Uncovering the
US Navy Q/F-4B/J/N/S Phantom

by Danny Coremans

DACO Publications

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron.com

Wow!

That was my first impression when I got to hold this book in my hot little hands.  I had been eagerly awaiting it since I first saw it advertised on the Daco website and was not disappointed in the least when I finally got a hold of it.

The book is number 4 in their “Uncovering the....” series and provides information on the U.S. Navy versions of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 B/J/N/S Phantoms as well as their Q derivatives

Understandably, given the title, the book is basically a photographic reference of the F-4 Phantom in service with the U.S. Navy.  Apart from about a page and a half of text the remaining 174 pages are filled with excellent quality full colour images with comprehensive and very informative images.

The book is divided up into individual sections that illustrate each segment of the airframe in the various version of the F-4.  The “uncovering” part is very much catered for too with some simply stunning images of the various radars used and we are talking about complete walk around type images too not just long range fuzzy images.

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The cockpit part of the coverage is also very complete and spectacular in that the front and rear cockpits of each version are covered in a 42 page spread with further pages covering the Martin Baker Mk 5 ejection seat. 

The back end of the Phantom is well covered too with individual sections that show the engines within the airframe through open engine bay doors, being removed during an engine change and finally, the engine on a trolley post its removal.  For the fans of detailing, the final part of the engine coverage show the bays without the engines fitted. 

The weapons used by the F-4 are catered for too with coverage provided for the AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles in their various guises – the captions for the images in this section are truly excellent as they provide information on what the different coloured bands on the missiles indicate and how to identify the different versions of the missile.    Bombs are covered too, Mk 81, Mk 82 and MK83 general purpose types also with explanations as to the different fin sections that were bolted to them.  The final part of the weapons coverage is taken up by the various rocket pods.  One outstanding feature of the weapons section are the sharp, clear, full cover period images showing F-4s aboard carriers on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf being loaded by red shirted “Ordies”

The closing pages of the photographic coverage are sobering and titled “The End”.  It shows the destruction of two QF-4S machines by the scrappers using a tracked hydraulic cutting machine to reduce the airframes to manageable “truck sized” portions to be hauled away to the smelter. 

The final feature of the book is the two “fold-outs” that carry both 1/72 and 1/48 scale top and bottom plan views and left and right hind side profiles of each F-4 variant covered by the book as well as instrument panel and side console layout drawings by Willy Peters, again, of each variant covered.  These are really superb being a six-page foldout with images on both sides! 

This book is soft cover format, measures 21cm x 24cm and comprises 176 pages with the aforementioned two additional 1m foldouts.

All up a book that actually says what it does – uncovers the F-4 Phantom in U.S. Navy service.

The book is aimed straight at the modeller who is after reference to detail their latest scale
F-4 and this is does and does very, very well indeed!

Thanks to Daco for the sample.