1/32nd Tamiya F-4 Phantoms

These are some photos of the progress done so far on my two Tamiya 1/32nd F4 Phantoms. Hope you like.

Glad to see you back in action Chris with 2 magnificent birds!

Am I guessing one Vietnam veteran [is it gonna be a MIG killer?] and the other US Navy or RAF?

Ivan

I am seeing only crosses but wellcome back!!

Wow what beautifull painted seats chris....

Ivan both are vietnam one is F-4E and F-4J...

Find you another photo in colour...

Chris altough the inside colour of the airbrakes looks white , the early painted Phantoms were green , and it looks nice with different colours in such a big scale....

Prosit man, looking forward to seeing them finished, they look really beautiful.

Wow, great job on these big birds so far! Can't wait to see them finished.

I just finished reading a book called a think Scream of Eagles which was very good, it was about the USN Phantoms in Vietnam and the problems they were having and the creation of Top Gun and the successes that they had. At first the Navy & Air Force pilots weren't allowed to fly the Phantom to the edges of its envelope as it was originally to be an interceptor for bombers. The Top Gun pilots learned to not only fly to the edge of its envelope, but actually be on where it would depart from normal flight and they would use that as part of their maneuvering.

After finishing that, I am now reading a autobiography about an Air Force pilots second tour in Nam. His first book covered his first tour flying single seat F-105's going downtown. In the second book, he is now flying Phantoms. It's a great read and I want to get his first book now as well.

these are the updates so far. the Navy Phantom decals were a pain int the a.... as soon as they were dipped in water they cracken into million pieces. almost all decals are a jigsaw puzzle on their own!!

Beautiful!

I have a softspot for the camo version and with the shark mouth look so cool! Keep them coming!

PS. When are we gonna see an Iranian or Israeli version ... interesting schemes aswell!

Ivan

Beautiful work!!! Well done!!

Ivan, I prefer the navy one, but as you said Isreali or Iranian phantoms would look interesting

Wow Chris what beauty.....Fabulous Phabtoms ..

Chris what finish your useing....

Don't put all the stencil on the USAF version it looks ugly, and spoil the camouflage colours........

Find you a photo of the F-4J...

thanks marco for the photo... i love simply youuu
do you have any idea what is that small thing that is painted in the black traingle on the tail fin of the phantom - look at the cropped photo (i don't seem have it in my decal sheet) it seems that all squadron had it. for me it looks like a A4 Skyhawk (or a phantom) pointed downwords.

No that is a mig 21 kill... I try to find you the full story...

This is a short update, and about the Mig21 kill marking that was adopted later on a new aircraft...and here is an early photo, before they were shoot down, some say they were hit by sam missile or they hit each other in a dogfight with a Mig 17 Ace...

The U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II (BuNo 155800, NG-100). This aircraft was assigned to fighter squadron VF-96 Fighting Falcons, Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9), aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CVA-64) in February 1972. Having the callsign "Showtime 100" it was used by Lt. Randy Cunningham and Lt.JG Willie Dricoll for their 3rd, 4th, and 5th MiG-kills on 10 May 1972. However, it was hit by a North Vietnamese SA-2 surface-to-air-missile and the crew had to eject over the Gulf of Tonkin.

This is the story ...



And these are the kills....

thanks marko... you are GOD himself!!! lol

Proximo41 wrote:thanks marko... you are GOD himself!!! lol

Chris my name is not British marko but Italian Marco ..with a C....

My pleasure for that info... simply I love this subjects...

Sorry to barge in, but there might be a mix up in the markings and dates and aircraft. Bu.no 155800 - NG100 'showtime 100' is the actual aircraft that was lost on the 10th of May after Cunningham/Driscol shot down their 3rd, 4th and 5th Mig, so the mig on tail is not a later aircraft. The mig silhouette on various f-4s were painted to represent the mig 21 shot down by Cunningham/Driscoll on 19 th Jan 72, their first kill and the first in 2 years flying 'showtime 112'. On the 8th may they shot down their second mig and the mig silhouette was painted out and replaced by 2 red flags on the intake ramps. This was just a day before it was lost.

The Mig silhouettes on tail were already painted well before 155800 NG100 was lost on the 10th May. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/F-4Js_VF-96_dropping_bombs_on_Vietnam_1971-72.jpg

If you used the tamiya decals, there should be 2 red flags but no mig silhouettes i think. All this headache on the markings depends on the timing you want to finish the phantom, either before the first or second mig kills or with no kill markings, but definitly not after the 5th mig.

Obviously all this has to corroborated by photographic evidence as uptill now all I managed to find where pics of NG100 with no mig markings or with the mig on the tail.

This link might be of help.
http://www.markwaki.com/pages/F-4J%20Profile%20VF-96%20NG100.htm

http://crimso.msk.ru/Images6/IN/IN-1005/23-1.jpg

http://crimso.msk.ru/Images6/IN/IN-1005/46-1.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:F-4J_VF-96_being_refueled_by_EKA-3B_off_Vietnam_c1972.jpeg

Yes JF your right from the records of photos I agree with you 100%, it looks that it was before it was shoot down , that have the Mig21 marking.... some wrong mislieading info...

Found this, it shows vf-96 f-4 phantom in between deployments, it does not have mig silhouettes on the tail but what look to be red flag kill markings on the intake ramp so probably this could be between the end on July 72 to the next deployment in Jan 73 or later on USS Constellation as the previous deployment as part of CVW-9. Before 1971-72, CVW-9 was last deployed aboard USS America.

http://forums.airshows.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=7442

Beautiful pair of birds, Chris.

I like both versions.

Well done

Cyril.