Iliad Design has a set of decals for 6 numerically significant US F-4 Phantoms. The sheet covers every 1000^th F-4 manufactured, plus the very last F-4 made at the St. Louis factory. The markings are as such that any 1/48^th kit of the appropriate F-4 version (B, D, E, J) will work.

The instructions are printed in full color, with alternating side profile views on the front, and overhead views and painting instructions and callouts on the reverse side.

Decals are sharp, in register, and the smaller writing is decently legible.  Some common markings/stenciling will have to come from the spares box if every single aircraft is built from this sheet.

The first 4 aircraft covered (numbers 1000, 2000, 3000, & 4000) are all in the standard finish of the time period (SEA camo and Gull gray over white), with the special marking normally applied on one side of the nose, but the #3000 F-4J has the markings on both sides.  Phantomphiles should note that the #2000 F-4D had a slick radome without the lower IR fairing, and the #4000 F-4E has the longer gun muzzle faring.

 The 5000^th bird is an F-4E specially marked from radome to rudder.  The modeler will have to paint the light blue and dark blue stripes on the fuselage, and outer wing panels.  The colors used weren’t part of the FS color range, but the instructions give you directions on how to achieve those colors.  The fun really begins when you have to apply all of the flag decals.  Each flag is an individual decal, plus each flag decal has a slightly oversized white background that produces a white border around each one.  That’s 44 individual decals that need to be perfectly aligned. Tedious, no doubt, but stunning when properly executed.

 The final bird, another F-4E is in the then-new compass grey scheme, with the special marking on the right side of the nose.

Chris Ishmael

 Review courtesy of this phantom phantic’s wallet.