Phlock of Phreaking Phantoms Phorever

[DaleRFU]

Just when I thourght that I couldn't get anymore of these beauties, you go and pile more on . Top Job Mike

[sr01]

Fantastic job ,Mike
I've sent you a PM
Cheers
Brian

[mikeblaze]

I put a little extra time in this weekend, and got the F-4B and F-4N version 2 packages posted to AVSIM; so it's been a big Phantom weekend here. I am down to just the J and S packages now, there is a light at the end of this tunnel now (and it isn't the train.....). Enjoy the pictures.

[mikeblaze]

Here are some screenshots of the first paints for the upcoming J/S packages......

[mikeblaze]

Hit the wrong button, here are the J pictures....

[Chrisb]

Mike,

What you have done for the phanatics among us is phantastic and it does look as if you will glad to have them finished but may I respectfully ask, as I have never seen you mention it, do you have any plans for the 'E' marque and will there ever be a 'G'. I know that this question may seem very ungrateful but believe me when I say it is not meant to be in the slightest.

Chris

[mikeblaze]

For ChrisB and all of the other wondering fans.....

I want to get these early-model (short-nose) Phantoms done first; giving MAIW the chance to release any F-4E projects it has under wraps (I think the only contemporary one left would be the Turkish Air Force). That being said, I have the RF-4C and F-4G source file up to my standard (with my add-in modeling stuff), and the F-4E early/late versions will be sure to follow. But, like I said, I'm not rushing this part of it, out of respect for the source where I got this material, I don't want to accidentally step on anybody's head at MAIW.

So, I will finish the J and S packages, then turn to some of the other projects I am neck-deep into, and then we will re-visit the Phantoms.

BTW, the RF-4C is being modded into the USN/USMC RF-4B, so the Phantom project on my end is far from over.......

MP

[Chrisb]

Mike,

That is great news and I hope you didn't mind me asking. I will look forward to them.

Chris

[Garysb]

There is a plan for the Turkish ones
'Bout all I can say


Gary

[mikeblaze]

Little story on why you shouldn't drink alcohol while modeling or painting......

I was hot on the F-4J painting the other night, having painted in excess of twenty USMC variants, when I hit the 'wall' of fatigue (accelerated by good lager, lol). I did one quick save before bed, and accidentally, inexplicably merged an entire Photoshop group with seventeen sub-groups in it...... You got it, I merged seventeen of my USMC paints into one layer. I didn't figure this out, of course, until the next day, when no amount of un-do would save me. Fortune and luck favor the careless and the idiotic (and occasionally the inebriated), and I had already saved all textures to bitmap in their respective folders (whew.....). So, all I lost was the Photoshop source for all of these repaints, but not the end result. Morale of the story, self-explanatory......

As an aside, go over to my Crusader thread tomorrow, I think you might get to see some maiden flight pictures, with my grade-school FDE attempt until I can get the beta model to the master's FDE shop (Mike Mac).

MP

[mikeblaze]

Here is a big part of the Christmas present....... I'm posting these to AVSIM as soon as I post this. This is my long-awaited F-4Jv2 package for the USN and USMC, with four core models, 27 loadout models, and 57 repaints; plus the usual paint kit. This file includes a complete Blue Angels package with multiple one- and two-pilot models. I am two wing slats away from finishing the F-4S project, and that will complete this part of my original early-model mod of the NBAI Phantom.

[delbydoo]

Thanks a BIG bundle Mike, downloading now - and a very merry christmas to you and yours

[phantomfreak]

Mike,
One little problem I see is that the models have two boarding ladders. There should be only one and that is where the front cockpit is. Only the RAF and RN used the ladder at the rear cockpit. Just a little heads up.

[mikeblaze]

..... that's awkward.... I didn't catch the ladder thing until just now, and I just uploaded this to AVSIM...... Merry Christmas and all that; and there will definitely be an update to sort out the ladders later.......

[mikeblaze]

This is a good visual of the slats on the F-4S, they animate up and forward instead of deflecting down like the LE flaps. In the head-on picture you can see the three little fairings under the inner wings, these house the actuator arms for the inner slats.

This is the big give-away to distinguish the F-4S from late-model F-4Js since most of the antenna arrays are identical. This leads to a lot of F-4J pictures being billed as F-4S models; and the painter was not immune, lol. Three of my F-4J paints are F-4S, and are repeated in the F-4S package. Good news is that I didn't do all of the J-model painting that I wanted to, so I am planning a textures-only expansion, a drop-in-and-overwrite addition which will also disappear the false J-model paints.

[Firebird]

The S looks very nice, mate.

[phantomfreak]

Mike,

Which part of the paintkit is the nose air scoops?

[mikeblaze]

If you mean the avionics air intakes on the forward fuselage, to the left of the port (left-side) fuselage there are two little rectangles right above the QF-4 antenna texture (grey with two little black bands). These are the port/starboard avionics air intakes, not sure which is which, but you can figure it out pretty easily. If you mean the IRST on some of the early Phantoms (B/C/D/N), it is mapped directly into the nose.

MP

[Delboy99]

Hi Mike

Was the Late RAF Phantom FGR 2 package, nmai_f4m_raf_traffic_2, ever released? I have looked on Avsim and I am unable to find it. I currently have a mix of different phantom models and repaints and I want to rationalize my 1980s retro scenery using just your Phantoms.

Thanks
Derek

[gsnde]

Derek,

have a look at the AI reference on my web. I know Mike has released it, and you will find the link there.