This project started when I was browsing through Squadron’s “And Kill Migs…” book. There was a picture of Bill Swedner’s  Phantom with the paint peeling off rather badly. After doing some more research I decided that it would make for an interesting model.

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I looked at what I had in my stash and decided to use the ESCI kit for the engraved lines and the Hasegawa kit for the parts to make an F-4C. I could have used the Hasegawa F-4J to get engraved lines, but I didn’t want to kit bash a rather expensive kit. After all, I had picked up the ESCI kit for $5. In addition, I always like the challenge of trying to make “lesser” kits look decent. To make a long story short (the long story will be featured in an upcoming issue of FSM) I grafted the Black Box cockpit, Aries wheel bays, Aries nozzles, and Seamless Suckers intakes into the ESCI kit. 

I thought I overdid the paint peeling, but I’ve been told  that the early Phantoms that had the SEA painted over the original Gull Gray/White scheme did indeed get to be that ratty. I was quite happy with the way it turned out, and was fortunate enough to have it place at Nationals in Oklahoma City. Will I do something of that magnitude again? Not in the near future at least!

Darren

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