Kit: No. 60305
Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Tamiya, distributed by Tamiya America, 2 Orion, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656-4200, phone: 800-826-4922
Price: $99
Comments: Injection molded, 382 parts (3 metal struts, 16 screws, 4 vinyl tires), decals.
ONE OF THE MOST significant warplanes of the last half-century, the Phantom is finally getting its due in 1/32 scale. 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 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. Covers for the catapult hook locations and separate panels for refueling receptacles indicate a Navy version of the kit may be in the offing.
Tamiya's 28-step instruction booklet includes a history with photos, painting diagrams for the three marking options, and parts maps. The steps are easy to follow, but the painting instructions are coded to Tamiya paints only. A small chart listing the paints includes the main camouflage colors with "AS-" codes. The correct USAF tactical camouflage colors are FS 34079 dark green, FS 34102 medium green, FS 30219 tan, and FS 36622 light gray. One example in the instructions has a black-painted bottom.
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. 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. 82 bombs, and an ALQ-87 ECM pod. Each weapon is a multipart affair; even the racks are miniature kits.
Perhaps the most striking feature is the one-piece top-fuselage molding. It includes the engine nacelles and part of the intakes, and stretches from just behind the radome back to the drag-chute housing. Gone is the typical seam along the top center line.
Many subassemblies are attached with small Phillips-head screws. The landing-gear struts have cast-metal cores to which you attach detailed plastic parts. The wheels are attached to these cores with screws for added strength. 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 stabilator assembly is trapped between the upper fuselage and the exhaust fairing and can be made positionable. It's a neat idea, but it makes painting more difficult.
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. 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.
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.
Overall, the parts fit is excellent -- I didn't use filler anywhere. I painted my Phantom with Testor Model Master and Pactra enamels, with Testor Metalizers on the exhausts and rear of the plane.
I used the markings for Col. Robin Olds' aircraft, and the decals went on without problems. The yellows and reds lose some of their brilliance when placed over the dark camouflage colors. My sample's national insignias were out of register, and the dark blue was nearly black; I substituted Super Scale decals. A complete set of stenciling for the missiles and an abbreviated selection of stencils for the airframe also are included.
The kit took me about 44 hours to build. Even though the fit and detail are excellent, I recommend having a few years' experience before attempting this kit due to the large number of parts and the complicated assemblies.
When finished, the Phantom makes a beautiful addition to large-scale fighter collections. It's nearly 22" long and spans almost 15". Everything scales OK according to the dimensions and photos in Bert Kinzey's F-4C/D Phantom II in Detail and Scale.
Larry Schramm