ProModeler F-4 Phantom

I think it comes down to the individual aircraft or the air force thats using it.

Most F-4E's I've seen in USAF service have both the speed brake and its well painted white.

I've seen photos of USN and USMC Phantoms with red speed brakes and wells or white speed brakes and wells with the speed brakes having a red edge painted on them.

I've seen several photos of RAF Phantoms with speed brakes and wells that were White, aluminum overcoat or yellow zinc chromate. Whatever the case was, the well always seemed to match the brake in colour.

Do your research into the individual aircraft you're modeling for this issue.

All US Air Force F-4's had the inside of the speed brake wells painted gloss white. The inside of the speed brake was red. Any opening danger item was painted red, ie aux air doors and speed brakes. The white inside of the well was so hyd leaks could be seen, as hyd fluid was red in color. This was the standard on all paint schemes, from SEA to HILL GRAY.

I have not seen the ProModeler F-4E so I can't comment on that part of your question.

The ProModeler F-4, along with most of the recent ProModeler releases, is indeed a Hasegawa kit.


Fade to Black...

Yup. For a while there, ProModeler was releasing brand new stuff (albeit some was cast-off DML projects). No more! It's all Hasegawa reboxes now.

To the members of the forum that seem to know the backround, history and origin of a kit I ask this...How do you get your info? Is there some publication, press release or central location to go to? Or do you guys just have a lot of kits and a photographic memory?

Just curious

Darren

Speaking for myself, I've been in the hobby for right around twenty years. Except for the few years while in my teens when I first discovered guitars and girls, I've immersed myself in modeling and all that goes along with it. It's become one of my many life's passions and I've turned it into an art.

I shared the hobby with my Dad almost until he died and at one time or another, between the two of us, we've owned just about every plastic aircraft model kit that's been produced. He alone claimed the same for car models, especially racing cars. There's hardly a modeling rag that's been published that we haven't owned, either.

I just know the modeling world, at least the parts which I choose to interest myself in. I make it my business to know the hobby. And I sometimes think that I may have a photographic memory.

I've gained an insatiable thirst for knowledge about the subjects that I model, and fancy myself as something of an historian.

Some folks look at me as being a know-it-all, but I really don't give a rat's a** what they think. I have a great deal of knowledge in my head, and an even greater amount of information around me. A library containing thousands of books and rags, access to the internet and a lifetime's worth of experiences will make anyone into an "expert". But I don't consider myself an expert; after all, the world is run by experts and look where we are.

But I do have all this information available to me and I like to share it. If that makes me a know-it-all, so be it!


Fade to Black...

Is it a bad thing that Promodeler is releasing other
manufacturers kits? Especially if they are great kits at a reas-
onable price ?
Blackwolf,
The folks that call you a know- it-all are the one's
that rip apart everyone's models then walk away without
helping or teaching . They'll tell you everything that's wrong
how they're going to do it right, but you never see their projects.
I think it's GREAT for the forum and the hobby
that you share your information and modeling skills.
Thanks for everything and keep up the good work !
fuzzy

I "know what I know" alot from this forum, and owe a lot of that to people like blackwolfscd!

Concerning ProModeler- rerelease of Hasegawa- all good in my opinon. They are able to offer it at a lower price to the consumer because since they are a domestic producer (of the Hasegawa molds), they skip the import tariffs that we normally see from Asian kits. This is a win-win for Monogram-Revell and the American consumer. Monogram-Revell reaps increased margins (taking their cut) and we get a lower priced kit WITH English language instructions.

I'm working on my MBA- and IMHO I'd have to say that the Managementment of Monogram-Revel is doing a fine job in this respect.

I for one don't think it's a really bad thing, the deal that Hasegawa has with ProModeler/Revellogram/Revell of Germany (I'll just refer to them all collectively as Revellogram).

I think that if Revellogram has stopped making their own original kits, either temporarily or (eeeck!) permanently, it's a good thing that they've chosen to market those of another manufacturer instead of sitting idle and simply rereleasing all their existing kits over and over again.

In a way, marketing another company's kits could be perceived as being no better than this last practice, but just think of all those who will be exposed to these kits for the first time.

There's plenty of folks out there who may never have even seen a Hasegawa kit, much less built one, for whatever reason. Some hobby shops or other outlets where people buy models may only carry domestic kits, or kits of certain manufacture. They may be unable or unwilling to carry certain foreign kits because of possible limited options available to them. Their suppliers of choice may not offer a wide variety of kits or they may not be able to handle the minimum dollar amounts involved when dealing with certain distributors.

Also, there is a timeworn factor here; that of pride. Some folks, whether they be hobby shop owners or other retailers or, more commonly, the consumer himself, may not want to buy anything that's not made in the USA. It's tough to do these days sometimes, but I know several people who, to varying degrees, try to avoid products of foreign manufacture if at all possible.

If a box says Monogram or Revell or Revllogram or ProModeler or... (you get the picture!) then some folks may be more inclined to buy that kit because it's an American name. And more often than not they're oblivious to the origin of the contents of that box.

So, even though at first I frowned upon Revellogram doing this, I've come to accept it as a good thing. Especially when a particular local deep-discount hobby shop gets a shipment of these kits...

And thanks for the kind words, fellas.


Fade to Black...

Revell Germany have produced some great kits recently, only to be let down by re releasing some of monograms junk.
The problem now is that it is hit or miss when you buy a pro modeler /Revell kit.
You can be lucky with Revells HE177 or unlucky with their F14.

With the Hasegawa F4E in short supply,( they seem to be concentrating on the navy tooms at the moment), it is nice to know that their E is available from another source.

BTW, I want an RF4B, C and E RIGHT NOW.These models have been neglected for too long.

Hey all,
I have already peeked into the "Pro Modelers" F-4E. Yupper its a Hasegawa kit.
Y, because I have a few of the Hasegawas E's and everything is the same except for the markings!!
Well just think of it this way, you'll save give or take $10-14 on the "Pro Modeler" release than if you were to by the other mfg F-4.
Flaps up, Mike

Blackwolf and Butz are dead on. The Hasegawa kit is reborn with a new box and decals. Not a bad kit for a decent price. Steve, most of us appreciate that fact that you've got all those resources available and also in your head, and that you're willing to share. I have my own modest resources that are available to all. Hell, that's how I learned about this hobby in the first place by picking someone else's brain and library for the info that I needed. Keep on keepin' on, guy. Thanks a bunch. -Ed

I know this is an older topic, but I wanted to throw my two cents in. I have two issues with the ProModeler kits. I have a problem with the fact that they seamed to be of very limited quantity. I dont like the fact they only make a few and then they dissappear.

Secondly while I have two of the ProModeler kits so far the F-84G and the F86D Dog Sabre, the second issue is both of these kits have losely decals. They are too dark. For instance the F-84 decals the box shows them as yellow blue and red, while the dcals are brown red orange and yellow orange. The F-86 decals are supposed to be red and yet there maroon in color. What the he## gives?

The P/M kits are fairly good, but the decals are an exception. The best thing that you can do is take the money you save on the kit and purchase aftermarket decals for them. I really haven't seen a problem with the kits as "Limited Run" as of yet. Around here, most people think that they are too difficult to complete properly, so I pretty much can find whatever i want. Just my 2 cents, jimz.

demono69