1/48 Hasegawa RF-4E(S) Phantom #171

Gallery Article by Shawn "phantom" Weiler on Nov 20 2013

 

 

Hasegawa Phantom in 1/48 again. This is number 171. The add ons are Hi Decal Line decals for a very rare Israeli recon Phantom. Only 3 of these are known to have been made. All modified F-4Es with a very high tech high definition camera. The IDF needed to replace its old slow moving recon airframes and as with everything except cargo in aviation the Phantom was the answer.

 

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First thought was strapping the camera into a pod but the aerodynamics did not work. The camera was far to big for the regular RF-4Cs but would fit in a modified E once you remove the gun and radar and added a few inches.. 

The model itself required a Paragon resin nose, big large hunk of resin. The resin once finished needed a clear lens so I used the lid from a blueberry container. Other modifications were to switch the E slatted wings into standard non slatted wings. Hack saw, putty and sandpaper for that. Next modification was the refuelling pod. That took the tip from a Skyhawk, a Q-tip and a rounded hunk of putty, then a bunch of sanding to shape. The decals from Hi Decal Line are the final step and look great.

In the photos I included a past F-4E build and a older RF-4C built some years back in 1/72.

Shawn "phantom" Weiler

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Photos and text © by Shawn "phantom" Weiler