1:48 F-4EJ Kai Phantom II '302SQ F-4 final year 2019'

F-4EJ Kai Phantom II, 302nd Squadron, final year 2019 (Hasegawa 1:48)

An injection-molded plastic kit of the F-4EJ Kai Phantom II in 1:48 scale. It is a limited edition whose core is the decals: they carry the markings of the 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force for the final year of Phantom operations in 2019. The molds are older, the decals are new. Check the exact contents of the package on the box.

The real subject

The F-4EJ was the Japanese license-built version of the American Phantom II, and in the modernization to the Kai standard it received a new onboard radar able to pick up a target below the horizon, new navigation equipment and the ability to carry anti-ship guided missiles. The two-seat machine with its swept wing and the dihedral of the outer panels is among the best-known postwar fighter-bombers of all. Japanese Phantoms served unusually long and the 302nd Squadron handed its machines over in 2019, when it moved to a new generation. The farewell scheme tied to that year is exactly what this edition holds.

Building and painting tips

• finish and close up the cockpit and the landing gear bays before you join the fuselage halves
• fill the engine intakes and nozzles and sand them level, on a Phantom they are on show
• apply a gloss base under the decals, it prevents silvering around the motif
• the farewell scheme covers large areas, so lay the decals down with plenty of water and setting solution

Who the model is for

• for collectors of Japanese fighter-bombers and farewell schemes
• for modelers with experience of older molds
• for builders of the large 1:48 scale

The model is supplied unassembled and unpainted. Glue, paints and accessories are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.