1/48 F4D decals-Maj. Ritche

Probably asked and answered a long while back. Does anyone make or have decals for the 1/48 scale F4D kits that are out there, so his bird can be recreated?

Was at Udorn RTAFB when his bird was still there and had the 5 stars on the left splitter. Am going to do 1/32’s of the RF and E aircraft we had there, and a 1/48 of his if I can get decals for it.

Was repainted and the stars went bye-bye before it was re-deployed (to Germany, IIRC).

As an aside, the 555th’s CO had an M38A1 with a hard top and doors that had, in bamboo script on the drivers door “555TFS Largest Distributor of MIG Parts in SEA”

Steve Ritchie got his kills in different three Phantoms. There is a chart on this page listing the three aircraft he shot down Mig 21s in:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stephen_Ritchie#Fifth_kill

Aeromaster made a sheet that has the bird he got his first and his last kills in ( F-4D 66-7463) There are six stars on the splitter because other pilots got Mig kills in this aircraft as well:

modelingmadness.com/…/am48764.htm

The Monogram ProModeler F-4E has the markings for the F-4E (67-0362) that Ritchie bagged two Mig-21s in

http://modelingmadness.com/review/viet/jacksonf4epreview.htm

Hi-Decal makes decals for the F-4D (65-0801) that Ritchie got his second Mig-21 in, albiet in much later guise with the TX ANG.

http://www.arcair.com/Rev3/2301-2400/rev2396-Hi-Decal48025/00.shtm

Had a question asked in the Pedro post in the helo page, why a firebee drone on the splitter on 463 in a pic he has and put up a link to.

Both of us are curious now. I told him I figured it was a live fire exercise and a “loose” squadron/wing policy on markings

The F-4D that Ritchie got his first and final kills on 66- 463, IIRC, was flown by other crews for more kills and had a total of six kills to its’ credit. I would have to pull up some stuff in my library to confirm this, but… It was equipped with the “Combat Tree” system that allowed the aircraft to interrogate the Mig’s IFF systems and ID them as such enabling maximum use capability of the AIM-7. There are some older Superscale/Microscale sheets that have this bird on their as well. I do believe that some of the new decal lines, Furball or such, have an extensive line of Vietnam USAF F-4C and F-4D sheets to go with the new Academy kit in 1/48.

Yep, the pic he has has the 6 kills on it, plus the drone on top of the rear row of stars. We were just wondering why the drone? And possibly when? (He got 3 in 463 and 2 in an “E”)

Got a set of decals for 463 in 1/32 for a future build, In fact have an extra set if anyone wants them.