1/72 - McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II by Finemolds - (R)F-4C/D/E/EJ & J released - new boxings in 2024

[iainpeden]

On 9/30/2020 at 11:54 AM, Gene K said:

Bad choice based on being unaware of some of the basics of how the airplane operates.  Technical excellence, but (slight) operational ignorance.

Hi Gene

While I understand your comments about the new Finemold Phantom missing the drooped flaps etc I wonder if you have made the fairly recent Airfix kit of the Spey Phantoms. They have leading edge drooped slats, drooped flaps, open airbrakes and 3 different versions of the outer wing panels; however they certainly present building challenges (especially to less experienced modellers) and leave so much unused plastic it's unbelievable.

[Gene K]

7 hours ago, Mountain goat said:

I use [the Google Translate app] to decode Gunze Mr Hobby labels as well.

May be of some use with the FM Instruction Sheet.  With some patience, lots of extrapolation, and a sense of humor, the app is certainly useful in browsing some of my excellent Japanese books/magazines like this one:

 

 

 

Going back to the kit's instructions, the page Craig posted above shows that sprues can be purchased individually ... BUT only for the Japanese market. Back in the day, there used to be a service in Japan through which you could order individual sprues (they would buy the sprues and ship them to you). Anyone know if this service is still around? 

 

Gene K

[Gene K]

1 hour ago, iainpeden said:

While I understand your comments about the new Finemold Phantom missing the drooped flaps ... .

Thanks for the comments and suggestions, Iain. 

 

Not to beat this dead horse any further, BUT ... the only "gimmicks" (as Scott of HLJ so ungraciously refers to them ) I addressed are those missing-in-the-kit items that would normally  be modelled on a parked, unpowered Phantom of any ilk - that is the drooped ailerons and speed brakes, and in the case of F-4E variants, the Gun Gas Purge Door.  The ailerons and speed brakes  can certainly be modelled closed as is the case immediately after shutdown, but not the gun door - it's going to be open as proudly as the gear is down and Aux Doors are open. 

 

If desired, adding the three items I mentioned is relatively easy (I've done that on enough Hasegawa Phantoms). And if one wanted to go further with additional "gimmicks", there are certainly plenty of aftermarket add-ons available like the excellent Wolfpack wing set that includes the leading and trailing edge flaps ... as well as the ailerons. (getting hard to find, but Wolfpack should react to the fact that the FM kit is going to be a big seller)

 

 

Yes, much ado about nothing relative to the overall excellence of the kit. 

 

Gene K

P.S. As for the Airfix kit, I have a couple I'll sell to you ... cheap.😀

Edited October 2, 2020 by Gene K

[Gene K]

20 hours ago, Zorglub said:

I don't speak japanese, so i'd like to understand  [the video]🤔 ???

On the bottom right of the youtube video, select CC (Closed Caption), then press Settings (Gear icon) >Subtitles, and select Auto Translate ...  and pick the language in which you'd like to see the translated captions. The translation is definitely not perfect (!), but you'll get the gist of what's being said.

 

Gene K

[Zorglub]

Gene K:

Thank you very much!
I had the Japanese subtitles, tried to find how to translate and couldn't find this option: thanks for the tip, 👍

Edited October 2, 2020 by Zorglub

[gota]

5 new boxings appeared on HLJ with a FEB21 tentative release date. 3 F-4EJ Kais in 2 farewell liveries and an 8th Squadron blue camo, an RF4-EJ including new parts and pods and a vietnam era US F-4E. 

Edited October 7, 2020 by gota

[Homebee]

Source: https://www.facebook.com/finemolds.co.jp/posts/3350225791758401

 

- ref. 72938 - McDD F-4EJ Phantom II - 301 Hikotai LAST FLIGHT MEMORIAL YELLOW - release December 2020

https://www.hlj.com/1-72-scale-air-self-defense-force-f-4ej-kai-last-flight-memorial-yellow-fnm72938

 

- ref. 72838 - McDD F-4EJ Phantom II - 301 Hikotai LAST FLIGHT MEMORIAL BLUE - release December 2020

https://www.hlj.com/1-72-scale-air-self-defense-force-f-4ej-kai-last-flight-memorial-blue-fnm72838

 

- ref. FP40 - McDD F-4EJ Phantom II - 8 Hikotai - release February 2021

https://www.hlj.com/1-72-scale-air-self-defense-force-f-4ej-kai-8th-squadron-fnmfp40

 

- ref. FP41 - McDD F-4E Phantom II - USAF Vietnam War 

https://www.hlj.com/1-72-scale-us-air-force-f-4e-fighter-vietnam-war-fnmfp41

 

- ref. FP42 - McDD RF-4EJ Phantom II - 501 Hikotai - release March 2021

https://www.hlj.com/1-72-scale-air-self-defense-force-rf-4ej-reconnaissance-aircraft-fnmfp42

V.P.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Homebee

[Stilwell]

The USAF boxing appears to add the early gun muzzle, plus an RWR fairing above the rudder. I am curious as to whether that will be the only option, or the fin top without the fairing from the non-kai F-4EJ kit will be included as well.

I can understand the price hike on the RF-4EJ boxing, due to the extra sprue for the ECM & reconnaissance pods, but I'm not sure what is driving the price increase on the JASDF retirement schemes kits.

 

    Jonathan.

Edited October 7, 2020 by Stilwell
Edited for clarification

[gota]

Given the different product codes, they're probably limited editions?

[Stilwell]

2 minutes ago, gota said:

Given the different product codes, they're probably limited editions?

That may be all there is to it, but I would be a little surprised if the increased ticket price is only based on rarety or a tie in with current events (JASDF retirement by the end of March 2021).

It would not surprise me if there was more in the box, like the Fine Molds seatbelts or pitot probe sets included, but we will have to wait and see.

 

      Jonathan.

[Stilwell]

I'm also curious whether the USAF boxing (and any US boxings that follow) will precipitate another weapons set from Fine Molds. The sets they do already are too modern for that era.

An excellent opportunity to kit some AIM-4s and launch rails to read back to the JASDF F-4EJ non-kai kit...

 

    Jonathan.

[Gene K]

7 hours ago, Stilwell said:

It would not surprise me if there was more in the box, like the Fine Molds seatbelts or pitot probe sets included, but we will have to wait and see.

Talk about FM "enhancements", going by this below, appears FM will be producing an etch set containing mirrors and formation lights (for starters):

 

 

Unfortunately Google "upgraded" their handy Translate app, so now it's not working ... and I can no longer read Japanese as above. 

 

Gene K

Edited October 7, 2020 by Gene K

[baldwin8]

I foresee the Japanese GDP getting healthy boost in all of this............   😃

[Mountain goat]

2 hours ago, Gene K said:

Talk about FM "enhancements", going by this below, appears FM will be producing an etch set containing mirrors and formation lights (for starters):

 

 

Unfortunately Google "upgraded" their handy Translate app, so now it's not working ... and I can no longer read Japanese as above. 

 

Gene K

Mine works and this is what it makes of it: above is an announcement that the mirrors and formation lights are made of plastic instead of PE which means no more CA glue needed. The formation panel lights are ultra thin plastic. (This is in a nutshell; I left the 'now you can make your model more detailed!' parts out :)

 

Jay

[Stilwell]

They are injection moulded - HLJ has the sprue map:

 

 

 

Either despite or because of their choices for the base kit, I wonder if Fine Molds could be persuaded to do an aftermarket add-on set of the wing, but with the airbrakes and ailerons as separate parts, and maybe even the flaps separate as well (although that would require the outer panels as well). That way those who want to create a model representative of a Phantom at rest can do. At a cost.

 

   Jonathan.

[Robert]

Kit has been released in Japan, information from Hobby Search.

 

F-4EJ https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10690911

Weapons Set https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10690918

Pitot tube https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10690922

 

Regards

Robert

[Stilwell]

Arrived at HLJ also, based on the Purchase Notice I received earlier.

And based on the status for the EJ kit changing from "Oct Release" to "Backordered", all the stock that arrived, sold. 

 

     Jonathan.

[Booty003]

On HLJ, the USAF F-4E is limited to 20 per person, I know that we all like Phantoms but how many of you are going to need more than 20....!!!

[alt-92]

Scalpers do.

[VMA131Marine]

12 hours ago, Booty003 said:

On HLJ, the USAF F-4E is limited to 20 per person, I know that we all like Phantoms but how many of you are going to need more than 20....!!!

Maybe not one person, but a group of 4 or 5 or more might. Making a group order would save on shipping charges and allow the group to split any import fees.

[Gene K]

On 10/9/2020 at 9:55 AM, Booty003 said:

...  how many of you are going to need more than 20....!!!

 Hmmm... let's see .... 

And me.

.

 

GeneK

[Booty003]

LoL, fair comment!

 

I suppose that a group in a model club could all chip in for a big shipment or the crazy ones amongst us could build their own squadron...!! 

[Stilwell]

> but how many of you are going to need more than 20....!!!

 

Since when has "need" had anything to do with it?

 

My F-4EJ (non-kai) arrived at lunchtime. It is, as you would expect from the previous discussion, very nice.

It does not have the provisions for the wing to be modified into the slatted configuration at a later date that the Hasegawa kit features, so if FM decide to do a slatted wing variant, it will be with new tooling for both the main wing sprue and the wingtips sprue.

I am curious / amused by some of the decisions taken with this kit, mainly accuracy nit-picks regarding the decision to only provide the non-reinforced standard of stabilators.

Especially given that the box art shows 57-8373 in 302 Hikotai markings with them fitted.

I am tempted to build that aircraft before it moved to 302 Hikotai, and probably before it had the reinforcements fitted, by borrowing the 306 Hikotai markings from a Hasegawa kit (and the target from the Hasegawa weapons set):

 

 

 

I am also amused by the blanket use of the countermeasures fairings fitted to the back end of the inboard pylons given by the instructions (unless the Japanese text instructs otherwise) - I have yet to find a photo of option 1, JASDF Phantom number 1, 17-8301 with them fitted: https://flyteam.jp/registration/17-8301/photo?pageid=32

 

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they post-dated the use of stabilator reinforcements. But they are not integral with the pylons, and easily left off.

 

The decision which may cause me some inconvenience, but which I can fully understand from FM's perspective, was the decision to incorporate stencils onto the decals for the aircraft numbers on the nose. I had plans this year to build the second JASDF Phantom, 17-8302, in the APW scheme:

 

 

Although I had started a Hasegawa kit for this, I re-purposed it so I could use the FM kit for this project. And while I do have decals for generic JASDF numerals, I will have to decide whether to rob the Hasegawa stencils, bodge the FM decals, just ignore the stencils altogether or build 8301 from the kit decals instead. Not the biggest of first world problems. 

As for the kit not including the reinforced stabilators, Japan based modellers can of course buy the sprues (in this case, from the EJkai boxing) individually from Fine Molds, with the appropriate payment.

 

  Jonathan.

 

Edited October 13, 2020 by Stilwell
Edited for correction.

[Aardvark]

On 10/9/2020 at 5:55 PM, Booty003 said:

On HLJ, the USAF F-4E is limited to 20 per person, I know that we all like Phantoms but how many of you are going to need more than 20....!!!

I just remembered an anecdote on this theme!

 

"The patient comes to the doctor:

- Give me pills for greed! ... and more, more, more pills! "

😁 

....HLJ -  give me Phantoms ! ... and more, more, more Phantom's! "

😁😁

B.R.

Serge

[Gene K]

Thanks for that detailed post, Jonathan. I like how you are thinking ahead all the time.

 

About the stab reinforcements:  I created a cut file containing the top and bottom reinforcements (as well as the F-4E belly strap) that I cut from .005 plastic using my Silhouette cutter.  I can slip some into an envelope  -- if you'd like PM me.

 

As for the slatted E, what needs to be done to the inner wing besides drilling some holes for the actuators and filling just a few small panel lines  (per Hasegawa)?

 

Gene K

 

 

Edited October 18, 2020 by Gene K