Zotz Decals | ZTZ32/071: F-4J MiG Killers

Reviewed by Kevin Williams

As are many in the world today that have a love of aviation, I too am a confirmed Phantom Phanatic. I can still recall the days when I first began to see the Phantoms flying around here in St Louis, being eventually flown in force by the 131st TFW, MOANG. My initial reaction was, "what an ugly beast", but as time wore on, I learned to love the old girl, and began to really appreciate her unique style. Unbeknownst to me, she was destined to go down in the historical record as a truly remarkable and capable airframe, being pressed into service for fighter, interceptor, reconnaissance, tactical bomber and close air support missions, all roles where she was regularly flown with great success, a truly iconic machine, and one that is easily one of the most recognizable fighter planes in the world.

This set from Zotz, being dedicated specifically to the J model Phantom MiF killers (eight of which are Navy machines, the other a Marine Corps aircraft), are a welcome addition to the decal market, as there have been precious few sheets (in my opinion), dedicated solely to the J series versions of this iconic workhorse aircraft, let alone specifically MiG killers.

Three large sheets are included, and they look very comprehensive. Initial reactions are quite favorable, as opacity and thinness seem to be to a very high standard, and printing also seems to be perfectly in register, with minimal carrier film. A fair amount of detail stenciling (but not general airframe stenciling), and other miscellaneous bits are also included, including crew names. Appropriate slime lights, fuselage and wing walk panels will need to be sourced elsewhere, as these are not included.

The instructions are well detailed with research contributions from several sources. These are printed on heavy gloss paper, and are very nice, adding a certain element of class to the overall presentation. General painting, stencil (where appropriate) and decal placement details are included. Information pertaining to individual aircraft and detail notes, are provided where applicable. These markings are bound to be popular for use on the Tamiya kit. With such a huge selection of markings (nine machines), I doubt that modelers will need to look much further for aftermarket decals for their J type Phantoms!

The Sheets

Instructions and Profiles

No less than nine different airframes are depicted on this set, those being (in no particular order):

F-4J 155846, VF-142 (Ghostriders), USS Enterprise
F-4J 155875, VF-142 (Ghostriders), USS Enterprise
F-4J 155553, VF-33 (Tarsiers), USS America
F-4J 157245, VF-114 (Aardvarks), USS Kitty Hawk
F-4J 157249, VF-114 (Aardvarks), USS Kitty Hawk
F-4J 157269, VF-92 (Silver Kings), USS Constellation
F-4J 157307, VF-31 (Tomcatters), USS Saratoga
F-4J 155526, VMFA-333 (Fighting Shamrocks), USS America (Marines)
F-4J 157299, VF-103 (Jolly Rogers), USS Saratoga

(At this time I must confess that I’m reviewing these without having consulted any references, as I would typically only do that when undertaking modeling a particular subject from the sheets, which I will do when the time comes.)

Summation

Overall, I’d say that if you have a 1:32 F-4J in need of some seriously cool decals, and enjoy the more colorful paint schemes, plus the historical significance of Mig killers, then I can highly recommend using this set as a great addition to your 1:32 Rhino.

Thanks to Eli from Zotz for the review samples.

This product is available from the following LSP sponsors