The F-4 Phantom II has been used for a number of interesting mods in its life, but one of the more unusual was the Israeli F-4E(S), a conversion to allow the very sophisticated HIAC-1 camera to be carried. This was referred to as the F-4X project in the US. As Israel is constantly paranoid about efforts of some neighboring countries to plan invasions or bring up troops and weapons to the border, it is imperative to have a sophisticated camera recce system to look as far as possible without over-flying other nation's territory. Three aircraft were converted in the mid 1970s and one was rumored to have been lost sometime in 1982. I believe the remaining aircraft have since been retired.

The Cutting Edge set is simplicity in itself. Once the kit nose is cut along the appropriate panel line near the front of the windscreen, it is a simple matter to build up the conversion nose and then graft it in place. The replacement nose includes the camera and its mounts as well as all the clear bits you'd need. These clear pieces are keyed so they won't fit in the wrong way. The instruction sheet includes detailed photos to assist with assembly and step by step instructions on doing the conversion. As with all Cutting Edge resin products, the resin is flawless.

If you can't fine Cutting Edge products at your local hobby shop, you can order direct from the link below.