If you’re looking for a RF-4 round nose conversion for the Tamiya kit….

[thierry laurent]

3 hours ago, Lee White said:

Is there a way to modify the Revell nose to the rounded variant?

To give you a simple reply: where do you think this 'new' nose as well as the Blackbox set were coming from ...?

[allbann]

I was tempted to buy one at first. 
But this nose is going to end up around 200usd by the time it end up in my mailbox.

 

i can get 2 Tamiya Phantoms for that price. 

[allbann]

I know nothing about Phantoms, i want to build a JASDF RF-4E. What kit is the best to start with.

 Phantom phreaks say this nose is for the Tamiya F-4j, why the J and not the E?

 

i have the Revell RF-4C, Tamiya E and Tamiya EJ in the stash

[Tony T]

1 hour ago, allbann said:

I know nothing about Phantoms, i want to build a JASDF RF-4E. What kit is the best to start with.

 Phantom phreaks say this nose is for the Tamiya F-4j, why the J and not the E?

 

i have the Revell RF-4C, Tamiya E and Tamiya EJ in the stash

 

The conversion kit lacks the RF-4E NLG door — you would have to take or copy your Revell RF-4C one. Otherwise the EJ for some common stencilling etc., but with new nozzles.

 

HTH

 

Tony 

[thierry laurent]

You can combine the Tamiya and Revell exhausts. This is how some corrected exhaust masters were made for the Tamiya kit! Use the Tamiya part with some heavy sanding of the external side of the parts to make the exhaust internals and use the Revell parts (heavily sanded on the internal side) to make the external skin of the petals. 

[JMcD]

Not the perfect deal... not even a good one. I'd expect something much better for 90$. Better casting and clear parts to start with...

New brands are selling full set of very detailed 1:32nd scale resin kits with dozens of parts under 200$ nowadays!

Edited October 17, 2021 by JMcD

[Dave Williams]

You’ll also need the Air Force style rear cockpit, refueling door on the spine, and curved inboard pylons, but I believe all of those parts are still in the -J kit as unused parts.

Edited October 17, 2021 by Dave Williams

[Mark B.]

1 hour ago, Dave Williams said:

You’ll also need the Air Force style rear cockpit, refueling door on the spine, and curved inboard pylons, but I believe all of those parts are still in the -J kit as unused parts.

 

It depends on which F-4J boxing you have.  Item # 60306 F-4J USN does not have the G spure with he rounded pylons while Item # 60308 F-4J USMC does.  

 

But my  question was why use the “J” kit and not the “C/D” kit?  Both the “J” kits and the “C/D” kits share the same fuselage part so why not use that kit as your basis?  Could Phantom Phreaks have made a typo and meant to say use the “C/D” as the basis.  Then you take care of the all the extra issues of nose landing gear doors, air force rear cockpit and the refueling door issues. Yes I know you now have to get after market exhaust nozzles, but that is a lot easier and cheaper than buying a Revell RF-4C or Tamiya F-4D/C kit for nose gear doors. 

[thierry laurent]

I'm sure this somewhat strange recommendation is coming from the need for late J79 exhausts.

[Dave Williams]

38 minutes ago, Mark B. said:

 

It depends on which F-4J boxing you have.  Item # 60306 F-4J USN does not have the G spure with he rounded pylons while Item # 60308 F-4J USMC does.  

 

But my  question was why use the “J” kit and not the “C/D” kit?  Both the “J” kits and the “C/D” kits share the same fuselage part so why not use that kit as your basis?  Could Phantom Phreaks have made a typo and meant to say use the “C/D” as the basis.  Then you take care of the all the extra issues of nose landing gear doors, air force rear cockpit and the refueling door issues. Yes I know you now have to get after market exhaust nozzles, but that is a lot easier and cheaper than buying a Revell RF-4C or Tamiya F-4D/C kit for nose gear doors. 

The C/D has unslotted stabs, while the RF-4E needs slotted stabs.

[aircommando130]

Would love to do a Israeli Air Force RF-4E in the gray paint with the round nose! 

Synthetic Ordinance Works to the rescue with the windows.....as the cost goes 

up even more...

 

Cheers....Ron

[Mark B.]

4 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

The C/D has unslotted stabs, while the RF-4E needs slotted stabs.

Touche.  Forgot about that point, but real model from CZ has replacement slotted stabilizers. Real Model Stabs .  They are for Revell F-4 kits though so maybe there might be issues installing on Tamiya kits. 

 

So either way we are left with a bit of problem.  Start with C/D kits and work on slotted stabs.  Start with a J kit and work on rear cockpit and nose gear doors.  And either way you are looking for exhaust nozzles.  One wonders why Phantom Phreaks left out the doors?

[aircommando130]

I bought a couple of the F-4J sprues with the slotted stabilator for the cutting edge F-4E/G

that I haven't used yet. Maybe that sprue is on Ebay to pick up. 

 

Cheers....Ron

[Lee White]

10 hours ago, thierry laurent said:

To give you a simple reply: where do you think this 'new' nose as well as the Blackbox set were coming from ...?

Fair enough, but what steps were needed? If it really were as simple as filing down a few sharp edges, everybody would have done it by now. I'm thinking that there must be some more, subtle mods that have made making it a DIY mod impractical.

[thierry laurent]

20 minutes ago, Lee White said:

Fair enough, but what steps were needed? If it really were as simple as filing down a few sharp edges, everybody would have done it by now. I'm thinking that there must be some more, subtle mods that have made making it a DIY mod impractical.

Well. It is essentially a matter of planning to assess what you will keep from each kit. When I measured them years ago the surgery did not look very risky. Do not take for granted aftermarket always means complicated to do oneself with basic tools. This is far from being true. I have seen at least three recce kits made that way by different people.