time for another Phantom
This is XS747 a Phantom F-2 (F-4C(UK) ). Of 92 squadron RAF circa 1965, Based at RAF Bruggen.
In the early 1960's the USAF started to adopt the F-4C into front line service. They noticed that the royal Navy was looking at the navy's F-4B as a possible replacement for the home grown Seavixen. The Airforce brass came up with the idea of promoting the Phantom (mainly aiming on the F-4C) as a NATO standard combat aircraft. The DoD was very keen on the idea and arranged for both the B and C models to be made available to other NATO member states at a very reasonably discounted price, so long as the aircraft where used primarily on NATO taskings.
Italy and West Germany got in first, with the UK being the third customer for a small batch of 25 C model aircraft for use in the air defence role over the UK zone of West Germany. The RAF being the RAF, had to have their birds be a little different from the standard.
Their F-4C(UK) variant was wired for British built ordnance. Mainly Redtop misslies in place of the more usual Sidwinders, and Firestreak's instead of the Sparrow's in the belly missile troughs. They did keep the standard Vulcan cannon pod though. They also insisted that the retractable refueling probe from the F-4B be fitted as well, in affect creating a B/C hybrid. The Royal Navy on the other hand opted for a completely off the shelf purchase for their F-4B's (Phantom F-1)
19 and 92 squadrons traded in their Lightning F-2A's for the Phantom F-2 in 1965. In keeping with fighter command practise at the time the undersides were painted in high speed silver rather than the Light aircraft Grey most other RAF Germany squadrons used. The Lightning carried on with the home defence role. So, apart from a few attrition replacements no other F-4C(UK)'s were built. But they proved very popular in the RAF and paved the way for a much larger Phantom buy later on when the F-4E(UK) started to enter RAF service in the mid 1970's.
This was a bit of a weekend build. I started nailing it together on Thursday evening and the final coat of varnish went on around midday Sunday.
The kit is the Fujimi F-4C built pretty much oob. The model had already donated its ordnance for some of the other Phantoms I've already built, Hence the idea of loading it up with Firestreak's and Redtop's. All of which are from various Matchbox Lightnings that have been built over the years. The paint work is a mixture of Gunze sanyo for the upper dark sea grey/ dark green cammo, and Halfords Audi Aluminum for the undersides. Decals are from various Airfix Lightning, missile markings and national/squadron insignia. Fujimi Phantom FGR-2 sheets for the phantom specific markings and modeldecal for the serial numbers. Which in turn come from a small unallocated batch.
I did consider doing this one in over all Audi Aluminum, but that changed for cammo/high speed silver once I chose 92 squadron markings.
