Presumably all the negativity about the F3 comes from ill-informed spotters and MSFS drivers.
We might have bantered about the 'fag chariot' (as one does), but the combination of JTIDS/L16 and the later incarnations of Foxhunter/SkyFlash made it a very effective interceptor. Ask a few F-15 drivers...
OK, so it didn't appeal to the puerile "Yee-hah, Jester's dead" spotters who thought that dog-fighting was the be-all and end-all - but if you have to become embroiled in such things, you surely weren't using the weapon system properly?
Hope the 'End Of' party goes well!