Testors 1/48 F-4G.. kill me now!
A while back I picked up a Testors 1/48 F-4G. It was a steal at like $8.00 so I thought how bad can it be?
Long story short.. It's bad.
The weapons in the kit are lousy.. It includes a Shrike, Standard ARM, 6 750lb bombs (best guess), sparrows, something resembling early sidewinders, a poorly formed modern ECM pod, and tanks. It is a decent array of weapons, but most of them look just not right. I am going to build this one with nothing on it.. So I tossed it all in the spares box in case I need it for something later.. We never can tell with these things.
I decided.. OK, great I will build it as a skill builder, paint it, practice a few things, and then have it meet its end as a target on the range some day.
The cockpit detail is non-existent, the seats don't even resemble F-4 seats, so I painted the inside black except for the seat cushions and put it together. I guess if you really wanna practice scratch building a cockpit this is a great blank slate.
The fuselage is horrible. Nothing fits right, the kit comes with a short nose, and the G nose extension. The G nose extension fits poorly, and I think mine ended up crooked. The gaps are horrible and will be a putty party later.. Which is fine, I need to work on my gap hiding- and that is why the kit isn't in the trash.
It comes with Luftwaffe F-4F and USAF WW decals.. They look decent, but nothing to write home about.
To the kits credit, the intakes are some of the better fitting I have seen on an F-4 kit.. They probably will need less attention than the intakes on any F-4 I have built previously.. Like I am talking a few swipes with a sanding stick and we are done.
Also, there is a ton of flash on everything. I am guessing the molds for this kit are ancient. I know almost all Testors kits are from now-defunct companies.. they should have let this one go.
Unless you need frustration and problems, spend a few bucks and get a decent kit. It isn't like there is any shortage of F-4 kits on the market.