1/72 - McDD (R)F-4C/D/J/E/EJ Phantom II by Finemolds - (R)F-4C/D/E/EJ & J released

[iainpeden]

1 hour ago, Gene K said:

Big disappointment but understandable in these times. Hopefully the same does not happen with the Zoukei Mura 1/48 F-4E due out at the end of this month. 

 

Gene K

Don’t worry, Gene. Let’s hope they are using the time to set up good distribution in the UK and Florida.

[Mountain goat]

The Facebook statement says the release date has been postponed from early October to mid October. So only a couple of weeks delay?

 

Jay

[Gene K]

49 minutes ago, Mountain goat said:

The Facebook statement says the release date has been postponed from early October to mid October. So only a couple of weeks delay?

Jay,

 

The release date, until this announcement, was 29 August.  But to your point, not much of a delay considering what they have shown so far.

 

Gene K

[Homebee]

Source: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3174720799308902&id=1443136929133973

 

 

V.P.

[Mountain goat]

11 hours ago, Gene K said:

Jay,

 

The release date, until this announcement, was 29 August.  But to your point, not much of a delay considering what they have shown so far.

 

Gene K

Thanks for the clarification.

 

Jay

[iainpeden]

deleted due to wrong thread

[Homebee]

Instructions in progress

Source: https://www.facebook.com/finemolds.co.jp/posts/3204240873023561

 

Quote

It may be inefficient, but we will actually assemble and make a manual so that we can assemble a little bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit http://finemolds.co.jp/FP/FP37&38kanagata/FP37&38_moldsP.html

 

 

V.P.

[Mountain goat]

32 minutes ago, Homebee said:

It may be inefficient, but we will actually assemble and make a manual so that we can assemble a little bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit

 Finemolds, you guys are my heroes now...

 

Jay

[Aardvark]

17 hours ago, Homebee said:

Instructions in progress:

 

 

 

V.P.

In every models will be  hand-drawn instructions or only VIP kit? If only for VIP kit, then probably need wooden box for this model and wrapping paper for spruce instead of a plastic bag?

 

B.R.

Serge

 

[Red Dot]

Serge,

 

That is just poor translation by Google.

 

By VIP, it means a special kit, in other words, one of the first moulded and thus ready for their first inspection. They will not be for sale.

 

The hand drawn instructions are to ensure that they get the build sequence right. Again using the prototype model. They will then change them to CAD instructions 

 

Andy

[Robert]

Hope the illustrator has enough Boss Black coffee to keep him going.

 

Regards

Robert

[Red Dot]

Only if it has sugar in it. 

 

Andy

[Gene K]

4 hours ago, Aardvark said:

In every models will be  hand-drawn instructions or only VIP kit?

 

Very funny, Serge!

 

Gene K

[Homebee]

Sources:

https://twitter.com/goshikiken/status/1297082936940888064

https://www.facebook.com/finemolds.co.jp/posts/3207521782695470 

https://www.facebook.com/finemolds.co.jp/posts/3208207832626865

 

 

 

V.P.

Edited August 22, 2020 by Homebee

[Stilwell]

Interesting that Fine Molds appear to be doing the fin leading edge and rudder integral with one side of the fin, and the fin tip integral with the other side.

The inclusion of the nose cone on the "kai" and non-"kai" specific sprues indicates they are including the ribs on the nose cone specific to the upgraded version - as supported by the photo of the assembled kit.

Including both the "kai" RWR fin top and outer wing panels on the "kai" specific sprue, but putting the non-"kai" outer wing panels on a separate sprue from the sprue with the non-"kai" fin tip and nose cone looks like preparation for doing a slatted wing non-JASDF F-4E version in the future. That would use the same fin tip sprue, but a new sprue with the slatted wing outer panels.

    Jonathan.

[Red Dot]

Somewhere earlier in this thread, they have announced an F-4EJ already. I thought it was the first release, rather than an F-4EJ Kai

 

Andy

[Stilwell]

Both F-4EJkai and F-4EJ (non-"kai") are planned to be released together, along with the air to air weapons set, based on the pre-order options at HLJ.

Release was to have been at the end of August, now delayed to October.

 

But there is the question of whether other F-4 variants will be released by Fine Molds (probably "yes") and which ones they will be?

Having the non-"kai" outer wing panels on a separate sprue from the rest of the non-"kai" features (which are also applicable to many of the USAF F-4E and export F-4E configurations) allows the possibility of tooling the slatted outer wing panels for later F-4E configurations with minimum wasted parts.

The slatted outer wing panels would also require actuator fairings under the inner wings panels (I don't think I have seen a good enough picture of the inner face of the wing lower surfaces to see if it has flashed-over holes to locate these, like the Hasegawa kit does), but a slatted wing would be a requirement for the F-4F, F-4G and F-4S. But each of these would require detail changes elsewhere as well.

 

   Jonathan.

[Homebee]

Sources: 

https://www.facebook.com/finemolds.co.jp/posts/3213439558770359

https://www.facebook.com/finemolds.co.jp/posts/3213456202102028

 

 

V.P.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Homebee

[iainpeden]

Looks like the spine piece with the IFR receptacle for the probe (USAF style) is on the same sprue as the USAF style inner pylons - maybe another pointer to a later USN version.

[Gene K]

On 8/24/2020 at 7:46 AM, iainpeden said:

... maybe another pointer to a later USN version.

USN? OK, I'll play, Iain  ... 

 

 

could be for the F-4B/N/J/S.  Or the  Brit F-4J, Greek F-4E ... . What do you think, Jonathan? Craig?

 

Gene K

Edited August 26, 2020 by Gene K

[Stilwell]

> could be for the F-4B/N/J/S.  Or the  Brit F-4J, Greek F-4E

 

The provision to fit catapult strop hooks in the wing lower surface piece says Fine Molds are allowing a future carrier based variant. 

The option to easily fit a spine without the flying boom refuelling receptacle supports this.

As does the provision of the windscreen on a separate sprue, given the site linked near the start of the thread showing that long and short nose variants have different windscreen shapes.

 

With the current wing configuration, the addition of a short nosed forward fuselage would allow an F-4J to be produced. The provision to easily fit AN/ALQ 126 fairings would support this.

A short nosed forward fuselage would also allow an F-4C and F-4D, with the addition of un-slotted stabilators and the appropriate under-nose fairings.

 

An F-4S would require a slatted wing - I suspect that the outer wing panels for the F-4EJ non-"kai" kit being on their own sprue indicates that Fine Molds are planning for this (which would also allow a late configuration F-4E), but having now seen the upper face of the lower wing piece in one of the photos posted above, I couldn't see location points for the actuator fairings under the inboard section of the wing, like the Hasegawa kit has.

The slatted wing would be required for a Greek F-4E.

An F-4B/N would require a new wing sprue, together with new, thinner wheels.

Personally, I am expecting an F-4J in the reasonably near future, probably with markings for Atsugi based USN and Iwakuni based USMC squadrons.

Also an F-4C/D with Kadena and Misawa based USAF squadrons. Or maybe that's just what I would like to see...

 

      Jonathan.

Edited August 26, 2020 by Stilwell
Editied for clarification

[Gene K]

Pictures of painted prototype models of the -EJ and -EJKai models are here  and here. Very (!) impressive, but some small details are understandably not shown on the models ...  yet.

 

 

Also, a 10 minute YouTube detailed video review of the sprues here, but in Japanese. Great views of the forthcoming plastic. One can get subtitles in rough(cough, cough) English by selecting  "Auto Translate" in Settings menu.

 

Gene K

Edited August 28, 2020 by Gene K

[Mountain goat]

3 hours ago, Gene K said:

Pictures of painted prototype models of the -EJ and -EJKai models are here  and here. Very (!) impressive, but some small details are understandably not shown on the models ...  yet.

 

Also, a 10 minute YouTube detailed video review of the sprues here, but in Japanese. Great views of the forthcoming plastic. One can get subtitles in rough(cough, cough) English by selecting  "Auto Translate" in Settings menu.

 

Gene K

Wow! The built model indeed looks very very nice.Thanks for the links.

 

I wasn't planning to build an F-4EJ initially but I think I will buy one to support the manufacturer in further developing a Phantom Phamily.

 

On 8/26/2020 at 10:25 PM, Stilwell said:

Personally, I am expecting an F-4J in the reasonably near future,

My uneducated guess is: a slatted F-4E first, then an RF-4, or even the other way around - my thinking being the recent retirement of the RF-4E from JASDF service.

 

Jay 

Edited August 28, 2020 by Mountain goat

[Red Dot]

22 minutes ago, Mountain goat said:

Wow! The built model indeed looks very very nice.Thanks for the links.

 

I wasn't planning to build an F-4EJ initially but I think I will buy one to support the manufacturer in further developing a Phantom Phamily.

 

My uneducated guess is: a slatted F-4E first, then an RF-4, or even the other way around - my thinking being the recent retirement of the RF-4E from JASDF service.

 

Jay 

you need one of these to help you chose which scheme

 

https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/bookreview-samurai-phantoms-the-mcdonnell-douglas-phantom2-in-japanese-service-vol1-f4ej

 

[Stilwell]

I'm not confident Fine Molds will do an RF-4E. At least, not soon.

The piece that forms the underside of the fuselage and the wing centre inboard sections  in the upcoming kits includes the rear end of the front Sparrow missile troughs. This is unlike the Hasegawa kit, where the forward fuselage sections extend further rearwards and include the full length of the front missile troughs. So replacing the fighter forward fuselage with the recce forward fuselage on the Hasegawa tooling removes the front Sparrow troughs, with the rear troughs being covered with separate blanking pieces.

I don't see Fine Molds using blanking pieces to cover the troughs in the current fuselage underside piece, so I don't see them using the current fuselage underside part on an RF-4E.

It may be that they plan to do an RF-4E with a new fuselage underside piece. Possibly they aren't happy with blanking the rear Sparrow troughs either, so want a bespoke fuselage underside to accompany the new forward fuselage. And maybe a new centre fuselage top side piece, with the flare bay doors. 

While I would like to see an RF-4E (and RF-4C, and late RF-4B with the thicker wing configuration) I think it is more complex for Fine Molds to produce these marks to their customary quality standards than some of the other options (marks) open to them.

    Jonathan.