305 swag

A B-1B , B-2A, 747, 777, F-106A, 727.

If you're doing 66-370 from 1985, then probably -7Fs. If you're doing 66-300 from around 1979 then -7E-2s.
 
Tony 

On the 16473 F-4Es 1977-1985:
 
Ca.1977-1979 F-4Es featured non-standard stars/bars on the wings, the same size as the fuselage insignia...
 
https://www.airliners.net/photo/USA-Air-Force/McDonnell-Douglas-F-4E-Phantom-II/764393?qsp=eJwtjMsKwjAQRX%2BlzFpXvqC7uii4sqA/MCSXtlhNmBnQUPrvJqW7cx%2BcmVz4GH72TBFUk4LFDbSjyMJvpXqmF9I3iM9Mp4sNVXt7VO3%2BmD8axK4p954NjXOIBr/1d/GQMkHdquuL/lAQ0m3pnKMfNU68WmA8TrQsf1uEL/I%3D
 
This was when the jets (e.g. 66-300) sported the twin rows of chequers on the fin, with a knight's head, lances on the drop tanks and ADC insignia on the right intake cheek only. Note that lower wing markings were "moved outboard" a bit so that the markings were not completely obscured by the drop tanks. Not pretty, but that was the way they were.
The instructions are wrong in this regard. Aircraft were resprayed 16473 Aircraft Gray at Keflavik in 1977-1978, shortly after they arrived. 
 
Inbetween, ca.1979, when the aircraft were reassigned to TAC from ADC, the knights heads moved from the tail to the nose sides, replaced by TAC insignia. The lower band of chequers began disappearing. 
 
Later, 1980-1985, as more aircraft had been overhauled by Spanish firm CASA Getafe, the jets got the bigger, regulation, wing stars/bars. This was when all jets (e.g. 66-370) carried chequers only on the fincap, along with TAC insignia, a small knight's head on the left intake cheek and ADTAC insignia on the right intake cheek. A couple had the striped vari-ramp splitter plate with AFI insignia (66-382 and -300 in its final days).
 
Lost in translation: chequers are checks, the fin is a vertical stabiliser, ADC = Aerospace Defense Command, TAC = Tactical Air Command, ADTAC = Air Defense Tactical Air Command, AFI = Air Forces Iceland. 
 
HTH rather than confuses,
 
Tony 

The Zulu Alert aircraft would have featured wing drop tanks, 4 x AIM-7E-2 Sparrows and 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinders, later -9Js. There was a time in the late 1970s when they didn't carry Sidewinders as one shot off an alert aircraft and zoomed across Keflavik, thankfully causing little damage. But, as a result, they often flew with just a loaded gun and Sparrows.
 
For training they carried two blue-bodied AIM-9E captive Sidewinders (no rocket motor or warhead, but a working seeker), one on each inner wing pylon's outer LAU rails, and sometimes 1 or 2 ALQ-71 noise jammers slung under the pylons. These missions simulated enemy intruders.
 
Go to Airliners net and look up 57th FIS - you'll get a load of pictures.
https://www.airliners.net/search?keywords=57th+FIS+F4&sortBy=dateAccepted&sortOrder=desc&perPage=36&display=detailhttps://www.airliners.net/search?keywords=57th+FIS+F-4&sortBy=dateAccepted&sortOrder=desc&perPage=36&display=detail
 
Note that only F-4Es 66-300 and -370, via the addendum sheet, have the correctly sized tail serials. 
 
Tony 

Well, a typical load is wing tanks with ...nothing else! If you want a combat load, add missiles (keep in mind they were interceptors). Eduard and Reskit make very good and quite cheap Sidewinders. Out of my memory such USAF Phantoms never used the Lima version. They surely used AIM-9J at that time. If you want a less aggressive load you can go for a training one with tanks, a captive AIM-9E and an ALQ-87. 
 
Hth 
 
Thierry 
 
 

Cool, saw them and a boatload of AWACS when I was in Iceland. They all looked pretty spotless- Sorry I can't provide any details of the underling stores. Make sure to start a build thread!

Been slowly plugging away on this build.   Decided to take a detour and work on the ordinance for a bit.    As mentioned previously, the Videoaviation M117 750 lb bombs are very, very nice (and very reasonably priced).   My only gripe is that first, they don't supply decals for the yellow nose band and second, the decals they do supply are identical in performance to the ones I used from Brassin on their 1,000lb bomb set for my P-47D build.   What that means is that the second the decal touches the resin, it's there forever.   All the water, setting solution, etc in the world isn't going to get the decal to move, so take your time, get it lined up perfectly and they quickly slide it off into it's exact position.  You've been warned.   I had two decals pretty much get ruined.  I was able to salvage small bits only.   Normally that would be an issue but since 5 of the bombs are going on the MER on the centerline, I can pretty much find a way to ensure that those bombs are positioned with little or no direct visibility.   I also decided to provide the two forward bombs on the MER and the single bomb on the inner wing pylon TER with "daisy cutter" fuse extenders.   Here's a picture that illustrates these extenders nicely, albeit with Mk82's.  Note the red-ish bands that secure the hollow tube that the arming wire runs through.  
 
 
Here's a similar shot, this time with an M117, albeit on an F-100.   Note the filthy pylon as well. 

 
Note also the scruffy condition of the bomb above.   As I've mentioned in all my other builds, the vast majority of bombs in WW2 through cold war conflicts were simply stored in outdoor bomb dumbs, exposed to rain, mud and general mishandling.   The only exceptions were the tail fin assemblies which were protected to ensure none of the fins were bent.    Personal quirk of mine is seeing a model of a fantastically weathered combat aircraft with immaculate bombs hanging off it.  Here's another shot that nicely illustrates the difference between the grungy bomb casing and the tailfin assembly.  Also note the absolutely filthy, flying dumpster behind the bomb.   I don't think any jet got dirtier than those early Huns in Vietnam.   Maybe a subject for a future build?

 
Anyway, enough of my spiel, here is where I am at with my bombs.

Note that the holes in the top will be covered when the bombs are mounted, as will the termination of the safety wires.  Also note the sloppy paintwork around those wires.  Nothing highlights bad painting more than seeing your work in pictures.   I'll get that cleaned up. I actually found pictures of bombs with crappily painted yellow nose bands so I'm leaving those alone. 
Weathering of the bomb casing was a mix of multiple shades of OD, I also used SAC bomber green here and there.   Next up was dry brushing with lighter colors, I added some scratches and dings (I think I'll go back and add some more after reviewing these pics), topped it off with pastels.   
 
Need to reposition the safety wire on the nose of one of those bombs. 

 

 
The fuse extenders are only pressed in place right now.  Figured I might have to make some minute adjustments once I get everything installed on the racks.

 
As I see things, the 5 bombs on the MER will be only partially visible.  Only the one on the wing mounted TER will be fully on display.   Therefore, I can cull the herd and put the ones that I'm least happy with on the MER and leave the nicest looking example for under the wing.    Depending on how the lower bomb on the MER looks, I may opt to just have 4 bombs on the centerline MER and put another one on the TER.   I've seen pictures of both loadouts. 
 
Anyway, that's it for tonight. Sorry for the long-winded post and thanks as always for checking in. 
 

I have more photos (~80) if it's okay to clog up the thread.

Update- I've spent the last few modeling sessions working on the TER / MER bomb racks.   As mentioned, my subject is going to have an MER on the centerline with 4-5 750 lb bombs and a TER on the port inner pylon with 1 or 2 similar weapons.   The Tamiya racks are "ok".   They seem to be properly dimensioned, which it sounds like the nice looking Brassin resin ones are not.  However, the details on them are pretty basic.    They also had the leading edges of each lower bomb rack vertical.   All the pictures I was able to find show these racks with a sloped aerodynamic fairing (although I'm not sure how aerodynamic you could possibly make these things).   See below for a good example on a TER.

 
I figured Mr. T screwed up his research and I'd have to scratch build this leading edge.   I completed my work just at the same time Jari / "Finn" came to my rescue with some great pictures that showed that racks with the vertical leading edge were actually somewhat common.  See one of his pictures below. 

 
If you are interested in this subject, you can check out the rest of the thread here:  
 
 
So I've got two racks with slanted edges and two with the vertical.   I'm not 100% happy with my work so I decided to build up the remaining two racks as well.   I came to the conclusion that I like the straight-edge TER better, so I started adding some extra details.

 

 
First off - this rack is very much a work in progress still.   I've got some touchup painting to do and I've still got to add some small dia styrene rod to replicate the bolts and pads on the sway braces.   Aside from that, here is what I added for details (this list will also apply to whatever MER I opt to go with):
 
Thinned out the inside of the aerodynamic nose housing.   It's aft portion is visible (barely), and the walls were much too thick.  I hollowed out the rear and bottom faces of each individual rack.   Nothing close to what the real thing looks like (on some of the racks, I didn't bother with the bottom faces because they would not be visible after I mount a bomb).    I also hollowed out the space between the vertical mounting strips between the top of the rack and the bottom of the TER body (if that makes any sense, see the picture just below that shows what I'm trying to describe). I hollowed out the two pylon attachment brackets on the top of the TER I thinned the sway braces, just note that I'll be cutting off that little rod of styrene on the bottom of some of these once I figure out if it's needed to assist with securing the resin M117's.   Tamiya doesn't include the firing cylinders or the electrical cord that runs from the body of the TER to the backside of each individual rack.  They do provide 2 of the 3 "nubs" on the TER body where the cable connects to, but they are in the wrong position, so I cut them off and replaced them with tiny sections of 1.2 mm plastic rod that I very carefully drilled out and glued in place. The firing cylinders consist of a couple of diameters of plastic rod, with the larger end drilled out.  I used fine lead wire for the cable itself.    I hollowed out the rear face of the rack and added a couple of tiny switches.    Here is the real thing (on an MER but a TER is identical in this area).  This picture (thanks again Jari) also shows the electrical cable / firing cylinders and the bolts on the sway braces that I still need to add.  I could have done a better job on this section, but my mantra is that if it won't be extremely visible on the finished model - which in this case it won't - I just do enough work to show the basics. 
 
 I hit the TER with a wash to bring out some of the details and dirty it up (these racks tended to get filthy in service).   I then added a few decals from the spares box.   Note that the red number on the nose of the TER was intentionally misaligned.   Whatever this number means, it seems that most of the time, it was sloppily applied in the field. Last I replicated the chipped paint on the nose of the TER.   This area got weathered heavily, see below:
On a side note - This great picture (thanks yet again Jari) nicely shows the difference between the camouflage light grey on the pylon and the gloss white of the TER.  Some folks have said that the underside camo was no different than flat white, but this picture shows otherwise. 
 
So that's it for my TER so far.   Just to see how it looks, I positioned one of my M117's that are still also a work in progress against the lower rack just to see how it looks.  That's a big bomb!   Speaking of - I've got a lot of work to do on these bombs, I know I have to clean up the gap between body and tail fin housing also have to add some decals, fuses, safety wires, etc.  

 

 
Finally - here are the other three racks still on the production line:

The TER is headed to the spares box, I'm not sure which MER I'll use.   Kind of leaning towards the one with the slanted leading edges but there is still some cleanup required on the scratchbuilt fairings.  We'll see.
 
Anyway - my apologies for the very long-winded post.   If anyone actually made it all the way through, thanks for stopping by! 

I present to you the relatively new 32ari kit of italeri painted in the anniversary variant presented by RAF at Marham air base in 2019 but with extra
the armament of the 6 brimstone, the one gbu-12 and the litening.
I did use the following matterials:
Decal:Xtra Decal 32070 Seat:Quickboost Wheels:Eduard P.E:Eduard Mask:Eduard Pitot:Master ASRAAM:Eduard Brimstone:Eduard Boz-107:Eduard Sky Shadow"Eduard I hope you like it! Comments and remarks welcome !!!
 

Love the weathering!

Filthy good weathering!

So I'm thinking I'm close to done with the cockpit tub.   I've added more details, mostly wiring but also a bit of structural stuff from plastic sheeting.  Also used a couple more Air Scale placards.   The only thing I've found through all my research is that the cockpits of these jets varied a huge amount depending on the version and when the pictures were taken.   As there are no detailed shots I can find of circa 1967 F-4C cockpits, some of the details added are based on my best guess.    The end goal is to try to realistically portray the clutter and wear and tear that was present in these cockpits.    I think it will look pretty decent once installed in the fuselage.  Note that the upper bulkhead sections are a bit bare.    That's because I need to install the tub into the fuselage, at which point, I will be adding additional details to these areas.   
 
Anyway, here is my finished cockpit. 

 

 
And with the seats dropped into place:

 

 

 

 

 
So that's it for now.   I will mention - I had a heck of a time trying to find good reference pictures of the aft bulkhead area on both pilot's and WSO's cockpits.   I did find a few but if anyone out there has some pics that haven't previously been shared, please feel free to post them, it would be gratefully appreciated. 
 
Thanks for looking! 

Truly a great place to visit, been there twice in my life. I’m glad that they announced that no statutes will be removed!

And there are 270 people who probably loved flying on the A330, until they didn’t.   No manufacturer is infallible, the only difference was BA’s ruthless and unethical obsession to rush this plane into service and maintain the all important “shareholder value”.    
 
This issue is a case study on failed leadership.  

Truly a great place to visit, been there twice in my life. I’m glad that they announced that no statutes will be removed!

Truly a great place to visit, been there twice in my life. I’m glad that they announced that no statutes will be removed!

Truly a great place to visit, been there twice in my life. I’m glad that they announced that no statutes will be removed!

A B-1 and B-2

A B-1 and B-2

A B-1 and B-2

A B-1 and B-2

A B-1 and B-2

Let me throw this question out there.  Since it is a conversion of the same subject to fit the same kit, just how is one supposed to make it “different” than yours?  Not trying to take sides here, but the F-5A is an F-5A.  I see several differences in what appears to be the tabs on the air brake doors? as well.  I also see similarities like the intakes laid out the same in casting form. 
Have you ordered a set and put digital calipers on them to verify?  This might be a dead giveaway. Or try swapping around your parts for their parts to see if they mate up?

Years ago I remember a thread coming up about Rhino and DMold Phantom intakes were the same.  I ordered both sets and did a test fit.  To the naked eye, they looked identical. But I could see the difference once I started fitting them to the plastic parts. 

In the end we are going to get screwed over. But let’s hear no evil, speak no evil, and see no evil because you might offend someone.