F-4E Phantom

by Jim Clark

images by Mike Reeves

Hasegawa's 1/48 scale F-4E Phantom is available online at Squadron

This is Hasegawa's F-4E in 1/48 with just a few "add ons".

The first addition was a KMC F-4E model cockpit. I also added the new RIO console provided by Eagle designs. After painting this was inserted into the fuselage.

The face pull down curtains were scratch built with wire.

The fuselage came next and I added the Eagle designs seamless intakes. These didn't go as well as I had hoped. After about 30 hours of sanding puttying and painting over and over they wound up getting the KMC intake cover treatment.

I used the Verlinden Cannon and Radar Dish. Getting the dish to bend in the correct manner was not easy and I'm still not completely happy with the result but it is one of the good "close enough is good enough" situations..

The wing was next and I wanted the front slats deployed. Now this became the biggest nightmare of the whole kit. After cutting out the corresponding panels in the wing one (I'll call it a) "slat plug" was not going to fit right but the other did. After a lot of contouroing I got it to fit but then came a problem with the wings fitting the fuselage. I had to brace the interior of the fuselage with 3 pieses of sprue to spread the fuselage out to meet the wing roots.

I added KMC USAF pylons and I used Monogram anti sway braces as they have more of a curved inner surface to meet the arch of tanks and ordanance. I added the Eagle Designs chaff and flare dispensers on the inboard pylons as instructed and then these were added to the wing.

The Missiles were from Eagle Designs. I only used one AGM-142 Popeye as I could not get two missiles to line up correctly and I don't have any pictures of a line aircraft with 2 mounted in any case. I do have a photo with two but it's a publicity shot. On the other had I did have a photo of a Kurnass taxiing down the runway with one mounted so this seemed a more likely load. The Python 3 is also a Eagle Designs offering.
The base of the refueling probe was a Eagle designs product but I decided to scratch build the rest of the probe as they were a lot of casting problems in my copy.

I was going to use the KMC burner cans that have the covering already applied but there was no way there were even close to fitting so I made my own. I really liked the way they turned out. I took some heavy gauge aluminum foil, the stuff you would use out on the grill, covered them, and then cut off the excess. I then primed them and painted them red. I followed this with a wash and a drybrushing.

Now finally came the of painting. I was really jacked about using my new Iwata HP-C airbrush that Scott Brown conned me into getting. Well after 3 plus hours on one small section I was ready to throw the thing out the window. I wound up borrowing Mike Reeves new Iwata Eclipse and things went a lot better.I was able to finish my second paint job on this model without much trouble. I came to learn the hard way I needed to replace my 21 year old badger compressor that has never been serviced.

Now came my first and last gloss coating experiance with "FUTURE" the stuff is great on canopies but I will never again use it to gloss coat. It took 5 coats to get a smooth enough finish for decaling.I used the Cutting Edge sheet for the markings and these went on without a problem - one of the few times I can say that with this model!

I always like to add my little signiature to a model and I usually dress up a flight helmet and as you can see in this case I painted the visor cover yellow and added al those tiny little squares "That was fun!" but it turned out real nice in the end.

So after a year of pulling my hair out I must say I did have a good time with this kit and I learned a lot, so there is something to be said about that.

I even managed to take a third place at the IPMS Nationals this year in Chicago with it.

You know what they say "A blind squrrel finds a nut every now and then"!

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Text and Model Copyright © 2001 by Jim Clark
Images Copyright © 2001 by Mike Reeves
Page Created 24 October, 2001
Last Updated 04 June, 2007

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