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Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:06 pm
by RexCag
This thread is going to be about the Phantom airframe groups.

I am going to try and tell the history, and build order for each group.

The reason for this specific grouping of the airframes is to make the groups more "modeler friendly", because in order to build a specific Phantom, you first need to know which group of models have the airframe in it that you want.

These are the groups, and the sub-groups in them.

The F-4A group.

Right away, I better tell you that these 47 aircraft had so much going on with them, with intake vari-ramp changes, nose designs, test probes, etc,,,,,,,,,that they have had their own separate book by Dave Klaus http://fineartofdecals.com/goodies/other-treasures/ , their own webpage by Tommy Thomason http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2009 ... m-iis.html , and Tommy is currently writing a book of his own about these early aircraft.

Having said that, the last 24, BuNo 148252 to 148275 , looked just like early F-4B, with different Intake Vari-Ramps as the main visual change. I will
include them in posts concerning the Short-Nose Phantoms.

The Short-Nose Phantoms.

These are the Phantoms with the short nose, with no gun.
They are sorted as Thin Wing and Thick Wing, then the Fuselage variation of the F-4K/FG 1 and the F-4M/FGR 2.

Long-Nose Phantoms.

These are all of the Phantoms derived from the F-4E. This also includes the F-4G Weasel, and the RF-4EJ of Japan, also included here are the F-4E(S) which were converted from F-4E and their noses weren't of the "standard" Recce type as a result.

Reconnaissance Phantoms

These are the Phantoms with the Recce nose, whether they have Thin or Thick Wings. These include the RF-4E built in America and sold to Japan, but, not the RF-4EJ converted from F-4EJ built in Japan and converted there.

there it is, to build a model that you want to end up with, you start with
F-4A Unique type
Short-Nose Thin Wing
Short-Nose Thick Wing
Short-Nose Thick Wing, Spey Engines
Long-Nose
Recce-Nose Thick Wing
Recce-Nose Thin Wing

Note: there are many "Ringers" in the Phantom range, those will be included in the designation and airframe types posts.

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 1:40 pm
by jelliott523
Glad you are doing this Rex! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2017 4:23 pm
by Stikpusher
This should be good... one stop Phantom shop...
:popcorn:

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 10:12 am
by Medicman71
I have a F-4S that I might need your help on eventually.

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 5:34 pm
by RexCag
I had a fairly rough time here, since my last post,,,it actually started just the next day after my post in early April.

I've been talking away with y'all, but, haven't had the heart to dig out my notebooks and note cards to post anything down here.

Today, I want to talk about what groups the Phantoms fall into,,or which parts change from type to type that help us figure out what we are aiming for, and what we need to scrounge up. Just a broad outline of where things changed.

We already talked about the "body style" of Short, Long, Recce, or Spey engined Phantoms. We also talked about Thin or Thick wings.

But, within each group of Phantoms, we have many different nose appearances, different vertical stabilizers, different tail caps (drag chute doors), different horizontal stabs, engines, landing gear wheels, different pylons, and sometimes, different vari-ramps (aka intake ramps.) There are also different cockpits and different rear view mirrors on the different versions.

Looking at these sprues and parts in the boxes can seem a bit daunting at first,,,,,for instance, there are more ways to assemble the various 1/72 Hasegawa kits that are wrong, from OOB parts, than there are to assemble them correctly.

There are so many things that varied from Phantom type to Phantom type,,,,,,,that if I get this all done, and I have left out something, please ask/tell me about that Item.

I will start with the Short nosed Phantom noses and those variations. (there are more variations than there are Types)

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2018 5:05 pm
by Medicman71
:popcorn: Looking forward to this. I'm starting a F-4J and I don't have many references on it.

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:33 am
by RexCag
Medicman, if you want to, go ahead and start another thread and I will dig up what I can for you.

I will need the type (F-4J, duh), the BuNo, the tail modex letters and the nose modex numbers, the squadron and carrier (if that applies), and the decal sheet name and number.

Then I can find the reference photo used to create that decal sheet, and give you a run down of what to watch for concerning the details.

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2018 11:46 am
by Medicman71
RexCag wrote:Medicman, if you want to, go ahead and start another thread and I will dig up what I can for you.

I will need the type (F-4J, duh), the BuNo, the tail modex letters and the nose modex numbers, the squadron and carrier (if that applies), and the decal sheet name and number.

Then I can find the reference photo used to create that decal sheet, and give you a run down of what to watch for concerning the details.
:hmm: Ok cool. I'll have to decide which one I want to do. Do you want me to start a thread here or a build thread that you can add to as I go along?

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 11:56 am
by RexCag
I think you should start a build thread in this forum section.

That way, I will know that I see a post in it as you go, and if we do enough of them, this section could end up serving as both a 1/1 guide section, with discussions of different companies models being built.

I could then remember to pick out any answers I give to go into the 1/1 threads as we go, too.

Dang, it could also prompt me to get going on this,,,,,,so many things have taken up my free time that I am now behind on even building Skyhawks. (off topic, I know, but that is what I am currently "late" doing)

Re: Phantom, airframe groups

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2018 3:56 pm
by Stikpusher
Don’t feel bad Rex. I have a Skyhawk sidelined since before I mobilized and deployed in 2004 that in mostly completed. Unfotunately it took some serious damage, and those parts were lost, while I was overseas and I have not gotten around to doing the repair work and finishing it up.