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F4 phantom cockpit instrument panel9/2/2023 I painted my Phantom with Testor Model Master and Pactra enamels, with Testor Metalizers on the exhausts and rear of the plane. Overall, the parts fit is excellent - I didn't use filler anywhere. Tamiya's effort to mold the intake trunks is better than Revell's, but there is no smooth transition inside when the intake exteriors are attached. Interestingly, the instructions have you attach the arms to the crewmen's shoulders after they are seated in the cockpit to ensure the hands come in contact with the throttle and stick. The cockpit interior is one of the best I've seen in this scale, but the seats don't have harnesses as they are designed to be occupied by the crew figures. It's a neat idea, but it makes painting more difficult. The stabilator assembly is trapped between the upper fuselage and the exhaust fairing and can be made positionable. You can barely see the screws that mount the main gear struts to the wings, but all the other screws are hidden when the model is finished. The wheels are attached to these cores with screws for added strength. The landing-gear struts have cast-metal cores to which you attach detailed plastic parts. Many subassemblies are attached with small Phillips-head screws. Gone is the typical seam along the top center line. It includes the engine nacelles and part of the intakes, and stretches from just behind the radome back to the drag-chute housing. Perhaps the most striking feature is the one-piece top-fuselage molding. Each weapon is a multipart affair even the racks are miniature kits. You can load your Phantom with a full set of Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles, outboard external fuel tanks, one multiple- and two triple-ejector racks of 500-lb Mk. Optional parts include different rear instrument panels, gunsights, other add-on instruments for the cockpit, C- and D-type undernose fairings, a LORAN "towel rack" antenna, different fin tips, and integral or exterior boarding steps. One example in the instructions has a black-painted bottom. The correct USAF tactical camouflage colors are FS 34079 dark green, FS 34102 medium green, FS 30219 tan, and FS 36622 light gray. A small chart listing the paints includes the main camouflage colors with "AS-" codes. The steps are easy to follow, but the painting instructions are coded to Tamiya paints only. Tamiya's 28-step instruction booklet includes a history with photos, painting diagrams for the three marking options, and parts maps. Covers for the catapult hook locations and separate panels for refueling receptacles indicate a Navy version of the kit may be in the offing. The big box holds eight sprues of highly detailed gray styrene parts a sprue of clear parts a bubble pack of metal gear strut cores, vinyl tires, and screws and decals printed by Scale-Master. The recent Revell offering (see the review in the November 1995 FSM) now is joined by Tamiya's short-nosed early F-4C/D. The F-4D received improved avionics and 773 examples were delivered.ONE OF THE MOST significant warplanes of the last half-century, the Phantom is finally getting its due in 1/32 scale. So the Phantom was used in large numbers during the Vietnam War and later remained in service with the Air National Guard over a long period of time. Originally developed for the US Navy, the USAF later discovered the advantages of this robust all-weather multi-role fighter. altitude of 30,040 m and a maximum speed of 3,085 km/h, with a total of 15 best performances. Shortly after that it demonstrated spectacular performances such as world records for a max. The prototype of this fighter interceptor flew for the first time in 1958. A total of 5000 of this aircraft have been built. The F-4 Phantom has remained in the service of many air forces for longer than any other modern war plane - proof of its capability and robustness.
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