F-4G Phantom II - USAF 35th TFW

Photo of the subject aircraft 

This kit has very finely molded recessed panel lines and looks like it will build into a nice kit. The cockpit is lacking detail so I will plan to build this one with a closed canopy. The kit comes has a usable ALQ-119 ECM pod, but will replace the AIM-9B Sidewinders with appropriate AGM-88 HARM missiles from a Hasegawa weapons set. In Desert Storm, F-4Gs often carried 4 HARM missiles instead of outboard fuel tanks, so I may need to scratch build pylons for that configuration. 

Not a particularly detailed cockpit, but the kit comes with a single canopy piece so Fujimi may have done this deliberately.  

Ejection pin holes were not too bad on this kit, minor sanding required. 

I'll probably add some detail to the seats, but not planning to do much else to the cockpit if it can't be seen! 

Cockpit isn't amazing but should be good enough for this closed canopy build. Added True Details photoetch and masking tape belts to the seats. I won't glue the seats in until after I assemble the fuselage and dry fit the canopy. 

Ah, the renowned Japanese fit! (Sorry Fujimi fans) Looks like Mr. Putty will be paying a visit soon. 

Drilled holes for the pylons and leading edge slats. 

It took a great deal of patience to glue the pieces in place without leaving gaps. In the end, it should be very workable with minimal putty and sanding. 

Primary assembly done and ready for detail work! 

Gave the canopy a dip in some Future floor wax. 

Minor surgery on the wing fences... the ones molded into the kit were longer than found on the F-4G. 

Had to cut off the ECM fairings behind the landing gear. Added a few minor parts before I start in with filling and sanding. 

This kit was nicely molded. The only pin marks needed filling were on the main gear doors. 

Preparing the stores for painting. The kit came with an air-to-air load, so had to scrounge for the right loadout. The AIM-7F Sparrow missiles were included in the kit. I took the AGM-88 HARM missiles from two F/A-18 Hornet kits (Revell and Italeri). The kit did not include LAU-118/A launchers, so I tried to scratch build some reasonable facsimiles using scrap parts. The kit included an AN/ALQ-119 ECM pod, which is an older model than was used by the 35th TFW in Operation Desert Storm. I found an AN/ALQ-184 in my Tamiya F-16CJ kit (planning to use a different ECM pod on that kit anyway).  

First pass at painting the armament. Can't say painting white is my favorite thing to do! Only the HARMS and two Sparrows will go on this kit, the rest are for my F-4D. 

Preliminary painting revealed a few seams and ejector pin holes that weren't properly filled! The intakes were satisfactory, so I masked them for assembly. References say the exterior color extends 32" into the intake. 

I've procrastinated long enough! Finally masked the canopy. I used Kapton electrical tape, which is a little stretchy and cuts well, making it great for complex frames. This canopy was very lightly engraved, making the masking a real challenge! 

Ever build a kit that seems like the more you work with it, the worse it gets? This one seems to be that way! I think I'm going to call it good and quit "fixing" it! 

Stuffed the wheel wells and inspected the bottom. It seems the rear engine area and tailhook were completely misaligned, so one more fix before painting! 

Completed the pre-shading. 

Applied the lighter gray shades. I always seem to think the preshading is a little too dark and make the overcoat more opaque... and then wish I had stopped earlier! 

Painted the darker gray areas. I wasn't satisfied with the blending behind the cockpit area, so that will need to be redone. While I wait for that area to cure, I glued the gear on so it can dry at the same time. 

Calling the base coat good enough. Applied a gloss lacquer to prepare for decals and weathering. 

To quote Homer Simpson... "DOH!!!" I can't believe I didn't notice the walkway decals were entirely the wrong color until I stepped back to look at my work. Fortunately, this should be fairly easily corrected. Definitely going to take longer to finish this build than I suspected though! 

I'm determined not to let this build defeat me! I masked off and painted over the walkways with some Floquil Weathered Black that I had left over from years... decades back! Because the decals weren't an exact fit to this Fujimi kit, I need to do some touch-ups, but things seem to be back on track. 

Put down a wash over the panel lines. The photo revealed I will have a bit of scrubbing to do in some areas before proceeding. 

Tried to apply the right amount of wash to make this F-4 look a bit more realistic. I believe it needs some darker oil streaks along the moving surfaces. 

Finished weathering and applied a flat lacquer. Down side is that I should let this cure overnight before handling again! 

Finished decals for the tiny armament.