SPA Modeler

Howdy, y'all. This might or might not matter to you. The Brassin cockpit is actually more of an early F-4B & first F-4J models. Eduard used the 1967 F-4J NATOPS (again for the first production J & early B models before the Project Shoehorn mods hit the Fleet) when they designed this pit, so it's not accurate for many J's around the 68-later timeframe that did not have the Shoehorn mods yet installed on new production/retrofitted F-4J & F-4B of that era depending on which squadron & timeframe you want to model. Not too long afterward, the first J models received the upgrades along with the B models being upgraded. This will limit decal/squadron selection. VMFA-334 Falcons was the first squadron to take the J to combat in 68 with the new upgrades & followed on by VMFA-232 Red Devils & later VMFA-212 in '72 deploying to combat. Some of those airframes already had the mods retrofitted before they deployed, but some did not. Check your references. I had a discussion with the Eduard team about the inaccuaracies of this set for any J other than the first production batch. Soon after, Eduard released the "1975 mod" PE set to depict airframes with the semi-digital AWG-10 radars installed & Shoehorn mods that were being retrofitted for the older B models around that same time the J was coming off the production line to help with RWR threats from radar guided SAMs, AAA & radar equipped enemy aircraft with the ability to launch radar guided missiles because of lessons being learned on the fly in combat during the Vietnam war. But, the 1975 mod set is accurate only for a very late J & the service length extention program which turned a couple hundred J's into the F-4S as a stop gap measure when they were waiting for the F/A-18s & the few squadrons that were to convert to the Tomcat. TheTomcat conversion meant for VMFA-122 in Hawaii was cancelled for the Marine Corps & they sent VMFA-122 to MCAS Beaufort to convert to the J & S.

The first J's had lead noses with no radar installed until sufficient numbers could be produced meant to meet the demands of fleet service which is why this J cockpit was more or less a B cockpit. The early J kept most of the avionics & cockpit arrangemt of the B which is why this Brassin cockpit displays B equipment similarities. The lead nose J compensated for the loss of weight that the new radar was meant to fill in the first place. This also helped maintain the proper CG of the aircraft. Many of J models didn't even get the Shoehoirn upgrades until as late as the early 70's. However, many of those J models without the mods remained in the states so the birds in the Vietnam had priority. Don't get me wrong. accuracy differences not withstanding, these Brassin sets are beautiful. I think they blow most of the competition out of the water. They just need to get the proper representation to better suit the the majority of any paticular plane for their period(s) of service. Also, be aware that the AN/LQ-126 self protection jammers on the upper front side of each intake shoulder should be omitted from pre- 74/'75'ish J's (and N models).

If you care about this intel it might be helpful if you're a stickler for details. The front pit doesn't matter as much in 1/48 except for some minor sidewall & switch arrangement changes. The rear cockpit is definitely more noticeable. Also, the metal area under the tail, stabs & around the exhaust cans is usually a pain to get fit right for the Academy F-4's & should be stalled before painting. Otherwise you will loose your paint & fuselage details from sanding & puttying if installed afterward if you have kits from their F-4 line. I'm perplexed as to why Academy chose to engineer this kit in a such a manner. It doesn't make any sence to make the exhaust section & forward under belly separate from the fuselage. They should have engineered this kit as an improved Hasegawa F-4 kits of sorts beause just these two sections alone are not an issue with the old Hasegawa Phantoms (I do not work for or have any association with Hasegwa). Other issues are installing the main gear before half of the kit can be finished??? Anyway. Sorry for the history lesson, but I grew up around Marine Corps F-4's since my dad flew them from the first operational fleet Phantoms in the early '60s through the early 80's. I'm an amatuer historian of sorts. This info I've written might be of assistance for you when choosing era with the appropriate variant & squadron marking decals. Just food for thought as some modelers are not aware of these issues with Eduard pit & the Academy 1/48 F-4 phamily. I love Phantoms & the historical value gained from my library & Aircraft History Cards for each Naval F-4 up to 1985. Keep on tackling the problems of these Academy Phantoms. Looking good ,though! Very nice in-progress upadates indeed! Lookig forward to more photos. HTH.

Semper Fi,
Masterguns

Wow! That´s a post, Mastergun! I have a friend in Munich who is much interested in all things with two jockeys, two engines and the name starting with F-4. Will send him you information! Much appreciated!

Great post Warpig! Although that makes things really difficult as I probably don't have the correct decals for it then. Thanks for the tips on the rear exhaust area. Guess I'll go ahead and attach it since I haven't finished painting it yet.

Thanks for the support, gents.

Medicman71 wrote:Great post Warpig! Although that makes things really difficult as I probably don't have the correct decals for it then. Thanks for the tips on the rear exhaust area. Guess I'll go ahead and attach it since I haven't finished painting it yet.

Medic. I mention the exhaust area particular to the Academy F-4 line because they just plum mis-engineered this area as well at the section below the cockpit/nose gear. I don't understand how they expected this kit to be a hit out of the park with all modelers. The ones in case have caused a lot of frustration getting those parts to fit correctly. You did a great job, though. I guess it might vary from kit to kit it seems. I like the end product & there are a lot worse models to build out there & always will be. But that's part of modeling. I jsut suffer too much from AMS. I'm not meaning to be a critic so much. You're doing a great job! I look forward following this build to the finish!

Semper Fi,
Masterguns

I had no idea about the bad engineering at the exhaust area. I had read about the other issues and was aware of those when I started. What really pissed me off was when the Eduard cockpit didn't fit at all. I expect that from Aires but not Eduard.

It seems to vary from kit to kit. Some modelers have no problems with the fit at the exhaust & others do. There is a pretty scathing review about this kit somewhere on the www & can't remember which site it was. My first two kits the fit was so bad that I got tired of trying to fix it & put them on the shelf of doom. I'll continue to work on the kits though. I haven't gotten that far with the one I've recently started. All the best.

Semper Fi,
Masterguns

The fit problems I had were the outer wings. The don't fit flush with top and bottom of the main wing.

So after talking with Warpig, I checked the fit of the rear exhaust/fuselage. It fits great but the top part (not shown) does not. So I'm gonna attach them now, fix the step and repaint everything. I also missed a seam line on the lower exhaust/fuselage and the tailhook area that needs to be dealt with.