Mitsubishi T-2
Mitsubishi F-1
Mitsubishi F-4EJ  Phantom

Mitsubishi T-2

Both the T-2 and F-1 have been issued as kit by Hasegawa in 1/72 scale, starting in 1985. Between the T-2 and F-1 kits many parts are similar. 

These kits appeared later on also with various box arts and decals. The kit box #00359  made here is for an "agressor" paint scheme T-2. 

The moulding and parts are fine but the kits are not to the latest standard with raised panel lines. Nevertheless, fine models can be made out of them. Assembly is straight forward with about 35 parts for the plane and a similar number for the stores.  The kit needed only tiny bits of filler and the cockpit got a little extra details with seat harnesses, stretched sprue handles etc. You get some decals for the instrument panels.

The canopy is cristal clear. The intakes do not have tunnels, but I simply added some black paint and that's good enough for the build. 

The main doors (parts B10+B11)  are usually always closed also with main undercarriage down; you will need to bend the retraction rods C13+C14  a bit to be able to close them. The big aft nose gear door is also mostly closed.

I used Humbrol 125 medium grey and Humbrol 127 light grey colours and metal paints in some areas in the engine area.

The decals are OK, but make sure to put a white roundel decal below the red balls insignias when you are putting them to a dark surface. That was not needed here as....

... the Agressor jet show quite some weathering in areas on real jets, but not over the entire airframe. Look at the picture on the box and you see the red balls were also "weathered".
I simply added the decals and than did some "over spraying"  with the airbrush using the similar colours as the surfaces in areas.

The result is rather special and a nice Japanese jet is now in the collection. 
Note also the over sprayed walkway lines on the wings. Typically, the canopies have a clean light grey FS36440 colour.

Inside the canopies with a permanent black paint marker some details were suggested. 
 

 

 
 

references: Air Internation Volume: 18, page 130 ; volume 18, page 117; 
 

The F-4E was selected on behalf of the JASDF and license built by Mitsubishi. The F-4EJ was a version of the famous McDonnell Douglas F-4E developed for the Nihon  Koku Jieitai (Japanese Air Self Defense Force, or JASDF). The order came end 1968 and with some aircraft first build in the USA bij McDonnell, the first Japanese assembled and built Mitsubishi plane flew in May 1972. A total of 140 planes were delivered with the final plane coming of the assembly line May 1981. Also some additional RF/4EJ reconn planes were build which were unarmed. 

The F-4EJ was developed for the air defense role only with several systems of the F-4E not being installed.  The F-4EJ has common with the F-4E the Westinghouse AN/APQ-120 radar fire control system, the 20-mm M61A1 cannon with 640 rounds, plus AIM-7 and AIM-9 air-to-air missile capability as it has the air defence role. It however also got some Japanese internal systems and externally. 

The F-4EJ first entered service with the JASDF in August of 1972. In the JASDF, six interceptor squadrons (hikotai) have operated the F-4EJ. These were the 301st, 302nd, 303rd, 304th, 305th, and 306th. The RF-4EJ was operated by the 501st Hikotai. 

In 1/72 scale, a very nice kit and scheme is provided by the Fujimi kit #72174  issued 2004. It has about 100 parts and very nice markings of the 302 squadron at Okinawa because of the 50th aniversary of the "new" JASDF after 1945. 

The kit was made straight out of the box and the quality is very good of this kit, as also for the other F-4E kit series of Fujimi. 

I had to adjust the stubs of the stabilizers to get a good fit and angle. Stores come with the kit (Sidewinders, Sparrows and fueltanks). 

Only minor filling was needed and it was opted to close the canopies. This required some carefully trimming and closing the gaps between the canopies with white glue.

The model was given a light grey base coat to check for any flaws and these were corrected. Next came a coat of white applied with the airbrush with aluminium panels masked out.
The kit decals are very nice, but you need to paint the fueltanks in the same colour as the blue decals. The decals were treated with DACO softener to pursuade them to "sit" in the recessed panels. 

The aluminium panels were airbrushed with Testor Metallizer paints (aluminium).
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A very smart looking Phantom!

The slats and flaps and some other panels were given a very light touch using diluted dark grey waterbased/acrylic paint using a very fine sable brush and an ordinary pencil. 

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A couple of Fujimi British Phantoms seen here and the Royal Navy F-4K here...

And what about the F-4EJ model at 1/32 scale...