"Falkland Defenders" 

1/72 Fujimi Phantom FGR2, Hasegawa Tornado F3  

by Thomas Neuss

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This is a review about two kits, the Hasegawa Tornado F3 and the Fujimi Phantom FGR2. Because both of them where built as "1435 Flight" of Falkland Islands and are displayed on one little diorama,  I decided to include them both in one article.

Of course this diorama is not realistic, because the Tornado was the successor of the Phantom, so we would not find both of them in the fully armed “scramble” configuration. 

I will start with the Tornado.

It is the standard Hasegawa kit of the Tornado F3. The kit is not bad but some things are missing, for example the typical twin-Sidewinder-rails. I made them from parts of the spare box.

The cockpit is also very basic and i replaced it with a resin cockpit as i did with the wings. I used Airwaves wings with flaps and slats down and it looks much better than the kit parts.

The decals are from XTRADECAL (X050-72), the sheet allows different Tornados from 1435 flight.

The Tornado is armed with four Sidewinder and two Skyflash AAM.

Click on images below to see larger images

The Phantom is the Fujimi kit of the FGR2 Phantom. For a British Phantom you need a Fujimi kit because it has all the differences from the US-Phantoms like different engines or RWR-receiver on the fin of the vertical stabilizer.

The kit is well detailed but has room for more, so I added or detailed the following parts:

  • -rudder and front wheels in new position

  • -flaps down

  • -detailing the cockpit  with resin seats, photo etch and self made details

  • -the small triangular window on the left was replaced by a periscope

  • -retractable boarding ladder in extended position

  • -FOD-shield, made from plastic sheet

  • -protective caps for the Sidewinders

  • -RBF-tags and different covers

For the Phantom I took the Modeldecal (115) decal sheet.

The Phantom is armed with four Sidewinder, two Sparrow and a Gunpod.

Click on images below to see larger images

Both kits where finished with Gunze colours, Erdal Glänzer (german Future), pastel chalks and oil colour for the “used” effect. 

The diorama bas eis made from two wooden boards finished with acrylic paint.

The “green corner” was made from plaster and railroad material.

Click on images below to see larger images

Hope, you like it. 

Thomas 

Any comments, just mail: thomas.neuss@t-online.de

Photos and text © by Thomas Neuss