The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force. It was used extensively by all three of these services during the Vietnam War, serving as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, as well as being important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles by the close of U.S. involvement in the war.

First entering service in 1960, the Phantom continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force and the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy. It remained in service in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. The Phantom was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab - Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms in the Iran - Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with seven countries, and in use as an unmanned target in the U.S. Air Force.

Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built. This extensive run makes it the second most-produced Western jet fighter, behind the famous F-86 Sabre at just under 10,000 examples.

The F-4 Phantom was designed as a fleet defense fighter for the U.S. Navy, and first entered service in 1960. By 1963, it had been adopted by the U.S. Air Force for the fighter-bomber role. When production ended in 1981, 5,195 Phantom IIs had been built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft. Until the advent of the F-15 Eagle, the F-4 also held a record for the longest continuous production for a fighter with a run of 24 years. Innovations in the F-4 included an advanced pulse-doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe.

The RF-4 was an unarmed photographic reconnaissance version of the USAF's F-4C which carried a variety of film-based and side-looking radar [SLAR] sensors for the Air Force [RF-4C] and the Marine Corps [RF-4B].

In February 1963, the Marine Corps agreed to acquire the first 9 of what would eventually amount to a fleet of 46 RF-4Bs, a photographic reconnaissance version of the basic F-4 Phantom. The RF-4B was generally similar to the more numerous Air Force RF-4C, with a lengthened nose designed for reconnaissance applications. Three separate camera bays in the nose were designated Stations 1, 2, and 3, and carried a variety of cameras, which unlike the cameras of the RF-4Cs were on rotating mounts so they could be aimed at targets off the flight path.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a US Navy McDonnell F-4J Phantom II Fighter-Bomber that was piloted by Lieutenant Matthew Connelly and known as "Showtime 106", which was attached to VF-96 "Fighting Falcons", and embarked upon the USS Constellation (CV-64), on May 10th 1972. Pre-order! Ship Date: May 2025.

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-1/4-inches
Length: 10-1/2-inches

Release Date: ?

Historical Account: "Fighting Falcons" - VF-96 embarked aboard USS Constellation for a deployment to Vietnam from October 1st, 1971, to July 1st, 1972. During this deployment, on May 10th, Lieutenant Duke Cunningham and Lieutenant j.g. William P. Driscoll of VF-96 scored their aerial victories becoming the only US Navy aces of the war. Three more VPAF MiG-17s were downed by two other VF-96 crews that same day, two by Lieutenant Michael J. Connelly and Lieutenant Thomas J. Blonski and one by Lieutenant Steven C. Shoemaker and Lieutenant j.g. Keith V. Crenshaw.

VF-96 again embarked on Constellation for its final Vietnam cruise from January 5th to October 11th, 1973. Between June 21st and December 23rd, 1974, the Fighting Falcons along with sister-squadron VF-92 made its last operational deployment with CVW-9, aboard Constellation, before being disestablished on 1 December 1975.

On May 10th, 1972, Lieutenant Matthew Joseph Connelly III was serving as Pilot of a F-4J Phantom II aircraft in Fighter Squadron Ninety-Six (VF-96), embarked in U.S.S. Constellation (CVA-64), near the Republic of Vietnam. On that date, LT Connelly was flying a F-4J Phantom II call sign Showtime 106, part of a major air-wing strike against an enemy rail yard in North Vietnam. As the flight leader of a section of aircraft on target Combat Air Patrol, LT Connelly and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Thomas Joseph John "Tom" Blonski, sighted a formation of approximately 16 enemy MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighter aircraft threatening the retiring strike force of F-4s, A-6 Intruders, and A-7E Corsair IIs. Both Connelly and Blonski were graduates of the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School, called TOPGUN. Despite the enemy's overwhelming numerical superiority, LT Connelly engaged the MiGs, pressing home hard-fought attacks that resulted in the confirmed destruction of 2 MiG-17 planes and the dispersion of the remaining aircraft out of range of the strike force. LT Connelly's courage and air skills that day earned him the U.S. Navy's second highest award for valor, the Navy Cross.