TALAKS Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Hi everybody! I want to ask your help in a choice of best F-4E in 48th scale. I'm quite new to your community ( now a built only one complete kit ). For many years, my favorite military aircraft of the Cold War era have been the long-nosed modifications of F-4 Phantom II ( E, F, G, Kai, Kurnass). Of course, I still need to improve my skill, but I believe that someday my skill will be enough to build a good Phantom model. Now there are at least three decent F-4 models: Hasegawa, Meng and Zoukei-Mura. Each has its pros and cons, but I would be very grateful to hear the opinion of experts. The most interesting differences would be between the modifications in service with the United States, Greece, Turkey and Israel. The most interesting differences would be between the modifications in service with the United States, Greece, Turkey and Israel I attach pictures to enjoy the view of the Phantom 😍 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scimitar F1 Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Hasegawa really works for me. We scanned an F-4 at Pima and once you see you cannot unsee the canopy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phone Phixer Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 Hello and welcome to the forum. I am currently on the exact project you show in the picture, a HAF F4E AUP. I am using the Meng kit as the base. The kit itself is fantastic. The parts fit together very well, and the bonus is the fuselage is one piece so you don't have to fight a seam down the spine. It is not as detailed as the Z-M kit, but most of that is in areas you are not going to see much. If you want to do a Greek Phantom, out of the box, the kit will do for the upper aircraft in the picture. For a fully equipped AUP version like the lower aircraft you need to add all the extra fairings. Fin tip, intake's, under the gun fairing, chute door and bird slicers. Plus the new cockpit displays. I have the Zeus conversion set, but it is meant for the Z-M kit, so there is a little adjustment to be made. Good luck in your choice. Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Brown Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 (edited) I’m building the Zoukei Mura F-4E right now and I’ve built several Hasegawa kits. Zoukei-Mura: You’ll need the later version of the F-4E with leading edge slats to build an F-4E in your photo, which rules out the current Z-M kit, unless you add a slat conversion set from Hypersonic (adds to the cost of your model). Z-M are releasing a later version with slatted wings this spring. The current kit builds into a beautiful early version, like those that served in Vietnam. I’m enjoying the kit, but it can be a bit fiddly in some places. The Hasegawa kits are pretty old (1980s) but they have held up well. They are relatively simple but you’ll end up having to spend some time filling seams. They’re not as detailed as the Z-M or Meng kits, but that can be a good thing for a less experienced modeler. Hasegawa released both a slatted version and an early version (under the ProModeler label). Everything I’ve read about the Meng kit says what Rob said above. It is simpler and easier to build than the Z-M kit, so it might be the best option for a less experienced modeler. It only comes in the slatted version. Ben Edited February 14 by Ben Brown 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 I've built the ZM and Meng kits in the last number of months. Personally, I prefer the ZM kit, although as stated above, you'll need a slat conversion for a late model. My (non expert!) comparisons are listed toward the end of the Meng thread. ZM - Meng - Dave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotthldr Posted February 14 Share Posted February 14 4 hours ago, Phone Phixer said: If you want to do a Greek Phantom, out of the box, the kit will do for the upper aircraft in the picture. For a fully equipped AUP version like the lower aircraft you need to add all the extra fairings. Fin tip, intake's, under the gun fairing, chute door and bird slicers. Plus the new cockpit displays. I have the Zeus conversion set, but it is meant for the Z-M kit, so there is a little adjustment to be made. Both a/c in the picture are AUP standard, the only difference between the two is the DIAS equipped one in the foreground with the fairings that you mention. Both have IFF ‘bird slicers’ and the cockpits are identical. DIAS equipped jets are all in 015** serial range but not all a/c in the range are so equipped, check references to be sure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TALAKS Posted February 15 Author Share Posted February 15 Thank you for the answers! 👍 I will definitely take note! So far, based on your advice, I will take a closer look at ZM and Meng. And, of course, I will hope that Tamiya or Academy will still make a long-nosed phantom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dov Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 Hallo @TALAKS, it may help: Happy modelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jens Posted February 15 Share Posted February 15 1 hour ago, dov said: Hallo @TALAKS, it may help: Happy modelling How would three unrelated builds help? It looks like you're just trying to increase the number of views on your own threads. And now to the original question... The Hasegawa F-4E/F-4EJ kits are dating from the 1980s but they still hold up pretty well. They are more simple than Z-M and Meng, but they are also cheaper. So far, Z-M has only released the early hard-wing F-4E. To build an F-4E from around 1970 and later you will need the Hypersonic slatted wing conversion. The Z-M kit, however, is the best of the three, having better shape, surface detail and internal detail than the other two. Meng has released a slatted-wing F-4E, but it is best suited for an earlier slatted-wing F-4E (i.e. up to and including FY69 airframes). The Meng kit ranks second with better details than the Hasegawa kit but somewhat heavier surfaces detail than the Z-M kit. Also, I am not sure the Meng aft fuselage doesn't suffer from the same shape issues as the short-nosed Z-M kits. HTH, Jens 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve McArthur Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 On 2/15/2024 at 7:45 AM, Jens said: Also, I am not sure the Meng aft fuselage doesn't suffer from the same shape issues as the short-nosed Z-M kits. This was supposed to be fixed on the long nose kits, but I haven't verified that. I've got enough Hasegawa F-4Es in the stash to keep me occupied before I start buying others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jens Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 30 minutes ago, Steve McArthur said: This was supposed to be fixed on the long nose kits, but I haven't verified that. I've got enough Hasegawa F-4Es in the stash to keep me occupied before I start buying others. The fuselage shape IS fixed on the long-nosed Z-M kits. I was talking about the MENG kit. Jens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve McArthur Posted February 17 Share Posted February 17 5 hours ago, Jens said: The fuselage shape IS fixed on the long-nosed Z-M kits. I was talking about the MENG kit. Gotcha, I hadn't had my morning coffee yet.👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingerbob Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 On 2/14/2024 at 8:40 AM, Scimitar F1 said: Hasegawa really works for me. We scanned an F-4 at Pima and once you see you cannot unsee the canopy. Could you explain this comment for the unenlightened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony.t Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 28 minutes ago, gingerbob said: Could you explain this comment for the unenlightened? The Z-M canopy is too parallel in plan or front view. The real aircraft canopy profile bows out towards the middle then reconverges. As Scimitar says, once seen you can't "unsee" it. The Meng has intake ducting and the correct canopy profile so the Hasegawa, with blanked off inlets, is essentially out of date. The Hasegawa range, however, does include the RF-4 Photo-Phantom variants which Meng have yet to tackle. Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plastiksurgeon Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 42 minutes ago, gingerbob said: Could you explain this comment for the unenlightened? from vapor_trails flickr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 I’ve got many a long nose Hasegawa F-4 in the stash, including a ProModeller one. Added the Meng F-4G last year and just picked up both the ZM early E and their G today for an unbelievable price. While I can’t add to the conversation about accuracy or which is better, I know that these are all great kits that really give modelers more opportunities to build more Phantoms. That’s the core value in having multiple manufacturers making a kit of the same subject I believe, especially with newest ones. Knowing that I have about 30-40ish Es, Gs, and Fs, I want to depict, the more kits the merrier! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve McArthur Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 ZM just announced their late model F-4E https://www.zoukeimura.co.jp/en/products/sws48_15_f4e-late.html 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iainpeden Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Looks lovely and a great scheme. However, and this is just a quick thought I will need to check, the blurb says the mark “Phabulous Phantoms “ was on the port side and this is supported by the photos of the model; I thought it was on both. Quick check in the library upstairs once the breakfast coffee is finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plastiksurgeon Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 18 minutes ago, iainpeden said: …“Phabulous Phantoms “ was on the port side and this is supported by the photos of the model; I thought it was on both…. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/341927/68-0338/AF68-338 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozothenutter Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 Still in love with this one.... I think there's 3, maybe 4 schemes visible? An earlier one 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABeck Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 lower pic from ZM annoncement, simply compare cross sections of the fuselage-canopy-area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyK Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 My solution: keeping the canopies open. The error doesn't go away, but is much less visible. J 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k7rkx Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I second the Meng kit. It is without doubt one of the best kits I have ever built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Brown Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I think the 131st TFW has the best shark mouth design ever painted on an F-4. It looks like you can’t go wrong when choosing between the Meng vs Z-M kits. I’m going with Z-M, in spite of the canopy shape. As Jeffrey says, this can be mostly hidden by opening the canopies. I don’t want to have to figure out how to fix the keel between the afterburners on the Meng kit. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scimitar F1 Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 I am sticking with Hasegawa! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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