|
Squadron/Signal
Publications
S u m m a r y
|
| Catalogue
Number: |
D & S Vol. 43 |
| ISBN: |
1-888974-25-7 |
| Media: |
Soft cover, portrait format,
72 pages plus covers incl. 8 pages of colour photos. |
| Price: |
US$12.96 from Squadron.com |
| Review Type: |
First Read |
| Advantages: |
Packed with well-captioned
detail photos; excellent colour section; expert and readable
narrative; helpful scale drawings and detail diagrams of cockpits
etc; good description of variants' distinguishing features; honest
assessment of available models. |
| Disadvantages: |
Material is accurate to 1994 -
mainly a limitation for model & accessory assessment |
| Recommendation: |
Recommended for Phantom fans |
Reviewed
by Brett Green
F-4C,
F-4D and RF-4C Phantom II in detail and scale is available online at
Squadron.com
It is pleasing to see Squadron/Signal Publications continue to re-release Bert Kinzey's
excellent
"In Detail and Scale" series. The latest addition is "F-4C,
F-4D and RF-4C Phantom II in detail and scale - Early Air Force
Phantoms".
The F-4C was a groundbreaking aircraft that finally created a crossover
between naval aviation and the US Air Force.
Owing to the requirement of a naval jet fighter aircraft to land at
relatively low speed, early carrier-based jets generally performed
poorly compared to their land-based counterparts. The Phantom II was the
first production jet to not only match, but also exceed, the performance
of aircraft designed for the Air Force. It was also the very first fighter
designed for a carrier to be accepted by the Air Force.
 Although the subsequent F-4E is probably considered to be the
definitive Air Force Hog, these early Phantoms served with
distinction in the role of fighter, fighter-bomber, nuclear weapons
platform and reconnaissance aircraft. Indeed, the RF-4C continued to serve
with the US Air Force until the 1990s, and remains in service with other
Air Forces to this day.
Bert Kinzey provides interesting and readable background on the design
of the F-4, its introduction to naval service, the intervention of the
Kennedy administration of the early 1960s to standardise aircraft types
and the prompt acceptance of the Phantom II into US Air Force service
after spectacular trial results. The remaining text in the first 14 pages
describes the F-4C, F-4D and RF-4C.
The bulk of the book comprises helpfully captioned detail photos of the
three types. Diagrams and detail drawings help illustrate the
characteristics of these early Air Force Phantoms.
Eight colour pages cover exterior and interior aspects of the aircraft
including the seat, cockpit and general airframe. The back cover is also
used to maximum effect with a full-page colour picture of the front
instrument panel of an RF-4C Desert Storm veteran.
The twelve-page modellers section covers models from Lindberg, Airfix,
Monogram, ESCI, Testors Fujimi and Hasegawa. The book was originally
published in 1994, so no mention is made of the recent Tamiya 1/32 scale F-4C/D or
Revell of Germany 1/72 scale RF-4C. However, this is a relatively
minor shortcoming compared to the Accessory and Decal listings. Due to the
brisk activity in this area over the last seven years, these listings are
totally out of date.
It is nice to see more of Bert Kinzey's "Detail and Scale" series
resurface.
"F-4C, F-4D and RF-4C Phantom II in Detail and Scale"
will be a valuable and inexpensive resource for modellers tackling these
subjects in any scale.
Recommended.
Thanks to Squadron
for the review sample.
Detail and Scale book, plus
Squadron/Signal books and products
are available at the Squadron website
or Hobby Retailers.
Review Copyright © 2001 by Brett
Green
This Page Created on 01 November, 2001
Last updated
22 July, 2003
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F-4C,
F-4D and RF-4C Phantom II