Hobby Master 1:72 Air Power Series Diecast Model

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II - #64-0693, 45th TFS, USAF, Ubon RTAFB Thailand, July 10, 1965 (first USAF MiG victory of the Vietnam War)

1:72 Scale.  Length: 9.75".  Wingspan: 6.25"

On July 10, 1965, F-4C 64-0693 from the 45th TFS crewed by Capt. Kenneth E. Holcombe and Capt. Arthur Clark using the call sign Mink 03 shot down a MiG-17 using AIM-9B missiles. The normal procedure was for a flight of F-4 Phantoms to fly ahead of a flight of F-105 Thunderchiefs to clear a path. The MiG-17s would wait for the second flight comprised of F-105s before they would attack. By waiting the Vietnamese People’s Air Force knew that the escorting Phantoms would be low on fuel and couldn’t stay to protect the F-105s.

On July 10, 1965, things were different; there were no F-105s in either of the two flights. Four F-4 Phantoms with call signs Mink 01 through 04 departed twenty minutes after the first flight and flew at 20,000 feet and mach .85 to simulate the characteristics of a flight of F-105s. Once the Minks arrived at the target area VPAF Mig-17s arose to the occasion only to find F-4Cs instead of the usual F-105s. After being drawn into a turning fight, F-4C Mink 03 dived then climbed and managed to get behind the MiG-17. Mink 03 fired an AIM-9B missile, but missed due to a radar malfunction and immediately fired three more. Two of the missiles were fired without lock-on but exploded close enough to reduce the MiG to a fireball. The action marked the first US Air Force air-to-air victory of the Vietnam War.

During the same mission, Capt. Thomas S. Roberts and WSO Capt. Ronald C. Anderson, also flying an F-4 Phantom II "Mink 04", shot down a second MiG-17 using AIM-9 missiles.

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat twin-engine jet fighter originally developed for the U.S. Navy in the 1950s. Proven to be highly adaptable, it also became a major part of the air wings of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force. The Phantom was used extensively by all three of these services in the Vietnam War, serving as the principal fighter / bomber for the Navy and Air Force and in ground-attack and reconnaissance roles. The F-4 Phantom II was also sold to and operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations.

The F-4 Phantom entered service in 1960 and 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 and F-16 in the U.S Air Force; the F-14 and F/A-18 in the U.S. Navy and the F/A-18 in the U.S Marine Corps. The F-4 was used in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was produced from 1958 to 1981 with a total of 5,195 built in several variants.


Hobby Master offers a wide selection of quality, pre-assembled, diecast model airplanes. Each model is crafted to a high level of accuracy using specifications of the original aircraft. They are constructed with precision-made diecast metal and some plastic components.

This model of an F-4 Phantom II features: