Categories
Scale Models

MDD F-4B Phantom II (VF-84)

VF-84 “Jolly Rogers”, United States Navy, USS Independence, 1965

I have already bult this kit, back on December 2021. It was really a pleasure to built with very clever engineering by Tamiya. Now, considering that I have built 3 Phantom kits, a Revell Phantom FGR.2, a Zukei-Mura F-4E AUP and a Tamiya F-4B, you would think that I don’t need to make another one. Clearly, you are wrong! A few months ago, I found this Tamiya kit at a price I could not resist and I thought to give it another go!

The last time, I built it almost out-of-the-box (I only added PE seatbelts and metal pitot tubes). This time I thought to go all in with after-market add-ons:
– cockpit details
– decals
– weapons

I used the Quinta set for the cockpit and the Remove Before Flight ribbons. I used canopy masks, the “F-4B Good Morning Da nang” and the “F-4B stencils” decal sets from Eduard, wheels and Mk84 bombs from ResKit, TER bomb racks, and AA missiles from Eduard and metal pitot tubes from Master Model.

It was hard to choose between the squadron marking that the “Good Morning Da Nang” decal set provides. In the end I chose a classic: the VF-84 Phantom with the Jolly Rogers pirate flag on the rudder!

As I expected, it was an absolute pleasure to build this! It’s a kit that I can’t recommend enough! In the meantime, I am actually planning another Phantom build, an F-4E AUP in a gorgeus aniversary scheme, using the Meng kit!


The work in progress


The finished model

Products Used

KitBoxScaleCode
Tamiya F-4B Phantom II1/4861121
Quinta Studio F-4B Phantom II 3D decal1/48QD48175
ResKit F-4 Phantom II (F4-B, F4-N) wheels set1/48RS48-0064
Master Model F-4 Phantom II (short nose versions) – F-4B, C, D, J, N, S and all British variants1/48AM-48-049
Eduard F-4B Good Morning Da Nang1/48D48096
Eduard F-4B stencils1/48D480094
ResKit Mk.82 bombs (4pcs)1/48RS48-0342
Eduard TER1/48648232
Eduard F-4B Phantom II – Air to Air weapons1/48SIN64876
Eduard F-4B (TFace)1/48EX803
Quinta “Remove Before Flight” 3D decals1/48QP48006