Review Process

This is a box stock build with no aftermarket products used during the assembly process. From Part 1, we move on to painting and final assembly.

Surface primer was applied using Mr. Surfacer 1500 White, which was heavily thinned with Mr. Surfacer Leveling Thinner. A 4:1 mixing ratio allowed for a lighter coat of primer while not filling in some of the shallow recessed details. After a day of drying, the underside was airbrushed with Tamiya XF-2 White with a little gray added to make it an off-white color. The upper surfaces were then painted Tamiya XF-80 Royal Light Gray, which, in my opinion, looks like Light Gull Gray (FS16440). The aft exhaust area was then masked and airbrushed with Alclad Steel. To add the vertical striations, I cut Tamiya tape into thin strips, masked, and airbrushed Alclad Aluminum. This is much easier to do if the exhaust is not installed per the instructions (See Part 1 for more clarification).

Once dry, I brushed on a coat of clear gloss (i.e., Future) for decal prep. I severely underestimated the amount of time needed to apply the decals as there are so many, and patience is a major factor in doing this right. For decal application, the major squadron markings and stars and bars were applied first, followed by the stencils. The kit was supplied with “unofficial” Cartograf decals that settled down nicely with help from Micro Sol and Solvaset. During this process, I used a cotton bud to help roll out the decal to remove any excess water and solution. As mentioned earlier, there are a lot of decals to be applied (especially the stencils) and patience is needed over several days to do this right, as you do not want to handle a model with recently applied decals and risk accidentally pulling one off. After a few days of letting the decals dry, I applied a protective coat of Vallejo Clear Satin that was airbrushed over the entire plane.

An area worth noting on this decal sheet is the VMFA-333, Version 1, tail decal for the USMC emblem (a14) located on the rudder. The spelling should say “CORPS”, but instead it is misspelled as “CARPS”. To try and fix this spelling error, I scraped off the “A” with a hobby knife and cut out an “O” from one of the “NO STEP” decals (s40) and placed it on the rudder. While not perfect, it is far better than having the USMC emblem say CARPS.

I next decided to install the landing gear, which turned out to be another area where I underestimated the effort required. I decided early in the build not to install the underwing gear per the instructions. Instead, I would install them near the end of the assembly. To accomplish this, I modified the attachment area (raised circle receptacles in D1 & D2 in the upper wing) by cutting off some plastic to make it a semicircle, thus allowing the strut to slide into position. To assist in this effort, I did not cement the aft wall outboard of the landing gear bay (Parts C12 & C13 to C8 & C9, respectively) to the wheel well box structure in Step 4 of the instructions or cement it to the wing structure inside the wings. Doing this allowed the gear to “push” the wall aft and make space for the gear strut to have room to move into place. Once the gear strut was in place, I then glued the aft wall to the surrounding structure.

The fragile parts (F44, F45, F30) for the landing gear are tiny and thin. Working carefully not to break these parts was futile. I decided to leave part F30 off, since it is barely noticeable, unless you were to pick up the model and intentionally look at the wheel wells. The gear bay doors were also a chore to install. Though molded with locating tabs, parts C22, C23, and F12 did not fit correctly unless you sanded/trimmed those tabs some. I used reference photos to help with the location and angle of these doors.

Once the Phantom was resting on its own gear, I proceeded to add subtle weathering by using ground-up charcoal applied with a soft brush. Afterward, I airbrushed AK Ultra Matt Clear to seal it all. Any charcoal weathering that was lost from the last clear coat I lightly re-applied. Lastly came the installation of the windscreen and canopies, radome, and underwing ordnance to finish the plane. During these last stages, I was very happy to have constructed the underwing ordnance at the start of this review (see Part 1) since my patience was running thin at the end. This little victory in planning helped bring more joy and a feeling of accomplishment once the plane was completed.

Conclusions for Part 2

I have not built the Tamiya, Meng, or Zoukei-Mura F-4 Phantom kits; however, I have built the Hasegawa 1/48 scale F-4E Phantom. In comparison to the Hasegawa kit, the Academy surface detail is superior. Difficulties with assembly are similar yet different, since the Academy kit has more detailed intakes and exhausts but no centerline seam to deal with, since the upper fuselage of the Academy kit is molded as one piece.

Overall, this is a great F-4 kit, and I highly recommend it! The assembly itself is easy for those with a few kits under their belt, but make sure to exercise lots of patience with the decals and landing gear installation. To make this a contest winner, just add basic craftsmanship when filling seams and check your alignment within each step. If you want to upgrade this model, I recommend adding aftermarket details to the cockpit to give it an eye-catching visual for folks looking inside.

I want to thank MRC and Academy for providing the F-4J Phantom II kit and IPMS-USA for allowing me the opportunity to perform this review.