Black Box

1/48 F-4J Phantom cockpit set

Product # 48044 for Hasegawa kit

Product Article by Chris Ishmael 

 

 

 

     Once again, the folks at Black Box have placated those Phantom Phreaks out there (myself included) with it's third set for the venerable F-4 .  Ironically, this is the first set for a naval variant, considering it was developed as a carrier-borne interceptor.

      The instructions are the familiar black & white exploded view drawings, with the parts list at the top, & painting instructions for the ejection seats.  Hasegawa is the recommended kit. 

The fine detail we are used to from Black Box is present on this set.  Needles are present on the instrument faces, & wire bundles exit the rear of the instruments in the rear cockpit.  The sidewall details are excellent, matching up very closely with my reference sources.  The cockpit tub is correct for the naval versions of the F-4, having no right side console in the rear cockpit.  The control sticks are on their own stub, with two protective rods as part of the pour.  Do not use the longer rear control stick, as these were not used on this model F-4.  The ejection seats are identical, down to the seat belt positions.  The face curtain handles will have to come from outside the set.

      I tried out the set for fit with the older, raised panel line kit, and the current, recessed panel line kit with the corrected rear cockpit, as there are differences in the cockpit between these two kits.  If using the older kit, the circuit breaker panel on the right side of the rear cockpit must be removed to get a proper fit.  On the recessed panel line version, both sides of the front cockpit wall raised detail must be filed down to get a proper fit.   

The only part of the kit that left me confused dealt with parts 9 & 18, & the instructions to paint over the left side center window & put the telescope piece there.  I could not find a picture of these items in any of my reference books.  I think they are part of the Visual Target Identification System (VTAS) that were fitted to some late model J's & S's.  This system was similar the helmet mounted targeting system that is installed on the AH-64 series of attack helicopters.  

     After looking at my reference sources again for a little while, I realized this set could be used on a F-4S kit without modification, and satisfy most of us, as there is very little difference between the J & S cockpits. 

     Overall, another high quality kit from these folks, & I recommended it to all the F-4 modelers out there.  I wonder if the Black Box folks are thinking that there is enough diffence between the J/S & B/N cockpits to warrant issuing a F-4 set for the B/N version like I am..

Chris Ishmael 

 

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Photos and text © by Chris Ishmael