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For some strange
reason, I've considered the F-4G 'Wild Weasel', the more appealing of the F-4
line and now, I finally have one on my shelves! This one is from the Idaho ANG,
as it appeared during "Operation Provide Comfort" - patrolling Iraq's
(Northern?) No-Fly Zone.
For the most part, the kit is
out-of-the-box, but with it's share of 'enhancements':
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- The kit's
cockpit was replaced by the KMC resin F-4J cockpit, with the backseat
brought up to F-4G standards. The resin also had a little embelishment
with some photo-etch instrument panels from the Eduard F-4E 'Zoom' set
(basic cockpit) and the rear instrument panel is a mix of the Eduard's
instrumentation, kit decal and some ReHeat CRT frames & instrument
bezels, placed over the kit decals to give it a 3-D appearence.
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- The flaps are
Paragon's F-4 flaps, but I'm not sure what kit was the intended target, I
had to thin these down quite a bit to match the Hasegawa wing.
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- Other resin
used, was the True Detail wheels and the KMC intakes (yes, I've heard all
the arguements against these, but I had 'em and for me, with this kit...they
look ok ...).
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- As for the
ordenance, the launch rails for the HARM's were scratched and the ALQ-184 is
a modified ALQ-119 pod from a Hasegawa weapons set. The two Sparrows
in the rear missle recesses are also from a weapons set, but the HARM's
originate from an Italeri A-6E .
Decals are from the
Leading Edge sheet, #72.017, but as I chose to depict an aircraft as it appeared
on operations, I deviated from the Leading Edge sheet by not applying the
supplied 'sharkmouth' to the aircraft. As pointed out, these were only
carried on the occassion of the unit's return to the States and not on ops.
Paints are Aeromaster enamels with a
light black wash to highlight some of the detail, but generally speaking, these
were well-maintained, clean aircraft. The metallic areas are a mix of Polly
S Bright Silver, Oxidized Aluminum and Graphite, with the odd panel being
Floquil's Old Silver.
... Enjoy
Scott
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