The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was originally designed for the U.S. Navy as a fleet defense fighter. The first Phantom flew on May 27, 1958. The first USAF version of the Phantom was the F-4C. It made its first flight in May of 1963. Production deliveries began six months later. The Phantom was a dominant fighter. They were flown by the United States Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, in addition to air forces and navies across the globe. Whether it was air superiority, tactical bombing, fleet defense, reconnaissance, or ground attack, the Phantom could fill the roll.

The aircraft featured in my artwork, “Smile for the Camera,” is an RF-4C Phantom II tactical reconnaissance fighter. These were built in limited numbers by McDonnell Douglas to fulfill the photo recon role during the Vietnam War. However, they served into the 1990s providing their unique services in the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm/Shield, where tactical photographic reconnaissance was imperative.

The RF-4C Phantom II featured in my artwork is marked as a 12th TRS Phantom flying a photo recon mission over North Vietnam. Like all of my work, I created the highly detailed 3D  model of the plane, “painted” it’s authentic textures, insignias, and markings, and placed it into an environment (sky, clouds, water, and terrain) that I created to produce a realistically detailed digital painting.

“Smile for the Camera” is a special 24X18 inch giclee art print limited to 20 hand signed and numbered editions. Each is printed on acid-free 60 Lb. paper so colors remain vivid for years to come if properly cared for. Each print comes with a certificate of authenticity, and is shipped FREE via USPS Priority Mail.