F4 Phantom II in Vietman?

A question for the aircraft gang,
Which F4 Phantom II variant best represents a Vietnam bird?
and which 1:72 kit would be the best in detail.
Thanks

Depends on which branch, Navy, Marines or Air Force. I myself prefer the Navy F-4J as flown by Randy Cunningham the Navy ace. The kit was the good old Monogram 1/72 F-4J Phantom II.


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This is the kit, an oldie but a goodie.

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For an Air Force F-4, Hobby 2000 have reboxed Hasegawa’s F-4C and D kits in appropriate Vietnam markings. I think the C had markings for one of Robin Olds aircraft.

You will need to source ordnance though. Being Hasegawa kits, they gave you nothing but drop tanks.

Fine Moulds are currently doing some really nice new tooled F-4’s so might be worth looking into them too.

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Yep, depends on the branch I believe for the Marines B model.

The Phantom question is a lot like a Sherman question.

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Thanks guys, for the info.
Cheers,

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You’re welcome, a really nice odd one is an early Air Force F-4C one of the first F-4 units stationed in Ubon air base inThailand 1965. They were the original gray over white scheme before the SEA camo was implemented. This one is another 1/72 Monogram kit F-4C/D, interesting load of Sparrow missiles and a center line gun pod.



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Marines flew mostly the F4b, but also flew at least the F4j much later in the conflict (1969 and later). The Air Force flew the F4c, F4d, and F4e, plus the RF4c… Navy flew the F4b, F4j, and maybe the F4s.

The area you plan on placing your aircraft has a lot to do with what you build. I-Corp was pretty much a Marine kingdom when it came to air strikes. Navy flew a few along the DMZ and close to shore from DaNang north. Yet the Marines really never ventured north of the DMZ very much. II-Corp and south were almost nothing but the Air Force and some Army stuff (mostly OV1’s). Yet a Phantom could be seen in all the A.O.'s. The area of Laos was pretty much Air Force (there were some strikes from Navy and Marines on the “Trail”. Problem for the Marines was that they were getting close to being out of range, and even worse for the Navy. So most Phantoms that rolled thru there were Air Force out of Thailand, and the orbiting KC135’s could only refuel Air Force equipment

To take this a step further, you might see an F100 strike out of Pleiku just inside of the very southern part of I-Corp in a dire emergency, but not the other way. North of the DMZ, was like a zoo. You might see anything up there. Navy had it’s A.O.'s and the Air Force had their own (they called them “Route Pack’s”). Route Pack Six was probably the toughest in southeast Asia.

In I-Corp we pretty used nothing but Marines for air strikes. Usually two or three A4’s and sometime F4’s. The further west you went the less you saw Phantoms unless it was the northwest corner. Later they started using the A6, and that pretty much ended bombing runs from Phantoms (they still flew top cover).
On the west side of the fence, the B52 was the hand of God. Add to this that by the end of spring in 68; the war war had gone to the night shift where the A6 was king

gary

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Thanks Gary, for that precious extra info!
Cheers,

I was over about two thirds of I-Corp (Ashau south to Kam Duc) the last nine months of my vacation. The first six months I was up and down the Highway One corridor. Saw a lot of air strikes during that time period. I was always thankful that I didn’t end up in the “delta” (never a great swimmer).
gary

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