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Question about Col. Chuck Yeager's F4-C (Paint Scheme)

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  • Member since
    December 2002
Question about Col. Chuck Yeager's F4-C (Paint Scheme)
Posted by Bossman on Saturday, April 11, 2009 2:07 PM

Hello all,

Wondering if there are any Historians or F4 Phantom Experts out there can help me with a question. 

I received the new Accurate Miniatures F4-C/D kit for Christmas and I am getting to the point where I'm going to start painting the exterior.  The kit comes with 5 decal options and I would like to do the one for Chuck Yeager's bird from 1968 with the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing.  The problem is that I have doubts about the color call outs given by Acc Min.  They say to paint it overall in Light Grey (FS36622) - even the underside.

My google searches have come up with nothing.

The reason I doubt the Acc Min call outs is that there is another decal option in this kit that calls out the same Light Grey overall - but I have the Fujimi instructions for the same scheme and it says that the underside should be white.  This scheme also has dark grey walk areas that are not included as decals or on the illustrations of the Acc Min kit.  This makes me wonder whether Yeager's F-4 would have had the dark grey walk areas too.

If anyone can shed any light on the underside color - your input would be greatly appreciated.

My wife says that I should offer our English Setter in trade for useful information.  Although I'd never get rid of him - he's being particularly obnoxious today.  Canine spring fever I guess.

Thanks !

Chris

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Cleveland, OH
Posted by RadMax8 on Saturday, April 11, 2009 2:21 PM
Bossman, you are correct, Accurate Miniatures fudge d the color scheme. I saw a corrected one somewheres, I'll try to track it down for you!
  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Saturday, April 11, 2009 2:33 PM
Early F-4Cs were delivered in the same paint scheme as their Navy counterparts, 36440 Lt Gull Gray over White. Later in production they switched to the SEA camo. Any overall monotone gray scheme on Air force F-4s would be the ADC/Aircraft gray that was re introduced on interceptor tasked f-4s in the 1970s.

 

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U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

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  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Panama City, Florida, Hurricane Alley
Posted by berny13 on Saturday, April 11, 2009 3:28 PM

4th Tactical Fighter Wing
"Fourth But First"
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro, North Carolina, 1967-1970



The 4th Tactical Fighter Wing previously parented F-105 Thunderchief equipped 334th, 335th and 336th Tactical Fighter Squadrons from Seymour Johnson AFB, N. Carolina. Component squadrons re-equipped with F-4D in 1967. The Wing's aircraft were not camouflaged until 1968. The aircraft would have been painted in the Gull Gray (FS 36440) over gloss white. 4th TFW deployed to Kunsan AB, South Korea, following the USS Pueblo crisis between 29 January and 29 July 1968 and assigned to Fifth Air Force, at Japan. The 334th and 335th TFS deployed with the 336th TFS held in reserve. Tailcodes in the "S" range were implemented; "SA" for the 334th TFS, "SB" for the 335th TFS, "SC" for the 336th TFS during this deployment. The unit was under the command of aerospace legend, Colonel Charles E. Yeager between 23 March 1968 and 30 May 1969. In June 1968, the 336th TFS deployed to Kwangju AB, South Korea and attached to the 6175th Air Base Group when the 334th and 335th TFS returned home. 336th TFS returned to Seymour Johnson AFB in July 1969.
4th TFW assigned to Ninth Air Force on 24 December 1969. Two component squadrons, the 334th TFS and the 335th TFS, were attached during 1969 to the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, South Korea. Squadrons returned to the Seymour Johnson AFB in May 1970. 4th Tactical Fighter Wing re-equipped with F-4E during 1970.

Above: 4th TFW Boss Bird. This aircraft flown by Colonel Charles E. Yeager. F-4D-31-MC Phantom II, 66-7678 / SA. 4th TFW, 334th TFS, Seymour Johnson AFB, N. Carolina. Aircraft in standart Air Force SEA camouflage scheme.

4th Tactical Fighter Wing F-4D squadrons:

  • 334th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  • 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  • 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  • Berny

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    • Member since
      June 2008
    • From: Iowa
    Posted by Hans von Hammer on Saturday, April 11, 2009 4:06 PM
    Berny's dead-on.. Dad was AXO at that time in the 334th when COL Yeager was the Wing King, although he (Yeager) did most of his flying as CO in the wing's B-57 hack...

    • Member since
      December 2002
    Posted by Bossman on Saturday, April 11, 2009 6:12 PM

    Max, Stick, Berny, & Hans,

    Thanks so much for the info.  I really appreciate the input.  I'll be sure to post the results.

    Chris

    • Member since
      April 2009
    Posted by gmat on Sunday, April 12, 2009 9:07 AM
    Here are two photos of 4th TFW Wing Commander's aircraft F-4Ds taken at Yokota AB in Japan. Initially, 4th TFW F-4Ds arrived in Japan, and by inference, Korea, sans tail codes. When they returned to Korea for the second deployment, they had the familiar SA/SB tail codes. In the first deployment, only the wing commander's aircraft had any tail code, in this case, XD in a non standard smaller size.

    Photo by T. Matsuzaki


    Photo by K.Yoshida.


    From my old friends, the Yokota Kichiguys.
    Thanks everyone.
    Best wishes,
    Grant

    • Member since
      December 2002
    Posted by Bossman on Sunday, April 12, 2009 7:08 PM

    Thanks Grant !

    **EDIT**

    The Accurate Miniatures decal set for Yeager's F4 match the markings used on the F4 with the SA tail code and SEA scheme as shown in your pic - so I guess that settles it.  If I wanted to build an earlier Gull Grey/White bird, Id'd have to get new decals and find some other reference pics.  

     ****

    And by the way - Welcome to the forum !

    Chris

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