HawkeyeHobbies wrote: |
I hope you are building 'Showtime 100' because its a significant F-4 and not because of the guy who flew it. I have a signed print of Philip Wests painting "Showtime 100" I have it hanging in my den. I wish I had picked up Robin Olds SCAT XXVII instead. Cunningham brought shame to to everything he had been associated with. Country, US Navy and his family. Had I not had deep family ties to the Phantom program this print would have been on eBay...but I keep it only because it was a milestone in the history of the aircraft. Guess it shows even some of the best can be bought-Cunningham in particular. I wonder if his RIO stills stands proudly with him? I'll step off my soapbox. You'll have to research what mission they were flying the day you are depicting your model to represent to determine what the loadout would have been. I think a standard air to air mission would suffice. They woud have dumped the Rockeyes and fuel tanks if they encountered Migs anyway. |
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Hawkeye,
Politics and Models do not mix, so lets keep politics out of it. My reason for building this kit is because on that day Duke and Irish became Aces they proved that the F-4 could out proform any MiG. They used its strengths and their training and proved that even a gunless fighter aircraft can beat a MiG when flown right. I am building it because it of what they proved not because they flew it.
First of all from your post I surmised that you have not read about their mission on May 10th, 1972, the day they became Aces. Thier primary mission was an air strike against the Hai Duong Railway and storage depo. Secondary mission was to protect A-7E's on bombing strikes. After having completed both they answered a call for help from 3 Phantoms caught up in a "wagon wheel" with 8 MiG's. They engaged and broke up the wagon wheel saving 3 planes caught in it. The rest is history.
Second, the rockeye's had already been used but, they could not eject the TER's without ejecting the Sidwinders with them. Ejecting the centerline tank wouldn't have left them enough fuel to return to the their carrier. They were not carrying wing drop tanks.
Now, as you can see I have done my homework. My dilema centers on the exact way the Rockeyes were loaded.
Rand
30 years experience building plastic models.
WIP: Revell F-14B Tomcat, backdating to F-14A VF-32 1989 Gulf Of Sidra MiG-23 Killer "Gypsy 207".