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This
is my Monogram 1/72 F-4C/D Phantom II. It
represents the F-4D flown by Captain Richard “Steve” Ritchie of the 555th
Tactical Fighter Wing, the “Triple Nickel”.
Captain Ritchie was the only U.S. Air Force Pilot who shot down five
MiG-21s during the Vietnam War to become an ace.
He shared four of these victories with Weapons Systems Operator (WSO)
Captain Chuck DeBellevue and one with WSO Lawrence Pettit.
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Click on
images below to see larger images
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I
purchased this model about 15 years ago at a flea market for $1.00.
I finally got around to putting it together around 5 years ago and,
although there were some issues with the fit, the kit went together reasonably
well and built into a nice model of an early F-4.
I used Model Master Paints for the standard SEA camouflage pattern of
Dark Green, Medium Green and Dark Tan over Camouflage Gray.
The model was airbrushed freehand prior to my obtaining a regulator, so
there was some overspray of the colors. Also,
I used the kit decals; however, they were not very good.
About a month ago, I took it out of my display case and gave it a light
acrylic black wash and some drybrushing to represent fading from the hot, humid
climate of
Southeast Asia
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Paint chipping was done by using a silver artist pencil.
Cheers,
Rick
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