Hey guys! If you're still on the fence about the DCS F-4E Phantom II from Heatblur I hope this videos helps you make that all important decision on how to best spend those hard earned dollars on our favorite flight sim!
I wished you talked more about Jester as this is my major drawback and immersion-breaking of the F14 that I love. In the heat of the combat, having to micro manage Jester thru the wheel menus because he just wants to lock the bandit at 100km instead of the one at 20 is sometimes frustrating. Also doing everything thru menu is also immersion breaking and I see even more menus here like the bombing preferences. I know they supposedly upgraded Jester but I don't see a lot of review about it. Thanks
I think they are. In a Heatblur video, there’s a short moment where they show a wear and tear slider in the mission editor for the condition of the aircraft.
@@BillyWunebuger I'll be curious to see if that affects the cockpit. I know they've mentioned a lot about how the F-4 has a lot of things to model like wear and tear on the components of the plane, I was thinking it would be more like failures and sticking gauges and things like that. It would be cool if it affected the cockpit textures though, since the F-14 could be a bit rough to figure out at times when you were trying to read it.
Absolutely man! That’s awesome! There are a few women that regularly fly in my missions that are looking forward to that as well! Like I said in the video all the auxiliary things Heatblur is doing around the F-4 itself are really pushing DCS forward and making it a better game
Being german, the Phantom is my absolute highlight in the history of DCS. The MiG29 has been flying the flag as good as it could but, by all means, ain’t no heatblur module. This will be like meeting your childhood crush and I PHysically can’t wait any longer.
As an American who's always had a weird love for Germany, I remember being so happy that I could fly the German MiG-29's in the original Lock-On. Now getting to fly the F-4 in some of the awesome German paint schemes? Perfection.
I'm 74 and have just discovered DCS and am excited to get started in it. One of the first plane's I will buy is an F4E. I served in Vietnam, 71-72, as a corrosion control specialist, working on the F4E's with the 366th TFW, known as the Gun Fighters at Danang AFB. From a Corrosion Control Specialist at the age of 21 to a F4 Fighter pilot at the tender age of 74, what a hoot that's gonna be!
2nd comment but as an Iranian I feel like I need to say we are all thankful our shah bought us these beautiful machines Without them we might have lost the war I know no one cares but oh well
I know this topic is fairly shop-worn by this point but since you asked, having spent thousands of hours flying in the F-14 and lots of time visiting the cockpits of USAF National Guard F-4Es flying at Red Flag, I almost never saw cockpits as thrashed as those in DCS in either jet. The USAF F-4s in particular were spotless from head to toe and put my much, much younger Tomcat to shame. In my opinion, I'd say Heatblur has done an excellent job replicating cockpits of museum/War Weary airframes but not the jets typically flown while on active service. I'd say the ED F-18 and A-10 cockpits are much more reflective of the typical Navy and USAF cockpits respectively in terms of condition.
Marine Corps birds were almost always hand me downs. I mean worn, busted, repaired, bent repaired, NDI'd for cracks and reworked, upgraded, redesignated from J variants to S and N variants etc. and the maintainers did an incredible job in maintaining the numbers that were RFI. In the case of the F-4s we flew, in the end the maint hours vs flight hours were horrendous. I mean it was crazy.
Would you be the John “Hawk” Monroe Smith, author of “Roger Ball”? If so, thank you so much for helping bring the F-14 to the Fleet and your other stellar achievements and naval service - so very many people on this planet, past and present, owe you an unspeakable debt of gratitude! Thanks also for sharing a fraction of your services in your book! Kudos to you, sir!
I' ve been waiting for this baby basically since I was a kid back in the 80s. We' ve been Phantom-spotting all the time while they took low flying military training above our houses. I am counting the hours, damn I am so excited!
I love Heatblur’s products. I own the Tomcat and the Phantom. One thing I would IMPLORE them to do, though, is make factory fresh pits for the Tomcat and Phantom. It would make learning the aircraft SO much easier. Don’t get me wrong, I like the battle worn look, but just not when I’m trying to learn
My suspicion with the cockpit is Heatblur uses photoscans for modeling and textures. This means it looks like a museum piece because that's what was available to them for reference.
Except they used flying aircraft for references as well.. Diesel Thunder helped them out with access to a privately owned, airshow flying F-4E here in the States.
@@aaronwhite1786 They did those before they went for the Flying F-4E in the states. I think. Who knows, the flying one here in the US was probably used to capture the gauges in motion?
I bought the Phantom module as a post exam treat and I love it. I agree with all your points, Spud. This is a really fun bird to fly. But there's one thing that I'd like to add and I'm not sure if it's just me, but the Phantom feels a lot more "real" than the other modules, even the Tomcat. All the other birds, like the Sabre, Tomcat and Hornet are great, but there's something about this Phantom module that just makes it seem more than a simulation. I think Heatblur simulating the actual systems like hydraulics and electrics instead of scripting those things like normal really makes her feel more real. When I was having a quick fly around just to get a feel, I noticed after a while my navball (I can't remember the proper name, navball is the KSP term, it's the main attitude indicator that's also the compass) and my HSI had stopped behaving and were showing erroneous info. Not sure why but I flicked the source switch for where the instruments are getting data (standby/primary), I can't remember which it was set to, but that sorted it. I just love this plane and this module. Historically, I agree this is a very significant module. So many air forces have used Phantoms: Israel, Turkey, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Egypt, Australia and the UK (although the RAF and FAA used the F-4K and M which were based on the USN F-4J). My uncle was an RAF mechanic and used to work on the Phantoms back in the dark ages, so that's my connection to the Phantom. Over Easter I went to the RAF Museum at RAF Cosford and they've got the cockpit of an F-4K FG.1, a former Fleet Air Arm then RAF Phantom, and you can have a sit in it. Having sat in a real Phantom makes it feel a little different.
Nah brother, I'm not on the fence. I'm watching this to validate my purchasing decision. I don't even know the first thing about the cold war or who flew what planes. This thing just looks amazing and I love spending time learning to fly these complex machines.
Ordered it, looking forward to it. This cockpit is way better than that of F-14. Heatblur should really overhaul that cockpit to make it properly tangible. Too worn out. Glad that F-4 seems normal. Any cockpit should be slightly scrathy and a bit worn, not broken.
I buy every module DCS offers, whether it's right for me or not. It's why I suck so bad on all them! I just can't choose one to really focus on and master. When you have them all, it's really hard to choose, I love them all. The A10C II is one that you can spend months every single time you log on and still not have it all covered it's so massive. Study level aircraft like that, the Hornet, the Falcon...then there's the warbirds and helo's...Not enough time in the day for them all. Same with the maps. Each map has so many cool things and awesome scenarios that you just cannot decide. But I love that problem. I always have excitement when I learn something new
Thx for the video. When it comes to wear and tear, it should be very easy to have a couple skins if not a slider for it added. It is generally done at the end of the texturing process, and in either Photoshop or Substance I'm sure they do it on a separate layer.
If you're thinking "I only like the modern stuff, etc etc..." then you're right and this module isn't for you. For those of us who have love the F-4 since we were kids, cheers.
Need the Vietnam map, and would love to see a full fidelity Mig-25 and/or 31. As much as I love to turn n burn, going super high, super fast, and working a long-range intercept radar would be tons of fun. The F-14 and F-15E are like baby-awacs almost.
I was blown away when I put on the vr goggles in the F4 for the first time, it was by far the most realistic looking cockpit in DCS. However, the cockpit was so dark I can’t see anything, especially when part of the cockpit is in shadows. Even with the flashlight it’s hard to see. I’m going to adjust the brightness settings but I think it’s going to make other airplane cockpits too bright, and I’ll have to keep adjusting every time I switch planes.
I got a couple flights in last night finally. All in all about what I expected, which is a very good thing. A couple observations… - On my first landing, which was a bit rough at Creech but certainly nowhere near as hard as a carrier landing, Jester makes a comment about needing the undercarriage replaced and then I find out I have no brakes. Now, I’m an old US Navy carrier guy. I’m used to planes that get slammed on a pitching deck all day long. That little tap and I lose my brakes??? C’mon, man! - I didn’t look too hard cuz I was wanting to get in the air and I knew I had yet to spend an hour or more setting up the controls, but all I saw were skins for either USAF jets or allied nation jets. Nothing from the United States Navy. I mean, the thing was designed and built as a FLEET defense aircraft for the US Navy. They have six skins for the USAF Thunderbirds, but not one navy skin. What is up with that? As an ex-US Navy flight deck veteran that actually served on a carrier that still had a squadron of Phantoms on board, I take great offense to this. - I may be doing something wrong procedure wise and no, I haven’t RtFM yet, but I found as I was screaming around the southern Nevada skies last night, that no matter how I set the radar up from the WSO seat, once I went back to the pilot seat, after a second or two the radar would go back to a B scope and 50 mile range. Am I missing something there? Is it supposed to do that and if so, how can I change it? Surely the pilot can do a PPI and isn’t locked into a B scope. I mean, it does show PPI for a second before it changes. - I’m also wondering why there doesn’t seem to be a Jester command to change ranges on the radar. I can tell him to change the elevation and scan size, but not the range? Edit: I looked again this morning and no, there are no US Navy skins at all. C’mon guys, this thing was built for the Navy! Edit: Okay, I get it. The Navy used the B and J versions, not the E. Well, I hope they come out with a US Navy variation someday.
I, like most of us here, bought the module the second the pre-sale was initiated. And it seems like it was a year ago. Btw, when I was active in the USMC, it was the A-6E, EA-6A, A-4E, F-4B/N, F-4J, F-4N, F-4S RF-4B era. All of the birds were rode hard, and well maintained but showed every bit of wear and tear and looked worn from normal use and often several trips to North Island and other locs for re-work, often due to being bent (overstressed). Even after wash rack trips, they were permanently stained with hyd oil, fuel, grease and paint wear/chips/flaking. The ONLY time I ever saw factory fresh and clean virgin looking airframes was at El Toro when the F-4s of MAG-11 were replaced with the brand new F/A-18s! That was the only time! EVER lol. So I like mine as I saw them. Nice and dirty girls. Bad boys love dirty girls.
Awesome video! Recommend the book "War for the hell of it" by Ed Cobleigh "Fast Eddie" Amazing book, gives a nice perspective of how it was to fly the phantom in Vietnam.
It has been almost exactly ten years since I hopped into my first jet: the MIGHTY E-145 lawn dart. The first thing I noticed was just how much the paper tigers (cockpit posters) over sell the looks. The parking brake handle is just a bare metal stick with some remnants of paint on it. Everything else is worn out from being twisted, poked, or used a handle. You effectively have to use echolocation to use the buttons on the MCDU because they're all worn down to nothing. Only the newest jets look anything like the posters. I appreciate the worn in look, but considering many of us are not following the principle of RTFM, having legible writing in game is quite important. :D
Having looked at many an air museum aircraft cockpit, they are generally well looked after and will not suffer much wear and tear, even for decades on show. Fine for reference
Nice review Spud! Lovely module, already pre-ordered. I agree with you 100% on the cockpit textures though. It looks too worn, like a museum piece. Wouldn't need a factory fresh one but one with a little less wear than we have right now would be nice and probably more realistic as well.
I've never bought an aircraft module beyond FC3. Looks tough to learn. But the Phantom is my favourite jet, and Hearblur seems to have done such an amazing job that I have preordered this. Looks amazing and the plane that I am energized to learn.
While having cockpit wear options available would be best, I think the choice to go for the full patina in the cockpit texture is a good one because the rendering engine in dcs makes clean flat paint look very artificial and plastic. While its might be a bit too much wear when you really look at it, when you are flying and doing stuff it tricks your peripheral vision into a sense of being in a real metal machine by breaking up the surface
I think the largest part of the Phantom following is the fact that the US and many of her Allies sadly do not fly the Phantom anymore, and the museum variants are hard if not impossible to get into or close to. This gives the modern person a perfect window to step back in time 50-60 years to an era where men were men, and did anything and everything they could to keep the idea of freedom alive.
I was just thinking about whether I should buy this or not, when I remembered. I already HAVE bought this….fricking months ago! 😂
4 місяці тому
My personal choice for a cockpit would be a ~ 5 years old , but still well maintained . So not factory shine anymore, one can feel it has already been part of a pilot's life and a caring ground crew, slightly dull but not peppered with paint flakes either.
HB have said they looked at both sparkly clean F4's and super dirty ones, the first iterations of the cockpit was considered too dirty by the SME's so it seems like they have hit the sweet spot. They have also said thay are going to be adding variations to cockpit wear and tear just like the f14.
So long ago, I forgot I preordered 😂 . I've been pretty fed up with DCS pre-ordering lately and have not pre-ordered any new maps. I will, however, give Heatblur plenty of credit for the Phantom. Looking forward to flying her but DCS needs Vietnam and Pacific maps badly. Thx for the video as always.
Maaan. I was flying this thing in Wings Over Vietnam for so many years. I'm curious to see how the experience compares and if my acquired skills will count.
I wish heatblur had given us a setting when spawning the aircraft... so we could choose the wear level of the paint. I should be able to choose from an impeccable pristine cockpit or a beat up old one.
Realistic or not, I love the look of the beat-up cockpits. That's part of what made me like the Viggen. But I'm the kind of person who likes feeling like I'm flying the old under-dog jet in a modern scenario. So, the Phantom is tempting. I just have so many aircraft I am learning and flying already... So I'm still on the fence.
I think the beat up look allows for more "believable" textures. When you see Mod aircraft part of the main issues is how clean they are. Adding scuffs and scratches adds realism. If you know what I mean?
i think the problem with removing the spyke equipment or adding a fuel probe would be bad. with how modern dcs planes work everything is integrated and simulated, i dont think you can just add a fuel probe without messing up the plane and removing the spyke equimpent would probably take a lot of work as well
My opinion is they modelled the cockpit on a very old museum aircraft. It has that unmistakeable worn dusty look to it. It has character but I would have preferred it to be a little cleaner.
Yep, from what I can gather from the pre-release videos they took the wear and tear a bit to far for my taste. Would be great if they could add the different options to choose from. Otherwise we have to wait for some of those clever mod'ers to help us out.
Ok…there are two things a red-blooded American should NEVER have in his Phantom: smokeless engines and a clean factory cockpit. The phantom should have black smoke pouring from its coal-fire engines so the air behind it looks like the London factory district in 1850. The cockpit should look like it’s been sandblasted with discarded sunflower seed shells and several empty “skoal” tins on the floor (Copenhagen is also acceptable). Finally, when the canopy closes, the pilot/WSO should detect an odor that can best be described as a combination of body-odor, farts, metal and Kerosene. This is the only acceptable Phantom.
My opinions for online players: BVR is very very limited. Super weak radar without doppler. Even jester sees target in scope still have some locking issues. Also very easy to lose lock. Basically it is visual/ACM only. Iron Bombs/Rockets/Strafing: Most of time you will find yourself over target with DIVE TOSS bombing and get killed by sams or AAA. I hope DMAS CCIP will fix that. Also rockets/strafing not accurate bcoz no CCIP. Need DMAS. TV Guided Bombs: Very useful if you know how to use them. LGB: Not useful in online imo. No stabilized TGP. As he said, only useful for big fixed targets. Mavericks: No ground stab. Very hard to lock under pressure against anti air assets. Maverick D not locking most of time. Maverick B better but less zoom. Shrike A: 7nm range. Basically useless in online. Need Shrike B which has 25nm range. You need pick correct seekers for different SAMs while reloading on the ground. Its not like HARM. RWR: No plane types on RWR screen. No air to air launch warning. Launch warnings only for some old russian SAMs. If you are IRIAF Phantom in PG map and if enemy Hawk or Patriot shoots missile at you, you not gonna get launch warning. Turns like a Peterbill. Fast. Very fun to fly. If you want challenge in modern era servers, need a lot of experience to ambush those fancy 4th gens. I hope DMAS will be released soon. I want my CCIP pipper.
I'm alright with light wear in the cockpits. Things like color loss from the sun, and rubbed paint on exposed corners and common handle surfaces, but you also have to remember that paint that gets too worn would get taken care of during regular inspections. And once it affects legibility, it's no longer light wear, because when the adrenaline is pumping and the pilot's life is at stake, you don't want something as minor as a scratched label to be what forces them to look twice to make sure it's on the right setting. That said, the "Should you Buy?" bit is wasted on me. I have a week between release and the start of my summer semester, and I'm going to be in the Phantom for as much of it as possible.
I mean the F4E when it came out wasn't so dirty and used in the cockpit like the one we have. It should be an option to chose yourself what you want, a dirty or a prestine cockpit.
i personally love the dirty used cockpit's, they make the craft fell like it has a story to tell. but i do think that modules should have options for pristine, used, and well-worn textures, like the A-10 for example. because like you said, Japanese pilots have clean cockpits. while Iranian and Vietnam era F-4's will feel more dirty, rugged and less maintained.
I Think some wear on the plan looks nice but also havning prestine crean looks fantastic as well... maybe we should have an option on the graphocs menu or something
I heard at some point HB wants to model different variations upon the F-4. grain of salt, obviously, but I could even swear they specifically mentioned a Navy Phantom like the F-4J. I really hope that's true, because early look-down shoot-down radars and the Navy Phantom chassis seem so interesting and i'd love to try flying with them too. especially with the depth they went for with the F-4E
Watch at x1.25 speed. You're welome. Ps. Hardly a review.. more a fan's love letter, which is fine, but don't call it a review. The plane is excellently modelled, and if you are a fan of the F4 you will be happy. Do not pretend cold war will suddenly explode beyond what it already has on ECW (one server), or that the F4 will "age like a fine wine", more like vinegar. Let's see it fight a Mig29, F16, F/A18, M2000, Su27 or F14 or match an A10 or AV8B. The plane is what it is, and Heatblur did a wonderful job, but don't confuse people who don't know better and are on the fence. It's the king of the 60's against the old MiGs (15-21) and an icon of aviation, if you like it.. buy it. I will not compete well against most planes in the 80's-00's scenarios most DCS servers are set in, you know this, and you should not say it would in your "should you buy it" video.
Also why not have texturs for all the states of a craft from factory fresh to junk yard pulled out for WW3? Like the A-10C just have that as an option in the misc menu.
Hey guys! If you're still on the fence about the DCS F-4E Phantom II from Heatblur I hope this videos helps you make that all important decision on how to best spend those hard earned dollars on our favorite flight sim!
I wished you talked more about Jester as this is my major drawback and immersion-breaking of the F14 that I love.
In the heat of the combat, having to micro manage Jester thru the wheel menus because he just wants to lock the bandit at 100km instead of the one at 20 is sometimes frustrating.
Also doing everything thru menu is also immersion breaking and I see even more menus here like the bombing preferences.
I know they supposedly upgraded Jester but I don't see a lot of review about it.
Thanks
@@Mirknir Voice Attack is perfect for Jester
@@Mirknir i do believe the pilot can slew around the radar and lock whoever you want to
I think more devs should do cockpit options like in the warthog, it has the clean factory and torn up cockpit versions
I like that too. Personally I prefer the factory fresh cockpit
Especially when you are just starting up, it’s nice to see the labels in the cockpit
I think they are. In a Heatblur video, there’s a short moment where they show a wear and tear slider in the mission editor for the condition of the aircraft.
@@BillyWunebuger I'll be curious to see if that affects the cockpit. I know they've mentioned a lot about how the F-4 has a lot of things to model like wear and tear on the components of the plane, I was thinking it would be more like failures and sticking gauges and things like that. It would be cool if it affected the cockpit textures though, since the F-14 could be a bit rough to figure out at times when you were trying to read it.
theres mods to get on the website for some
"should you buy it?"
We already all have 😅
ahahahahhahahaha
haha i dont because i cant pull 60 dollars out my ass
I know 99.5% of people don’t care but my wife loves flying DCS with me and she’s really happy to be getting a female pilot model.
Absolutely man! That’s awesome! There are a few women that regularly fly in my missions that are looking forward to that as well! Like I said in the video all the auxiliary things Heatblur is doing around the F-4 itself are really pushing DCS forward and making it a better game
Pretty cool dude! My wife couldn't tell you what an F-4 is. Lol
That’s cool! Hope she has fun!
Being german, the Phantom is my absolute highlight in the history of DCS. The MiG29 has been flying the flag as good as it could but, by all means, ain’t no heatblur module. This will be like meeting your childhood crush and I PHysically can’t wait any longer.
Haha I feel you there man it’s probably my most anticipated aircraft and she is worth the wait!
As an American who's always had a weird love for Germany, I remember being so happy that I could fly the German MiG-29's in the original Lock-On. Now getting to fly the F-4 in some of the awesome German paint schemes? Perfection.
Same here! I cannot wait for the tornado!
I'm 74 and have just discovered DCS and am excited to get started in it. One of the first plane's I will buy is an F4E. I served in Vietnam, 71-72, as a corrosion control specialist, working on the F4E's with the 366th TFW, known as the Gun Fighters at Danang AFB. From a Corrosion Control Specialist at the age of 21 to a F4 Fighter pilot at the tender age of 74, what a hoot that's gonna be!
2nd comment but as an Iranian I feel like I need to say we are all thankful our shah bought us these beautiful machines
Without them we might have lost the war
I know no one cares but oh well
Hey, no one can blame you for not wanting to lose to Saddam!
You are most welcome, بفرمایید, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
DCS seriously needs a Vietnam map! Especially with these new bird and the Huey's!
A lot of other Vietnam modules being built too; A-1, A-6, F-8, etc, etc
F-4, MiG-21, A-6, F8, MiG-19. F-104 further out.
A Vietnam map has so much potential
Need Vietnam map, MD 500 little birds
The Kiowa is coming as well
Can't forget the A-7, and f-100
I know this topic is fairly shop-worn by this point but since you asked, having spent thousands of hours flying in the F-14 and lots of time visiting the cockpits of USAF National Guard F-4Es flying at Red Flag, I almost never saw cockpits as thrashed as those in DCS in either jet. The USAF F-4s in particular were spotless from head to toe and put my much, much younger Tomcat to shame. In my opinion, I'd say Heatblur has done an excellent job replicating cockpits of museum/War Weary airframes but not the jets typically flown while on active service. I'd say the ED F-18 and A-10 cockpits are much more reflective of the typical Navy and USAF cockpits respectively in terms of condition.
I agree with you 100%!
Marine Corps birds were almost always hand me downs. I mean worn, busted, repaired, bent repaired, NDI'd for cracks and reworked, upgraded, redesignated from J variants to S and N variants etc. and the maintainers did an incredible job in maintaining the numbers that were RFI. In the case of the F-4s we flew, in the end the maint hours vs flight hours were horrendous. I mean it was crazy.
Would you be the John “Hawk” Monroe Smith, author of “Roger Ball”? If so, thank you so much for helping bring the F-14 to the Fleet and your other stellar achievements and naval service - so very many people on this planet, past and present, owe you an unspeakable debt of gratitude! Thanks also for sharing a fraction of your services in your book! Kudos to you, sir!
@@N34RT I'm not the author of 'Roger Ball' but I'm glad to hear you enjoyed that book.
I' ve been waiting for this baby basically since I was a kid back in the 80s. We' ve been Phantom-spotting all the time while they took low flying military training above our houses. I am counting the hours, damn I am so excited!
I love Heatblur’s products. I own the Tomcat and the Phantom. One thing I would IMPLORE them to do, though, is make factory fresh pits for the Tomcat and Phantom. It would make learning the aircraft SO much easier. Don’t get me wrong, I like the battle worn look, but just not when I’m trying to learn
Hmm...I've never found the state of the cockpit any factor at all when learning either the Tomcat or the F-4.
My suspicion with the cockpit is Heatblur uses photoscans for modeling and textures. This means it looks like a museum piece because that's what was available to them for reference.
Same with the F14.
Except they used flying aircraft for references as well.. Diesel Thunder helped them out with access to a privately owned, airshow flying F-4E here in the States.
I believe they had some pictures of them doing the photoscans of a German F-4.
@@aaronwhite1786 They did those before they went for the Flying F-4E in the states. I think. Who knows, the flying one here in the US was probably used to capture the gauges in motion?
No, scans are neither here nor there with regard to final appearance.
Was hoping you'd get the F-4 early and bless us with some great content, and you surely delivered... *as always!*
I bought the Phantom module as a post exam treat and I love it.
I agree with all your points, Spud. This is a really fun bird to fly. But there's one thing that I'd like to add and I'm not sure if it's just me, but the Phantom feels a lot more "real" than the other modules, even the Tomcat. All the other birds, like the Sabre, Tomcat and Hornet are great, but there's something about this Phantom module that just makes it seem more than a simulation. I think Heatblur simulating the actual systems like hydraulics and electrics instead of scripting those things like normal really makes her feel more real.
When I was having a quick fly around just to get a feel, I noticed after a while my navball (I can't remember the proper name, navball is the KSP term, it's the main attitude indicator that's also the compass) and my HSI had stopped behaving and were showing erroneous info. Not sure why but I flicked the source switch for where the instruments are getting data (standby/primary), I can't remember which it was set to, but that sorted it.
I just love this plane and this module.
Historically, I agree this is a very significant module. So many air forces have used Phantoms: Israel, Turkey, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Iran, Egypt, Australia and the UK (although the RAF and FAA used the F-4K and M which were based on the USN F-4J). My uncle was an RAF mechanic and used to work on the Phantoms back in the dark ages, so that's my connection to the Phantom.
Over Easter I went to the RAF Museum at RAF Cosford and they've got the cockpit of an F-4K FG.1, a former Fleet Air Arm then RAF Phantom, and you can have a sit in it. Having sat in a real Phantom makes it feel a little different.
Thanks for the review dude!
No prob hope you like it!
Nah brother, I'm not on the fence. I'm watching this to validate my purchasing decision.
I don't even know the first thing about the cold war or who flew what planes. This thing just looks amazing and I love spending time learning to fly these complex machines.
Man I would love a factory new cockpit. The planes in DCS look like they have been sitting in a scrap yard with the canopy open for 30 years.
Oh dude. If you see a cockpit of any fleet jet you will realize that DCS isn’t that far off.
@@Abledoggie42 100%
@@TimberDCS ABSOLUTELY!
Ordered it, looking forward to it.
This cockpit is way better than that of F-14. Heatblur should really overhaul that cockpit to make it properly tangible. Too worn out.
Glad that F-4 seems normal.
Any cockpit should be slightly scrathy and a bit worn, not broken.
you've piqued my curiosity concerning this module. can you hang shrikes on it and go wild weaseling?
You can!
10:02 as a Japanese person, I feel called out lol . Although it's 100% true, all the cockpit images of the f-4ej's look spotless
And that is the correct music for this plane
We need now a jungle (Vietnam) type map, however simple for starters just to get in the mood.
@@recone829 oh my gosh a Vietnam map would be amazing!
@@Spudknocker Yes lets hope its the next map. Fingers crossed guys!
I buy every module DCS offers, whether it's right for me or not. It's why I suck so bad on all them! I just can't choose one to really focus on and master. When you have them all, it's really hard to choose, I love them all. The A10C II is one that you can spend months every single time you log on and still not have it all covered it's so massive. Study level aircraft like that, the Hornet, the Falcon...then there's the warbirds and helo's...Not enough time in the day for them all. Same with the maps. Each map has so many cool things and awesome scenarios that you just cannot decide. But I love that problem. I always have excitement when I learn something new
i am 100% buying it
It is definitely worth it!
Thx for the video.
When it comes to wear and tear, it should be very easy to have a couple skins if not a slider for it added. It is generally done at the end of the texturing process, and in either Photoshop or Substance I'm sure they do it on a separate layer.
If you're thinking "I only like the modern stuff, etc etc..." then you're right and this module isn't for you. For those of us who have love the F-4 since we were kids, cheers.
Probe and Drogue would be absolutely amazing
I think having an option between clean and worn cockpit would be a cool setting option. Not just for the f4 but for every aircraft
Need the Vietnam map, and would love to see a full fidelity Mig-25 and/or 31. As much as I love to turn n burn, going super high, super fast, and working a long-range intercept radar would be tons of fun. The F-14 and F-15E are like baby-awacs almost.
Can’t wait until they get Navy version of this aircraft. It’s going to be awesome landing on the carrier
Absolutely Amazing. I can't wait to get this aircraft.
I was blown away when I put on the vr goggles in the F4 for the first time, it was by far the most realistic looking cockpit in DCS. However, the cockpit was so dark I can’t see anything, especially when part of the cockpit is in shadows. Even with the flashlight it’s hard to see. I’m going to adjust the brightness settings but I think it’s going to make other airplane cockpits too bright, and I’ll have to keep adjusting every time I switch planes.
A Very fine wine indeed, Beautiful video Thank you. Cant wait for the 21st !!
can't wait for the movie you are going to make with this beast
I got a couple flights in last night finally. All in all about what I expected, which is a very good thing. A couple observations…
- On my first landing, which was a bit rough at Creech but certainly nowhere near as hard as a carrier landing, Jester makes a comment about needing the undercarriage replaced and then I find out I have no brakes. Now, I’m an old US Navy carrier guy. I’m used to planes that get slammed on a pitching deck all day long. That little tap and I lose my brakes??? C’mon, man!
- I didn’t look too hard cuz I was wanting to get in the air and I knew I had yet to spend an hour or more setting up the controls, but all I saw were skins for either USAF jets or allied nation jets. Nothing from the United States Navy. I mean, the thing was designed and built as a FLEET defense aircraft for the US Navy. They have six skins for the USAF Thunderbirds, but not one navy skin. What is up with that? As an ex-US Navy flight deck veteran that actually served on a carrier that still had a squadron of Phantoms on board, I take great offense to this.
- I may be doing something wrong procedure wise and no, I haven’t RtFM yet, but I found as I was screaming around the southern Nevada skies last night, that no matter how I set the radar up from the WSO seat, once I went back to the pilot seat, after a second or two the radar would go back to a B scope and 50 mile range. Am I missing something there? Is it supposed to do that and if so, how can I change it? Surely the pilot can do a PPI and isn’t locked into a B scope. I mean, it does show PPI for a second before it changes.
- I’m also wondering why there doesn’t seem to be a Jester command to change ranges on the radar. I can tell him to change the elevation and scan size, but not the range?
Edit: I looked again this morning and no, there are no US Navy skins at all. C’mon guys, this thing was built for the Navy!
Edit: Okay, I get it. The Navy used the B and J versions, not the E. Well, I hope they come out with a US Navy variation someday.
I, like most of us here, bought the module the second the pre-sale was initiated. And it seems like it was a year ago. Btw, when I was active in the USMC, it was the A-6E, EA-6A, A-4E, F-4B/N, F-4J, F-4N, F-4S RF-4B era. All of the birds were rode hard, and well maintained but showed every bit of wear and tear and looked worn from normal use and often several trips to North Island and other locs for re-work, often due to being bent (overstressed). Even after wash rack trips, they were permanently stained with hyd oil, fuel, grease and paint wear/chips/flaking. The ONLY time I ever saw factory fresh and clean virgin looking airframes was at El Toro when the F-4s of MAG-11 were replaced with the brand new F/A-18s! That was the only time! EVER lol. So I like mine as I saw them. Nice and dirty girls. Bad boys love dirty girls.
Awesome video! Recommend the book "War for the hell of it" by Ed Cobleigh "Fast Eddie"
Amazing book, gives a nice perspective of how it was to fly the phantom in Vietnam.
I already bought it, but you have sold me on it ! I was worried about buyers remorse (JK) but not now !
It has been almost exactly ten years since I hopped into my first jet: the MIGHTY E-145 lawn dart. The first thing I noticed was just how much the paper tigers (cockpit posters) over sell the looks. The parking brake handle is just a bare metal stick with some remnants of paint on it. Everything else is worn out from being twisted, poked, or used a handle. You effectively have to use echolocation to use the buttons on the MCDU because they're all worn down to nothing. Only the newest jets look anything like the posters. I appreciate the worn in look, but considering many of us are not following the principle of RTFM, having legible writing in game is quite important. :D
I much prefer the worn look cockpits to the factory fresh one. Certainly in vr I think it adds more immersion
Having looked at many an air museum aircraft cockpit, they are generally well looked after and will not suffer much wear and tear, even for decades on show. Fine for reference
Nice review Spud! Lovely module, already pre-ordered. I agree with you 100% on the cockpit textures though. It looks too worn, like a museum piece. Wouldn't need a factory fresh one but one with a little less wear than we have right now would be nice and probably more realistic as well.
sat in many a Tornado GR1/4 cockpit in my time, never once did they look "factory fresh". I think HB does a great job with their cockpits.
I've never bought an aircraft module beyond FC3. Looks tough to learn. But the Phantom is my favourite jet, and Hearblur seems to have done such an amazing job that I have preordered this. Looks amazing and the plane that I am energized to learn.
While having cockpit wear options available would be best, I think the choice to go for the full patina in the cockpit texture is a good one because the rendering engine in dcs makes clean flat paint look very artificial and plastic. While its might be a bit too much wear when you really look at it, when you are flying and doing stuff it tricks your peripheral vision into a sense of being in a real metal machine by breaking up the surface
Super video!! What asset package did you use for the environment shown in vide? Plus Ireally appreciated your comment about Thirdwire
Great video! What asset package did you use to depict the environment shown? Really appreciated your comment regarding Thirdwire F-4.
I think the largest part of the Phantom following is the fact that the US and many of her Allies sadly do not fly the Phantom anymore, and the museum variants are hard if not impossible to get into or close to. This gives the modern person a perfect window to step back in time 50-60 years to an era where men were men, and did anything and everything they could to keep the idea of freedom alive.
I was just thinking about whether I should buy this or not, when I remembered. I already HAVE bought this….fricking months ago! 😂
My personal choice for a cockpit would be a ~ 5 years old , but still well maintained . So not factory shine anymore, one can feel it has already been part of a pilot's life and a caring ground crew, slightly dull but not peppered with paint flakes either.
HB have said they looked at both sparkly clean F4's and super dirty ones, the first iterations of the cockpit was considered too dirty by the SME's so it seems like they have hit the sweet spot. They have also said thay are going to be adding variations to cockpit wear and tear just like the f14.
So long ago, I forgot I preordered 😂 . I've been pretty fed up with DCS pre-ordering lately and have not pre-ordered any new maps. I will, however, give Heatblur plenty of credit for the Phantom. Looking forward to flying her but DCS needs Vietnam and Pacific maps badly. Thx for the video as always.
I dont even know where the fence is ... Love it
I don't care if I should buy it, because Heatblur and F-4, the answer is yes to a question that doesn't need to be asked.
OL SPUDDY AT IT AGAIN
Maaan. I was flying this thing in Wings Over Vietnam for so many years. I'm curious to see how the experience compares and if my acquired skills will count.
I'm friends with a retired f4 mechanic who was part of a American f4 program to make a f4 refuel both ways anytime.
I wish heatblur had given us a setting when spawning the aircraft... so we could choose the wear level of the paint. I should be able to choose from an impeccable pristine cockpit or a beat up old one.
Great Review, thanks!
The aircraft being beat up is accurate. Our A-10’s have a ton of cosmetic wear and tear and they fly fine.
There’s videos of Heatblur going to F4s and taking photos of the cockpit and the plane
Realistic or not, I love the look of the beat-up cockpits. That's part of what made me like the Viggen. But I'm the kind of person who likes feeling like I'm flying the old under-dog jet in a modern scenario. So, the Phantom is tempting. I just have so many aircraft I am learning and flying already... So I'm still on the fence.
I think the beat up look allows for more "believable" textures. When you see Mod aircraft part of the main issues is how clean they are. Adding scuffs and scratches adds realism. If you know what I mean?
I would definitely agree with that statement!
Phantom getting Stand-Off Capabilities before the Mudhen is crazy
First video that I’m watching on the subject, FYI.
I like a used, but not abused, cockpit.
The only thing I don't like is the landing behavior of the F4E (thanks real life F4). The replacement of the Boom is a great idea.
This is very beautiful. But I'm not rich enough to buy it sadly
I think the option for a factory new cockpit and weathered to hell cockpit would be 💯
i think the problem with removing the spyke equipment or adding a fuel probe would be bad. with how modern dcs planes work everything is integrated and simulated, i dont think you can just add a fuel probe without messing up the plane and removing the spyke equimpent would probably take a lot of work as well
But I know we c ain’t ready for the DCS: A-6E. It’s my favorite aircraft of all time.
Heatblur cant keep getting away with this!
Didn't heatblur say they're eventually going to make a naval version? It will have a probe refuel system
My opinion is they modelled the cockpit on a very old museum aircraft. It has that unmistakeable worn dusty look to it. It has character but I would have preferred it to be a little cleaner.
Yep, from what I can gather from the pre-release videos they took the wear and tear a bit to far for my taste. Would be great if they could add the different options to choose from. Otherwise we have to wait for some of those clever mod'ers to help us out.
Ok…there are two things a red-blooded American should NEVER have in his Phantom: smokeless engines and a clean factory cockpit.
The phantom should have black smoke pouring from its coal-fire engines so the air behind it looks like the London factory district in 1850. The cockpit should look like it’s been sandblasted with discarded sunflower seed shells and several empty “skoal” tins on the floor (Copenhagen is also acceptable). Finally, when the canopy closes, the pilot/WSO should detect an odor that can best be described as a combination of body-odor, farts, metal and Kerosene.
This is the only acceptable Phantom.
My opinions for online players:
BVR is very very limited. Super weak radar without doppler. Even jester sees target in scope still have some locking issues. Also very easy to lose lock. Basically it is visual/ACM only.
Iron Bombs/Rockets/Strafing: Most of time you will find yourself over target with DIVE TOSS bombing and get killed by sams or AAA. I hope DMAS CCIP will fix that. Also rockets/strafing not accurate bcoz no CCIP. Need DMAS.
TV Guided Bombs: Very useful if you know how to use them.
LGB: Not useful in online imo. No stabilized TGP. As he said, only useful for big fixed targets.
Mavericks: No ground stab. Very hard to lock under pressure against anti air assets. Maverick D not locking most of time. Maverick B better but less zoom.
Shrike A: 7nm range. Basically useless in online. Need Shrike B which has 25nm range. You need pick correct seekers for different SAMs while reloading on the ground. Its not like HARM.
RWR: No plane types on RWR screen. No air to air launch warning. Launch warnings only for some old russian SAMs. If you are IRIAF Phantom in PG map and if enemy Hawk or Patriot shoots missile at you, you not gonna get launch warning.
Turns like a Peterbill. Fast. Very fun to fly. If you want challenge in modern era servers, need a lot of experience to ambush those fancy 4th gens.
I hope DMAS will be released soon. I want my CCIP pipper.
I was worried we would not get an Iranian livery for the F-4, But it makes me wonder why the F-14 didn't get one
I believe it has one! And even better we get an imperial Iranian Air Force skin as well!
@@Spudknocker
Reject the Islamic republic
Embrace the Shah
Question: So I understand right, that the F-4 is not the carrier capable variant!?
I'm alright with light wear in the cockpits. Things like color loss from the sun, and rubbed paint on exposed corners and common handle surfaces, but you also have to remember that paint that gets too worn would get taken care of during regular inspections. And once it affects legibility, it's no longer light wear, because when the adrenaline is pumping and the pilot's life is at stake, you don't want something as minor as a scratched label to be what forces them to look twice to make sure it's on the right setting.
That said, the "Should you Buy?" bit is wasted on me. I have a week between release and the start of my summer semester, and I'm going to be in the Phantom for as much of it as possible.
Its a must have module in DCS
It will be a few week binge play and after 99% will be back in the 14/16/18. They should have done a SuperH or a cobra
I mean the F4E when it came out wasn't so dirty and used in the cockpit like the one we have. It should be an option to chose yourself what you want, a dirty or a prestine cockpit.
i personally love the dirty used cockpit's, they make the craft fell like it has a story to tell. but i do think that modules should have options for pristine, used, and well-worn textures, like the A-10 for example. because like you said, Japanese pilots have clean cockpits. while Iranian and Vietnam era F-4's will feel more dirty, rugged and less maintained.
I Think some wear on the plan looks nice but also havning prestine crean looks fantastic as well... maybe we should have an option on the graphocs menu or something
Pls Super Etendart next
I heard at some point HB wants to model different variations upon the F-4. grain of salt, obviously, but I could even swear they specifically mentioned a Navy Phantom like the F-4J. I really hope that's true, because early look-down shoot-down radars and the Navy Phantom chassis seem so interesting and i'd love to try flying with them too. especially with the depth they went for with the F-4E
Waiting for the navy variant I need muh carrier landings
Alt F4! Let's go
Watching this video as if I hadn’t preordered the module a year ago lol 😀
Seeing that skin makes me want to buy a Mig.
There should be a Special option: Cockpit - contemporary/vintage. 🙂
Oh wow, a F4 this time and not a MC2000...
Me watching this knowing full well that I pre ordered it less then 30 minutes after watching the teaser
At some point I hope they add in the wild weasel variant as this was the WW bird for a very long time indeed.
Phantastic
Israel had pave spike btw. Just try to google it, there are pictures from museum and from active jets.
You are correct that was a mistake in the script
I want to test it before buying it.
Watch at x1.25 speed.
You're welome.
Ps. Hardly a review.. more a fan's love letter, which is fine, but don't call it a review. The plane is excellently modelled, and if you are a fan of the F4 you will be happy.
Do not pretend cold war will suddenly explode beyond what it already has on ECW (one server), or that the F4 will "age like a fine wine", more like vinegar. Let's see it fight a Mig29, F16, F/A18, M2000, Su27 or F14 or match an A10 or AV8B.
The plane is what it is, and Heatblur did a wonderful job, but don't confuse people who don't know better and are on the fence. It's the king of the 60's against the old MiGs (15-21) and an icon of aviation, if you like it.. buy it.
I will not compete well against most planes in the 80's-00's scenarios most DCS servers are set in, you know this, and you should not say it would in your "should you buy it" video.
Also why not have texturs for all the states of a craft from factory fresh to junk yard pulled out for WW3? Like the A-10C just have that as an option in the misc menu.