Phabulous Weasel Phantoms: 1/48th Hasegawa F-4G Phantom II

The 1/48th Hasegawa F-4G Phantom II was arguably the best offer of this type, for a couple of decades. It is a nicely detailed model that fits together pretty well. It could definitely be improved in some areas, but it will get you a good looking build without a lot of trouble.

Notable Kit Features:

• Accurate outline

• Decent cockpit details and ejection seats (Although often replaced by Phantom Phanatics)

• Seated pilot figures included

• Finely engraved panel lines with sharp surface details as well

• Generally a good fit of parts

• Thin, clear glass with separate canopies, which can be displayed open or closed

• Standard ARM and Shrike armament included in kit
  

Build Inspiration:

I built this Phantom as my 100th kit build, as the F-4 is certainly is an iconic aircraft for build number 100. Inspiring the build was the purchase of AirDOC 48006 "Gulf War Warriors" which included the "YGBSM" Wild Weasel aircraft flown during the Gulf War. Apparently no manufacturer quite got the weasel colours correct, although Eagle Strike 48-044 came the closest... oddly another issue of Eagle Strike (48-149) got it wrong (The AirDOC ones are incorrect from what I can see, as the YGBSM lettering should be white and the weasel colours are off... which I found out post-build)

Heads-Up Report:

• The intakes are not great (still better than most) and have odd gaps in the interior with no engine face. Filling the gaps and smoothing things over will improve things or you could go full out with seamless intakes. (For me it was fine to fill-in a bit and just darken the rear of the intakes as typically you can't see the engine on the real thing - but build what you like)

• The multipiece canopy is complex (by F-4 design) and the fit is only OK (and fiddly if open - not well fitting if closed)

• Rear stabilizers pin fitting is woefully inadequate (I fit a pin that runs between the two stabilizers to hold them)

• Older weaponry (Shrikes and Standard Arm) on my boxed version anyway

• Spine of aircraft is a challenge to get a great fit without filler and sanding (which results in challenging re-scribing)

• Use references for the spine antenna locations (and the antennas should be vertical on the aircraft)

Kit Additions / Modifications:

This kit was pretty much built out of the box except I added harnesses made from painted tape, third-party decals and ARM-88s.

Finishing:

The paint scheme on my 1/48th Hasegawa F-4G Phantom II is the Hill Gray camouflage consisting of FS 26118 over FS 26270 (which certainly is easier to paint than the earlier "Charcoal Lizard" or TAC Jungle schemes). Standard "Pledge" gloss before decals was applied and a bit of dark wash was added to the control surfaces. The metal exhaust areas were given a few different tones of metal but nothing too detailed as (unfortunately) I didn't spend enough time on this Phantom. Post paint it was time to assemble all the finer points of the gear and antennas, which always takes longer than anticipated... maybe because it looks close to done at that point?

The After-Build Report:

The 1/48th Hasegawa F-4G Phantom II is definitely still recommended for an F-4G build in my books (especially after the price drops of these Hasegawa Phantoms following the release of more recent versions). My example tuned out alright, although could have been better with some added time spent on the details and a better panel wash job, flatter finish... (There is always room for improvement... I'll get it correct next round.) Currently the title of Best F-4G Wild Weasel has been passed along to the newer 2022 Zoukei-Mura and Meng Model kits, however this kit is still a contender for a more budget minded build.

Completed build #100 - December 2008 using the 1/48th Hasegawa #9538:2800 kit.

Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building what you want, how you want - Cheers