Customers have reported increasing rates of “porch pirate” package thefts. Extend™ Shipping Protection replaces any lost, damaged, or stolen packages, and we recommend adding this protection to your order. FDH is unable to recover lost, damaged, or stolen packages that are not covered by Extend™ Shipping Protection.
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Tamiya 60305 McDonnell F-4 C/D Phantom II Kit 1:32
In May 1958, the McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II prototype was rolled out of their facility at Lambert Field, St. Louis, Missouri. It was a very large aircraft for a fighter and it was not very pretty by aviation standards. It looked like some giant had stepped on its nose and kicked it in the tail; however, it flew on the 27th of that month and is still flying today, 5,195 Phantoms later. From these beginnings until well into the 1970's the F4 Phantom II would be the primary fighter aircraft of the free world.
By 1982 the F4 had fought in 5 major conflicts, nine years in Southeast Asia, twice in the desert of the Middle East and against each other at one time. It was used in every role; Fighter interceptor, Fighterbomber, Reconnaissance, Tanker and Drone. They specialized in attack roles as Wild Weasel defense suppression and laser designator bombers. They also defeated the best aircraft that the opposition could put against it. The only time it lost was when pitted against another F4, during the Greek-Turkey conflict. With the U.S. Navy in the headlines everyday with this new interceptor, the American Defense Department ordered competitive tests be flown against the best aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory. Convair's F-106 Delta Dart was selected to fly against the Navy's Phantom II, and the Phantom easily won top speed, low-level speed, altitude, plus the unrefueled range and radar range. Following this flyoff, much to the disgust and embarrassment of the Air Force, it was decided that the next Air Force fighter would be this U.S. Navy design. It would at first supplement, then totally replace the Air Force F100; F102; F104 and F105 strike and interceptor aircraft. Under the designation F110A, the Air Force Phantom II was basically a Navy-4B airframe with changes made to meet Air Force requirements. Following the F-4C, which was essentially the same aircraft as the designated F110A, the F-4D version was more closely tailored to meet the requirements of the Air Force. With these two versions, the Phantom II established its unparalleled esteem in the U.S. Air Force.
The F-4's in the U.S. Navy had numerous variants through its career to fulfill various requirements from the Navy as well. Following the F-4G, which was developed as a trial, the next variant was designated the F-4J to avoid confusion with the original F4H-1 The F-4J was designed as the follow-on to the original F-4B, correcting some of the deficiencies which had become apparent in service. Its maiden flight was made on 27th May 1966, and mass production started shortly after. As the F-4J was developed for the U.S. Navy in parallel with the F-4D of the Air Force, they had a few differences. The new J79-GE-10 powerplant was further improved from the previous J79-GE-8 to yield more power. Internally, upgraded radar, with an improved fire-control system and a new missile-control system, were fitted to earn even better interception and ground attack abilities. In addition, a fixed inboard leading edge along with a slotted tailplane contributed to better maneuverability at low speeds. Lift at low speeds was further enhanced by furnishing 16.5� dropped ailerons. As a consequence of these alternations, its approach speed was reduced by 20km/h. A further noticeable difference from the previous variants was the bulged inner wingfoot to accommodate the larger wheels employed to cope with its increased weight. Armament was also bolstered. AIM-7 Sparrows and AIM-9 Sidewinders were equipped as the main weapons for air-to-air combat, and a wide variety of bombs, missiles, rockets and explosives could be fitted according to the mission. The maximum load of armament was 5 tons which made the F-4J's attack capability outstanding. Further changes were introduced during the course of production, such as a provision of Sidewinder Expanded Acquisition Mode (SEAM) and addition of various dogfight-capable computers.
It was in March 1967 when the F-4J's delivery to the corps started. U.S. forces were in midst of the hard-fought conflict against North Vietnam. Back in 1961, the U.S. government decided to send their troops to Vietnam to support the South Vietnamese government, and the conflict kept spreading day by day. Under these circumstances, the Phantom II played a main role in the sky. The Navy's Phantom II's were flown from aircraft carriers, and the Phantom II's of the Air Force and the Marines were flown from their bases in South Vietnam and Thailand to engage in North Vietnameses's MiGs. It was the end of May 1968 when the F-4J's carried on the aircraft carrier "America" first appeared over the Vietnamese sky. On 21st July, an F-4J shot down a MiG 21, which was recorded as the first kill by the F-4J. F-4J's streamed to the battle field, and achieved outstanding military results against MiG's especially after resumption of the North Vietnam bombing. The only "Ace" status in the U.S. Navy during this conflict was attained by an F-4J on 10th May 1972. Lt. Randy Cunningham and Lt. William Driscoll, who had already shot down a MiG 1 and MiG 17, gained three MiG 17's on the day, making themselves the first aces. However, their "longest day" was not concluded. Soon after their fifth kill, on their way back, their F-4J was tagged by a missile from the ground and the pair ejected and were rescued at sea.
The mass production of the F-4J ceased in December 1972, recording 522 aircraft as the total number produced. The F-4J proved its superb combat capability mainly in the Vietnam conflict throughout its career, and contributed to establishing the high reputation for the Phantom II series all around the world. Seven F-4J's were slightly modified for use by the U.S. Navy's "Blue Angels" flight demonstration team as well. These aircraft had oil and smoke injectors added, and were beautifully painted in the team's attractive blue and gold colors. Their acrobat demonstrations fully utilized their full potential at the many air shows held for the public. Although being replaced gradually by the F-14 Tomcat in the Navy and the F-15 Eagle in the Air force in recent years, the Phantom II dominated the sky all over the world as a guardian for western alignment till the 80's.
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Refund Policy
Factory Direct Hobbies has a 30-day return policy, which means you have 30 days after your item has shipped to request a return.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it and in its original packaging.
To start a return, click to our Returns Center. If your return is approved, we'll send you emailed instructions on how and where to send your package. You will be responsible for return shipping costs, unless Factory Direct Hobbies made an error in the fulfillment of your order. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted and will be returned to sender.
Damages and issues
Please inspect your order upon receipt and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged, or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right.
Exceptions / non-returnable items Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns on gift cards.
Exchanges The fastest way to ensure you get what you want is to return the item you have, and make a separate purchase for the new item on our website. Please note that we cannot process manual exchanges over the phone.
Refunds We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method. In certain instances, store credit may be provided instead of a refund. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.
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Preorder FAQs
How preorders work
Guarantee your reservation on any item marked with the red "Preorder item" flag, by paying just 10% down. Preorder items also display a date badge indicating the anticipated arrival.
We will email your invoice approximately 30-45 days before your preorder item lands at the warehouse. This interactive invoice will allow you to select your preferred shipping method, and pay the balance of your order, right online!
We'll ship you your preorder once your item arrives at our warehouse. Preorder fulfillments are queued in the order in which they were paid for.
Recently, our suppliers have made a major policy change and are no longer accepting product returns for non-paying end customers. After much consideration, we unfortunately must also change our policies to align with the realities our suppliers have created.
As our preorder offerings have grown, we’ve found that a large percentage of preorder reservations are canceled or left unpaid without notice. We pay our suppliers for every preorder item that arrives at our warehouse, so when a customer does not pay for their item, we are left no choice but to absorb that cost. We have tried our best to cope with the effects of this change; however, after more than a year of trying, we have found we cannot continue to do so.
We understand that this is an unwelcome change, and no one wants to pay earlier than necessary. However, this is unavoidable in order for us to be able to continue to offer the wide variety of preorder options you’re used to getting from Factory Direct Hobbies. We must now ask that customers pay a 10% good-faith down payment toward the price of their item. This non-refundable good-faith payment is applied to the price of the product, and the balance (plus shipping and any applicable taxes) will be invoiced approximately 30-45 days before the item is slated to arrive at our warehouse.
We thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have questions or would like further clarification, feel free to contact us through the gold chat bubble.
The good-faith down payment is not refundable if you choose to cancel your preorder or do not pay your invoice.
However, if a manufacturer cancels a project for which you have made a down payment, you will receive a refund for your down payment.
Yes. We know that paying ahead of time can be unnerving when delivery dates are distant, and not every project makes it to the production line. Rest assured that, in the event the manufacturer cancels your preorder project, you will be refunded your 10% down payment.
Hobbies should be fun, not stressful!
The manufacturing process involves many different moving parts, and this complexity often renders production timelines unpredictable. Therefore, some level of unpredictability in timing is inherent to preordering hobby products. Down payments are not refundable in cases of routine manufacturing, delivery, or other short-term delays.
However, we know it can be frustrating when a project gets delayed for many months. In the event a project is delayed more than 6 months beyond the delivery window originally estimated by the manufacturer, we will handle refunds of down payments on a case-by-case basis.
Friendly Reminder: Should you choose to cancel a preorder, it will no longer be reserved for you; in the event the item becomes available on our website, all customers will have equal access to purchase the item.
Nope! The policy is not retroactive: if you already made a preorder reservation before this policy update, you do not owe a down payment for that reservation. However, any future preorders you make will require the 10% good-faith down payment.
We make every effort to keep our website updated with information that reflects manufacturers' current estimated delivery schedules. To find the estimated delivery month of an item, you can visit our Preorder Section and use the filters to narrow down your selection.
However, we encourage you to directly visit the manufacturer's site for the most current delivery dates.
Approximately 30-45 days before your preorder items land at the warehouse, we'll email your invoice to you to pay in full. At this point, you'll be able to provide your shipping address and select your preferred shipping method.
Your item will be reserved for 7 days, beginning when your invoice is sent. After 7 days, your preorder will be canceled.
Recently, our suppliers have made a major policy change and are no longer accepting product returns for non-paying end customers. We have tried our best to absorb the effects of this change; however, after more than a year of trying, we have found we cannot continue to do so. After much consideration, we unfortunately must also change our policies to align with the realities our suppliers have created.
As a result, we must now ask that customers pay in full prior to the supplier finalizing shipment to FDH, about 30-45 days ahead of product arrival. This gives us the time we need to cancel with our suppliers any unpaid orders prior to shipment.
We understand that this is an unwelcome change and no one wants to pay earlier than necessary. However, this is unavoidable in order for us to be able to continue to offer the wide variety of preorder options you’re used to getting from Factory Direct Hobbies.
One silver lining is that this change will result in preorder items getting to your door even faster, as all payment processing will be well out of the way and the usual several day wait after product has arrived will be eliminated. We thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have questions or would like further clarification, feel free to contact us through the gold chat bubble.
Manufacturing schedules can sometimes be unpredictable. In the event your preorder item does not arrive at our warehouse within 60 days of your invoice payment, then you will have the option to cancel your preorder and receive a refund OR you may elect to continue waiting for the item.
Friendly Reminder: Should you choose to cancel a preorder, it will no longer be reserved for you; in the event the item becomes available on our website, all customers will have equal access to purchase the item.
We know life happens, and missing out on a great item can be a drag!
We're here to help; just contact us via the gold chat bubble and we'll do all we can to work with you!
If you have an account with factorydirecthobbies.com, you can view all your preorders, as well as your active orders. Login to your account, and select the “My orders” option. All your preorders and active orders will be listed along with the current status of each order. If you have further questions about your order, please feel free to reach out to us through the gold chat bubble.
Although we try to keep our preorder arrival estimates as accurate as possible, we encourage you to visit each manufacturer’s website to find the most up-to-date delivery information.
For instance, with Athearn and Walthers, you can enter the part number into their websites and navigate to the item. Most of the time, the delivery date will be listed there. Broadway Limited has a published delivery schedule, as does Rapido.
Rewards and Preorders
Yes. Rewards can be used on both your 10% good-faith down payment and on the balance of your preorder at invoicing time.
Yes! Preorders are awarded reward dollars at the same 5% rate. You'll receive your reward within several days of paying the balance of your preorder invoice.
Still more questions?
If we still haven't answered your question, please click the gold messaging bubble in the bottom right of our site, and we'll help in any way we can!
