Scale aviation modeller international

Airfix 1/72 Phantom FG.1 by Huw Morgan

I

n the early 1960s, Royal Nav y

eyes were focused on the

Hawker Siddeley P.1154 Mach

2 V/STOL fighter (being developed

alongside the P.1127 Kestrel,

which became the Harrier) to

replace its ageing Sea Vixen

fleet. Development problems,

rising costs, and a divergence of

requirements between potential

Nav y and RAF versions caused

the P1154 to stumble; support

was withdrawn in 1963, and the

Nav y, like the RAF, settled for

a purpose-built version of the

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom,

designated FG.1 (Fighter/Ground

Attack Mark 1) in Navy service.

Before the FG.1 could become

fully established as a presence

in the Royal Navy, a series of

events conspired to cause a major

reduction in Navy carrier capability,

which consolidated all Phantom

operations onto a single ship, HMS

Ark Royal, in the shape of 892

Squadron. Half the FG.1 airframes

ordered were diverted directly

to the RAF, with the remaining

ex-892 machines following in

1978 when the Phantom was

withdrawn from Navy service.

Originally designated the F-4K

by McDonnell Douglas, the Navy’s

FG.1 was essentially an F-4J with

a significant British parts count

to offset the dollar cost – most

significantly the substitution of

Rolls-Royce Spey 203 engines for

the American J79s, and a Ferranti-

built AN/AWG-11 radar, a licence

built version of the AWG-10.

A number of aerodynamic

changes were incorporated to

suit the demands of operations

from the small British carriers,

most noticeably the double-

extending nose wheel leg, slotted

stabilators to increase tailplane

authority, and more powerful

Boundary Layer Control blowing.

Late in life, many airframes were

fitted with a Marconi ARI 18228

RWR in a boxy fin-top fairing.

KIT DETAILS

KIT: PHANTOM FG.1 (F-4K)

MANUFACTURER: AIRFIX

SCALE: 1/72

PRODUCT CODE: A06016

PANEL LINES: RECESSED

STATUS: NEW-TOOL

DECAL OPTIONS: 3 (ALL EXTRA DARK

SEA GREY OVER WHITE)

GHOST

Navy

22 • MAY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

BY SACCO DE VRIES

PHANTOM FG.1

BY HUW MORGAN

1/72

022-29-FEAT-Phantom-0518.indd 22 13/04/2018 14:09