Since it’s first flight on 27 May 1958, the F-4 Phantom has been adapted to many roles.  One of these was photo-reconnaissance and the US Marine Corps began operating the RF-4B in 1965.  The first 36 RF-4Bs (BuNo 151975-151983, 153089-153115) were the RF-4C nose mated with the F-4B airframe.  As result, these aircraft all had noses with angular noses and thin F-4B/N wings.  Losses necessitated the production of a second batch of 10 RF-4Bs (BuNo157342-157351) which were based on the F-4J airframe.  As a result, these RF-4Bs all had the thick wing subsequent to the F-4.  The last three (157349-15751) had received the rounded nose . The Corps formally retired the RF-4B in September 1990. With that retirement, the last active-duty Marine Phantoms were history.

  RF-4Bs were operated by three composite squadrons (VMCJ-1, -2, & -3) until 1975 when all survivors were consolidated into one squadron (VMFP-3).  This decal sheet features RF-4Bs in the high-visibility USN/USMC gloss gull gray over white scheme from before and after that consolidation.

    One jet is a thin-wing RF-4B (153102) from VMCJ-1.  It features a green tail and yellow markings on the tail along with a squadron insignia.  The “615” modex might indicate a detachment bound for cruise on the USS Midway.

    The other jet is a thick-wing RF-4B (157346) from VMFP-3.  This black-tailed jet had white racing stripes and tail code.  The instructions state that the area around the canopy is insignia blue, but period photos indicate that it could also be gloss black.

    Stencils are provided for 2 models, but there are only enough MARINES titles and star-and-bars for only 1.

    Both of these jets had the angular nose.  Since the RF-4B went through a few antenna and engine combinations in it’s three-decade service, it would be best to refer to period photos of the aircraft modeled.  Many RF-4Bs survived long enough to be retrofitted with J79-GE-10 engines that had long afterburner cans (as in the F-4E/F/G/J/S-style cans). Both of these aircraft had the J79-GE-8 engines with the shorter afterburner cans (the style seen on F-4B/C/D/N) during the mid-1970s period that these markings cover.

    With the release of the 1/48 Hasegawa thick-wing RF-4B, I eagerly awaited a slew of new aftermarket decal releases.  I’m still waiting.  Any aficionado of high-visibility USN/USMC schemes or Phantom Phan probably won’t have too much difficulty finding this out-of-production sheet. (Perhaps because the earlier Italeri/Testors RF-4B/C was so “less-than-inspiring”, I managed to buy this sheet from an on-line hobby store this year.)

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