If you ever built a scale model in the 1980s (raises hands), odds are you may have had (or at least pined for) one particular U.S. Navy F-4S Phantom II, that of The Evaluators of VX-4’s “Black Bunny/Vandy 1.”
Well, it looks like the BuNo 155539 is being pulled from the Boneyard at AMARC in Arizona, where it has languished since 1986 and is headed to a display at the Castle Air Museum, Castle Airport (formerly Castle AFB), in Atwater, California.
Via the Pima Air and Space Museum:
Why did “Black Bunny” cross the road? Always something new happening at Pima but this one is not for permanent display here, in case you were wondering. The VX-4 “Evaluators” F-4 Phantom will move on to another museum.
For the record, built as an F-4J-33-MC (#2777) in St. Louis, 155539 served in the fleet with The Starfighters of VF-33 in the 1970s– likely trapping in Indy and Ike– then, after her S upgrade, was assigned to VX-4 in 1981. This means she has spent more than twice as long in DOD storage than she did in active service.