1/48 Monogram F-4C/D Phantom.....497 TFS

[thug626]

Good morning Mark,
I'm not sure how I missed this build but, I am glad to see it resurrected. A belated welcome to MSCF.
I certainly appreciate that which drives you to build this particular bird. Your work on it belies that you've been away from the hobby for 40+ years. On that note, welcome back.
I and, I am certain many others here look forward to seeing you compete this magnificent aircraft. Please by all means, stick around and show us more of your builds.

Sincerely
Dave

P.S. The Phantom is one of my favorite fast movers.

[mark]

Hello to all!

I haven't been here in a while because I haven't been model building....I'm kneedeep into the building of a boat, mentioned a few posts back, and there's not a lot of time for anything else.

So, as fate will often dictate, one thing leads to another. My Photobucket account took some sort of hit, and a bunch of my pictures were lost. Among the loss were pictures of my model builds, so I came here today to verify if my pictures were, indeed, gone. Sadly, reality is confirmed: Lots of pictures missing.


BUT: coming here, I get to read some nice reviews, AND I get to see Maria's post! It's wonderful to hear from you.

I was given the bracelet in the early '70s by my mom as a birthday present. I wanted one (everyone was wearing them), and she got it. The name was totally random. Yet, all these years later, Joseph Echanis is someone with whom I feel a very deep connection.....and understandably so, as he's been on my wrist for about 45 years. I feel a very deep kindred spirit with your family, although I've never met any of you.

If he was your uncle, then Victoria is your cousin....yes? She and I e-mailed briefly 15+ years ago, and I learned a great deal about your uncle.

Just today, I read about a Marine F4 pilot who's remains were repatriated from Laos, and it renews my hope that your uncle, too, will someday come home.

Thank you for posting,

[sturmbird]

Sept 2, 2015 22:54:12 GMT -5 mark said:

Hey all,

I'm brand new here, and this is my first thread...and my first model in over 40 years!  I'm 57 and haven't built a model since I was 16.  My re-entry into the world of modeling is with this kit, familiar to most of you, I'm sure:



Why build this model?  Why build ANY model?

In 1971, I...like many others, young & old alike...got a "POW Bracelet".  Anyone old enough to remember those?  In early '73, the POWs came home.  Those listed as MIA did not.  In a year or 2, very few people were still wearing bracelets.  But a few people kept wearing them.  Some never took theirs off.  I'm one of them.

"My MIA" was a GIB (guy in back) on an F-4; 8TFW, 497TFS out of Ubon, Thiland.  "Night Owls", they were called...and they flew at night, in complete darkness, working as forward air controllers and bombing supply lines at night along the Laos border.  Hairy stuff.

So I decided to build an F-4 for "my guy".

I really don't know what I'm doing...this is my first time with detailed (dinky) brushes, first time ever using an airbrush, first time mixing / thinning paints....but things are going well enough to keep me happy!  That said, I'm already seeing things to do differently next time.  Still, compared to some of the work I've seen on this and other forums, I have a long way to go!

Nevertheless.....here it is, 90% done.  My first kit in 40+ years!



The tail is FP...for the 497TFS.  The serial number is that of "my guy".  The actual plane was 66-7748, but during the late '60s, the Air Force had a curious habit of "moving the digits over", so the plane read 67-748.

The stock monogram decals were of no help, so I looked around until I found something usable:  Furball 48-030.  There was no FP, but there was an "E"...and a "B".  Armed only with determination & my exacto, in a few short minutes the tail said FP.

Same with the numbers.  I had to cut up other sequences to get "my guy's" tail number.

Most wonderful of all, that set came with a "Night Owl"...except, upon receiving the decals, I saw that it was the short, stubby owl that wasn't very commonly used.  Most planes of the 497th had a simple, stenciled white owl with very little detail, and it was taller, too.  So I figured "why not try?", and I made a stencil and sprayed on my own owl.

I *may* go back over it with a fine black brush (or even a razor-tipped sharpie...is that cheating?) and add some details...or I may just leave it as-is.  Haven't decided.




Camouflage.  I have no idea what the heck I'm doing, and I've never used an airbrush before.....but I think it came out pretty ok, all things considered.



Cockpit:  well, I thought I was doing pretty well!  Then I saw some of the stuff you guys do.  Suffice it to say, I now know where the goal line is!  We'll call this one a "good attempt".....like a missed field goal from the 30 yard line...




More pictures to follow as I finish it up.

Oh....and "My Guy", for those who might be interested...Maj. Joseph Echanis, USAF.  Lost 11/5/69. 



Standing, 5th from the left



So this F-4 is not "just a model" to me.  It's sort of a tribute....to I guy I don't know, yet who's become like part of my skin.

I lived right next to the "trail" for nine months. Been up and down the Lao border from about three klicks south of the Ashau Valley to Kam Duc. Watched it evolve from 30 caliber and 51 caliber to radar guided 57mm and 37mm AA.
I left the last of February in 69, and I have a good memory of the "Trail." At times too damned good.

Phantoms rolled thru there by the hour, and later we started to see Intruders, but all these followed the little A4's. There were even F111's rolling thru there every now and then. The brunt was carried by the F105's, and they always seemed to roll in outta no where at maybe 500 feet. Be gone in a split second. The Intruders usually did four to six passes, and then had to gas up again. A Phantom had maybe fifteen minutes by the time he got out there. Apache Six and a KC135 were always in orbit nearby. I doubt I ever heard your guy on the fire push, as I was back in the world before he got there.

We always monitored the fire push to gain an edge. Plus we were in constant contact with at least three SF A Teams out there, and got daily intel from the local SOG teams twice a day. Your guy must have drifted deeper into Laos than was permitted by Sullivans and his predessors. No (as in zero) POW's were ever returned from Laos, but they admitted to having 315 live bodies.

Anyway we all will meet again on the otherside
gary