RNZAF F-4K in 1/72

[KiwiZac]

Hi team,
As some of you may be aware, Fujimi recently reissued its 1/72 Phantom FG.1 kit - the one with a set of vinyl tyres and two canopies - and I snapped one up from HLJ for cheaper than an old one on eBay. It's a very pretty kit, although (unless you PSR/replace the slotted stabilators and the pair of catapult hooks on the belly) you can only do an F-4K/FG.1 OOB. For some reason I prefer the F-4M/FGR.2, so here we go:

Three rounds of PSR later and I now have unslotted tailplanes! I had been planning on building the real-world (and today preserved at IWM Duxford) FGR.2 XV474 as she appeared at Finningley in 1977, but then I thought I could do that with a 1/48 kit instead and go all-out on it. I now have a big Hasegawa one and am accumulating bits to go with/in/under it.

So what to do with the Fujimi kit? What to do, what to do... Greg "GTX" and Richard "Gekko_1" collaborated on a series of Kiwi Phantom profiles and backstory some time ago, which I have expanded on and will present in due course, and this was an obvious choice for my first ever 1/72 Phantom model. This kit will be the 1971 aircraft in the SEA scheme, although I've based my version on the RNZAF Skyhawk camouflage scheme and it will have a black radome like the RN/RAF Phantoms of the time. I'm still not certain what the loadout will be although wing tanks and the gunpod are a given.


In the meantime, the model has progressed beyond what is seen above - coat one of the topside camo is complete and most of the underside (except for the area around the catapult hooks) has a rough coat of light grey. I'm hopeful that by this time next week it will be complete and I already have most of the decals sorted.

I started this one a month or two ago so I'm pleased to finally be showing it off. Enjoy!

[Rick Lowe]

Nice going, Zac - keep it up!

Piloted by Sir Richard McCaw, perhaps? 

[Gondor]

If your making the model as a 1971 machine you will probably have to change the fin tip as the real aircraft did not get the RWR fin tip until the mid 70's or change your back story a little even though you are following a drawing that is incorrect in that detail in comparison to the real world. This is what-if though and it's your model so your choice.

Gondor

[Captain Canada]

Great start Zac ! love that scheme. Love that Phantom too ! And thanks for bringing up that thread again....I'd better go over there and save some Phantom profiles for future reference.

[KiwiZac]

I've been doing that a lot lately, Captain - my whif mojo has been thoroughly reinvigorated by the likes of the profile threads and Spinners' Strike Fighters!

Thanks Gondor, that's a good point - I like the square tip so I'll find a way to work it in.

Rick - sorry mate, the timeline/backstory is essentially replacing every instance of A-4 in the real world with this! It's been fun to create, though.

[Rick Lowe]

Rick - sorry mate, the timeline/backstory is essentially replacing every instance of A-4 in the real world with this! It's been fun to create, though.

Fair enough - your model. 

Lookin' Good...

[KiwiZac]

Thanks Rick! You're very kind.

I only had Sunday at the bench this weekend but it was productive.

I managed to complete painting, add the exhausts and tail, and am partway through the stores. I was going to go for a strike loadout with some Sidewinders for self-defence, but I don't have any A2G weapons for a Phantom (and I can do that later on anyway) so it'll get the Winders and Sparrows. Those go on this coming weekend, followed by undercarriage, then decals.

Hopefully this time next week I'll have a completed kit to show off.

[Captain Canada]

Wicked. Can't wait until she finishes her roll and we can see the topside 

[KiwiZac]

I thought I had taken a photo of the top, oops! Ah well, you can wait until the decals are on ;-)

I have two other RNZAF schemes in mind (and the kit goes together so nicely I really want to do them next), but I really should be saving for the wedding...

[KiwiZac]

Finished!

[zenrat]

But it looks nothing like the picture?  Can you get your money back? 

Excellent bit of work there Mr Zac although I must question the condition of your bench.  It looks far too tidy...

[NARSES2]

Another good one young Zac 

[PR19_Kit]

That does look the business, and 'different' enough to the RW RAAF F-4Es in the same part of the world for your mind to go 'Uh??'  

[KiwiZac]

Thanks gents! I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Good point about the RAAF ones Kit - I think the roundels I used are a bit bigger, that's the other giveaway!

zenrat - I beg to disagree! Although I have tidied it recently. I read in a thread on another forum of a modeller who cleared everything up after every build...madness!

[Rick Lowe]

Great work, Zac - your glue-jitsu and putty-fu powers are strong.

If I tidied up, I'd never find anything... made that mistake once, never again!