after a Tamiya F-4B will be a chore because the way the kit goes together it's soooo much better than the Academy one.

The F-4N will be kitted as the intakes have a couple of pins for the RHAW waveguides that were fitted, top left of assembly step 21 there is a small diagram to remove them.

How long it takes Tamiya to bring out their F-4N  or F-4C/D, they never seem to be in a hurry to take our money, unlike Eduard. 

 

Tamiya give us a year or two to save our money. lol

 

[Retired Bob]

7 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

Tamiya give us a year or two to save our money. lol

It took them 2 years to bring out the F-14D (2018) after the initial F-14A (2016) and now their follow up F-14A late version with dropped flaps and slats in 2021 so you have a few years to save up.