Armour Collection (Franklin Mint) Diecast Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II

US Marines VFMA-232 ‘ The Red Devils’

155801

Previously loved and displayed only

Scale 1:48

In original box

Excellent condition, displayed only,

Check out the photos

This is a large and heavy DieCast model

Weight - 1.2kg approximately

Length - 37 cm (14.5 inches) approximately

Wingspan - 25 cm (10 inches) approximately

The McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II was flown by the US Marine Corps' Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232), also known as the "Red Devils". The Red Devils are the oldest and most decorated fighter squadron in the Marine Corps

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Nicknamed the "Red Devils", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW). The Red Devils are the oldest and most decorated fighter squadron in the Marine Corps.

The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War. It served as the principal air superiority fighter for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. During the Vietnam War, all five American servicemen who became aces – one U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs), one U.S. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) – did so in F-4s.

The F-4 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 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force, the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving combat service in 1996.

It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the United States Air Force Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the United States Navy Blue Angels (F-4J).

The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms, acquired before the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War. The F-4 remains in active service with the air forces of Iran, Greece, and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East.