1/48 Hasegawa F-4EJ Phantom

by Fernan De Gannes

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Here is my model of Hasegawa's F-4EJ.  This kit looks good OOB, but I wanted to put some extra effort into detailing it.  First I tackled the cockpit, trying to achieve the very busy look of this particular area of the aircraft.  I scratch built the side wall details from sheet plastic and various pieces of rod.  The canopy sills were also enhanced with very thin sheet plastic.  Oxygen hoses from coiled wire were added and the rear instrument panel detailed to show the exposed wiring and gauges.  The only after market parts that were added were a pair of Verlinden Martin Baker Seats. 

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The next Item I wanted to improve was the inside of the exhaust nozzles.  The kit's samples were smooth on the inside so I added strips of plastic and scored them to simulate the details in this area.  Looking at a few photos of the actual aircraft, I found that the appearance was better without the belly tank, so I set about scratch building the pylon that would be evident with the tank removed. 

On to the paint shop.  The model was painted with lightened Gunship Grey, with a dark blue splinter camouflage pattern.  Hasegawa refers to this blue as blue-black, I mixed Insignia Blue, Black and White to create this particular shade.  Next a coat of Future and then decals.  This was the toughest part of the build, as the decals had yellowed a bit and I had to bleach them by taping them to a window to expose them to sunlight.  Somehow this resulted in decals that did not wish to be removed from the sheet.  People who know the F-4EJ are aware of the myriad of stencils that adorn this aircraft.  Two and half days of swearing later, this part of the project was complete.

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The aircraft was weathered with an acrylic wash and some pastels, given a final coat of Future and was allowed to dry for two days before a light coat of Testors Dull Coat was airbrushed on.  Droptanks, Sidewinders and the landing gear were added when the model was dry.  The final touch was to add the rear view mirrors and the spring-like ejection sequencing wires to the canopies.  Hope you like the model.

Fernan

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Text by Fernan De Gannes and photos by Mike Wyatt.