SPA Modeler

This is a place where you can throw in all your questions and knowledge about the countless versions of the famous McDonnell (Douglas) F-4 Phantom II
Beware: Any subsitution of the letter "F" against "Ph" will be punished by free drinks for all thread participants on the bill of the funny guy!
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I made a post over in the latest acquisitions -thread. In it I showed a slotted resin stab from Hypersonic Models which I erroneously refered to my future F-4B build.

This was the ignition of a nice and expertly discussion with RexCag and Stik about the F-4 and when which modifications took place. I moved the respective post in here because I think they are stuffed with useful information that could get lost in a "hey look I got some new stuff" -threat. So here's how it all started:

Obeyed my desires and got me this


along with some stuff from Hypersonic Models


slotted stabs for the F-4B in my Good Morning Da Nang boxing


I have a crazy plan for those LE boxings to happen later this year

I thought that the F-4B did not have the slotted stabs and those were retrofitted to F-4Ns

You're absolutely right, Stik. Mixed that up. There's a lot of stuff I'm going to order in the coming weeks.
Brassin CP for the J and electronic bay from Aires, Master pitot for B and J.

Big double build feature with a closed B and an all open J

Nice pair o' Phantoms!!!

Looking forward to this builds!!!

I am not sure who said what when, but, that is still mixed up.

The F-4B got the slotted stabs in about 1966 or so, the same year they had the inner of the three leading edge flaps pinned closed. That is because those two items were a part of the same mod program.

That would be "new production" F-4B from a certain BuNo and up, and all surviving F-4B airframes as they went through a NARF.

The F-4N program carried that mod on, doing all F-4B that entered it. A lot of people think that the F-4N meant that they got the DECM conduits on the intakes, but, the first batch didn't have them,,,,,much like the first batch of F-4S didn't get the slatted wing right away. The beginning of Project Bee Line was to do the innerwing flap pinning, the slotted stabs, and the ALQ-126 parts on the F-4N (except for the intake portion of the ALQ-126 system) The F-4N did get the four unique sensor radomes on the bottoms of the wings, and the stronger landing gear trunnions (with the sheet metal covers that caused those little bumps over them)

Rex, to be honest I only started my research to this project and I've even begun to dive into the world of Phantomizm.

For the F-4B "Death Rattlers" I'm going to build I found the following text :
The squadron exchanged its F-8E Crusaders for F-4B Phantom IIs in August 1964, deploying to Da Nang in December 1965 for the first of three tours. WS 11, displaying a variant of the squadron's rattlesnake décor on its tail, was hit only once by small-arms fire in September 1966. It survived the conflict to become an F-4N post-war, but met its end as a QF-4N drone.
[US Marine Corps F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam War, Peter E. Davies]

So I can assume that this airframe had the unslotted stabs during its service in Da Nang?!

Yes, your assumption is correct. That early there wasn't any airframe mods to the Phantom fleet yet. If you are into accuracy, that means that those little bumps on the top of the wing right over the landing gear strut's mounting point have to come off if they are molded into the wing on your kit. (or left off if they are optional parts). They should also have the earliest, plainest looking nose bump under the radome, and the earliest, "plain looking" no bump tail tip. (check photos, of course, just in case, if you have them)

No one should ever feel bad about not knowing all the "lumps and bumps dates" for the Phantom, there are a ton of books, and quite a few websites discussing these mods,,,,,,and none of them tell the complete story, we have to look in all the places to put this stuff all together in one place for any given model.

For a mind exercise that will give you a headache,,,,,,,,do an F-4B from either service in about 1971,,,,,some squadrons had a mixture of early and late B models,,,,,,,so much so that they could have about 6 different configurations at the same time, in the same unit,,,,,especially the Marines.

I'm trying to get it all into one place on my website,,,,,,,but, I started it before my PC crashed,,,,,and when I look at it now, it almost looks like I have to start it all over, since I seem to have "lost my place" and train of thought in those months that I was offline,,,,,,I don't want to be just another place where "the story is incomplete" (which is exactly where my website is at the moment, lol)

RexCag wrote:
No one should ever feel bad about not knowing all the "lumps and bumps dates" for the Phantom, there are a ton of books, and quite a few websites discussing these mods,,,,,,and none of them tell the complete story, we have to look in all the places to put this stuff all together in one place for any given model.

Can you say EF-4C and F-4G (USAF version)? AKA the Wild Weasels. Lots of details for those two that evolved over time.

And add in the two different types of F-4D Weasels that prototyped the installations.

But, I should let this go for now, this is the "goodies we got" thread,,,,,,,and do a Phantom thread on another section of the forum.

For the record,,,,,,I like all the Phantom Ringers, a lot,,,,,,they are the most work to research, but, since a lot of people don't even know they existed, you're almost guaranteed to have a unique model when you finish.

(a teaser,,,,,,,,the thin winged F-4Js)