F-4K/M FVS aka VG Brit toom

[McColm]

I've always wanted to build this, but never had the know how to do it.
The build without the swing wings looked as though it had F-22 wings.
Looking good.
I might go for the Su-22 wings instead.

[Thorvic]

Finally managed to get this build painted and decaled and got it finished last night. Looks a bit different to the standard phantom but it appears to work. Will try and get photos done tonight if the lights OK, as typically the bright summer evenings are switching over to overcast darker ones just as you want to make use of the daylight ! 

One thing that has worked and I will use again is using Fujimi parts to improve the look of the Matchbox Phantom, most of the stuff can be replaced by after market resin, and as the Fujimi kits have two sets of Canopies (open or closed) the spare can be used to resolve the questionable shape of the Matchbox canopy.

Why bother with a Matchbox when you can get a Fujimi you might ask, well for a standard F-4K/M you wouldn't bother but the parts breakdown along with the type of plastic used makes the Matchbox easier to work with when doing the FVS conversion as I did or perhaps the F-4HL design with the larger span and sweep wings. I might see about doing another HL build at some stage when the work bench is cleared again.

[Captain Canada]

That little used shop I go to in Hamilton had a half dozen or so Fujimi Phantoms for under 10 bucks, but they are all the E type nose....might snag a few anyway.

[Thorvic]

A Royal Navy F-4K(FVS) Phantom FG-3 XX988, circa 1979 of 899 Squadron on board CVA-02 HMS Duke of Edinburgh, replacing HMS Eagle and the conventional F-4K Phantom FG1.The VG Toom offering better low speed handling for Carrier ops and a longer loiter time for Combat Air Patrols.

In reality the F-4M(FVS) was the version propossed for the UK to swap out its F-4K/M, by the time it was designed in 1967 the UK Carrier fleet had got its days numbered, the the Phantom FG1 would be its last conventional Carrier aircraft. However had the death bell not been sounded in 1966 with the cancellation of the first CVA-01 carrier which was about to be ordered, then their would have been quite an interest in the VG Phantom as the limitaions of the standard phantom design were being discovered and operations from the Ark Royal and Eagle would be somewhat restricted. Plans to switch Hermes to the Phantom had to be abandoned as a result. The F-4M(FVS) offered to the RAF didn't really warrant the swap over as the RAF were more keem to use them as Hunter replacements than Javelins.













(Sorry about the photos, the lighting not brill at the moment and i suspect my camwea was still in scenic mode as not as crisp as they usually are)

[kitnut617]

That looks very nice Geoff, well done 

[PR19_Kit]

Ahah, now I see what you did with the gear etc. Ignore my post on your other thread in that case.

[Gondor]

Ahah, now I see what you did with the gear etc. Ignore my post on your other thread in that case.

I was thinking along the same lines Kit.

Great build Thorvic 

Gondor

[PR19_Kit]

It's OK, he's got posted more pics in the other thread, including underside ones.

[Steel Penguin]

ohh that's shiney!
and for a moment in the 1st/2nd pic I thought it was a scaled-o-ramaed B1

[Captain Canada]

Woah....what a beauty ! Nice job Geoff. I love the look...all around. Love the underside shot, the tanks are huge !

[Thorvic]

Woah....what a beauty ! Nice job Geoff. I love the look...all around. Love the underside shot, the tanks are huge !

Yeap the APR volume with the FVS gives a load by pylon breakdown and I was surprised to see it was two 600 gallon tanks rather than 300, one of the problems with the data is that most of the drawings and artwork and models show it clean to show off the lines, but I needed to show it could match its fixed wing older brother and exceed it.

[Thorvic]

Overall I found it an enjoyable build, there is some trial and error as per most scratch builds and there are things I would probably do different in hindsight, but overall it wasn't too bad.

The Matchbox kit refitted with some decent interior bits and canopy address the look issues with that kit and the butt jointed wings make it a easier kit to adapt to the shoulder mounted wing than most of the other kits with a common lower wing and fuselage piece. The plastic is easier to work and the infamous panel lines make excellent cutting guides.

There are other FVS versions the original concept was a USN F-4B which could have allowed the Phantom to replace the Crusaders on the smaller modernised Essex class carriers, that could then have led to the French adopting it for their Foch class and maybe other navies looking to replace their smaller Colossus/Majestic class carriers with either Modernised Essex class or some of the RN left overs.
Tony Buttler's US Secret Projects:-Fighters has a drawing that appears to be the F-4E nose on a VG toom and I have drawings for longer versions including ones with fixed wings.

Interestingly the APR article has the FVS evolving into the MCD/D model 225with the low set VG wing and phantom style features.

[NARSES2]

Come out really well Geoff

Personally I think she's a better looker then your average Phantom but then that's not to difficult.

F4 - Effective ? brutish ? Yes. A looker ? Not really

[sandiego89]

Great result!  The Fist of the Fleet has to be one of the greatest emblems out there.  

Really great execution  

[Weaver]

That's outstanding: terrific piece of work! 

Can't wait for some numpty to come up to the stand at a show and declare it a ridiculous and unrealistic idea (like someone did with the VG Lightning)....