In 1962, the US Marine Corps began it’s 30-year operation of  the F-4 Phantom II. In 1992, the last USMC F-4s were retired when VMFA-112 transitioned to the Hornet.

    There will always be a space in my heart for Navy & Marine fighters, bicentennial birds, hi-viz schemes, and units that were stationed where I’ve been stationed.  This old Microscale decal sheet (48-284) hi-viz USMC Phantoms in the gloss gull gray over white scheme from the mid-1970s, with one squadron from MCAS Kaneohe Bay.  It certainly fills my bill. 

    One jet featured is a F-4J (155885) from VMFA-212 from MCAS Kaneohe Bay from around 1977. VMFA-212 at MCAS Kaneohe was one of the last active-duty operators of the naval fighter-version of the Phantom and did so until 1988.  It features an all-white tail white a blue chevron outline and the squadron insignia.  Interestingly, this jet wore noseart.  The port splitter plate bears sports 5 kills with the title “Yuma ’76 VMFA-212”.  The right splitter plate reads “Top Gun ‘77” and sports an exploding aircraft.

    For the 1976 US Bicentennial VMFP-3 painted three thin-wing RF-4Bs in special red, white, & blue schemes.  The other jet on this sheet is one of those three jets (153101). This jet had insignia blue paint on the tail,canopy, and nose.  There were 13 white stars on each side of the tail, and 13 insignia blue stars on each stabilator. Red, white, & blue letters were used for the “VMFP-3” designator and modex.  A camera-bearing Phantom Spook noseart is included.  Red & white decals are present to edge the insignia blue on the nose. Finally a banner was on the side of the fuselage.  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 photos of this aircraft  This jet RF-4B had the J79-GE-8 engines with the shorter afterburner cans (the style seen on F-4B/C/D/N) when it these markings were worn.

    There are on enough stencils are provided for 1 models, but there are plenty of resources available to Phantom Phans who wish to model both jets.

    My sample is in perfect registration, your results may vary.  This sheet is long out-of-production, but the same VMFP-3 RF-4B markings were included as one of the decal options for the Testors RF-4. Other VMFA-212 F-4J-era markings were later produced by FoxOne decals, but that sheet is also out-of-production.

December 2004 

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