This is another in the new Osprey Modelling series and concentrates on the F-4 Phantom II. The book is geared towards those who are beyond producing straight out of the box and are already comfortable with aftermarket parts and detail scratch-building. As with the others in this series, there are a lot of images; all of them well taken and all of them in full color. This edition uses a number of images of the actual plane taken by the authors at various airshows and other events to highlight the various chapters.

One would think that a book of this size would be incapable of doing justice to such a widely modeled subject, but the authors have done a credible job and Phantom modelers will find much in these pages to inspire them.

The book opens with a general introduction to the F-4 and a list of basic modeling materials and safety precautions. It then goes into the first of five builds. The builds are: Hasegawa 1/48 F-4G, Revell AG 1/72 RF-4E, Hasegawa 1/48 Phantom FGR.2, Tamiya 1/32 F-4J(UK), and Tamiya 1/32 F-4E.

These articles are followed by a section of special modeling ideas on creating realistic metallic areas, using pastels for weathering, building a realistic hardstand and photographing your model.

The final sections are a bibliography of F-4 websites and a listing of available (2003) Phantom II kits. A color chart of those colors used in the kits built for this book is also provided, though due to the four color printing process should be used just as a general guide.

The quality of the kit builds is really first rate. Despite a few glitches that only those intimately involved with the F-4 would notice (like the drop tank pins are on the same side of the pylon on both sides rather than how it is shown in the model), there is a lot of useful information in the book. If the book has a down side it is that there is no way to adequately go into the subject of the F-4 in just the pages provided. The authors have chosen to concentrate on their areas of interest and that is quite understandable. Being a British publication, there is only one article on a US F-4 and one of the last being operated at that. No USN or Vietnam era planes. No mention of the SEA or Euro I camo schemes. The kit listing has nothing on the older kits that are still easily found (at least here in the US) such as the Monogram versions or Fujimi versions save for the Brit Phantoms.

The book is, in my opinion, a bit light on the 'how to'. There is a lot of 'I did this' but little on the process of getting to there. Now I'm not really sure if this series is supposed to be of that nature or not. It is very nice to see the level of detail that goes into some of these models, but it would be equally nice to have a step by step on how that was achieved. Perhaps doing so would limit the number of possible articles or require fewer actual aircraft photos, but I think it is something that the series editor should take into consideration.

Regardless, this is a very nice book and it is obvious that the modelers are very talented. It is a joy to see work of this quality and level of detail and if that is what you want in a book, then this is one I can highly recommend to you.

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