F-16A & F-16C Aggressor Double Build - The Double is Done!

[Marcel111]

Marcel,

 

Awesome choice on the new splinter camo, that may be my next build for my second F-16C kit, unless of course we get a surprise form Jake on his next F-16 decal sheet, like in a F-16C block 30 from the Montana ANG perhaps? Just saying.

 

Kirk

Kirk, sounds like that is going to be one heck of a sheet, didn't Jake also want to put some NSAWC F-16A and B decals on that release ;-)

 

Anthiny, you and Jake sure do like to tease... any more detail on that info?

[Starfighter Jock]

Kirk, sounds like that is going to be one heck of a sheet, didn't Jake also want to put some NSAWC F-16A and B decals on that release ;-)

 

Anthiny, you and Jake sure do like to tease... any more detail on that info?

Well, I asked anyway, worse that can happen is he says no. Hope it comes under serious consideration, would be great to have these in 1/32 scale. The AFV/Academy F-16B is not all that bad of a kit, with the new resin tail and and PW 200/220 from KASL a lot of correction work is already done, but need to steal the 20mm gun port from a Tamiya kit, the Academy rendering, well, it SUCKS!

 

Kirk

Edited July 12, 2017 by Starfighter Jock

[Marcel111]

Here is a side-by-side of the cockpit tubs before assembly into the upper fuselage:

 

 

The Block 30 IP and coaming (Black Box) assembled. Still a lot of clean-up to do but I will do most of that later in the build. To my eye the CRT screens look set too far back.

 

 

The Block 15 OCU IP and coaming assembled. The True Details IP had to be cut up to fit into the Aires coaming.

 

 

The True Details coaming laid on the nose to let you have an idea of its size... it is WAY bigger than the kit, BB or Aires coamings and looks seriously wrong.

 

 

Block 30 tub assembled:

 

 

Block 15 OCU tub assembled (an still needing a lot of work):

 

 

Cheers,

Marcel

 

 

Edited July 15, 2017 by Marcel111

[Joel_W]

Marcel,

  Both cockpits really came out looking great.   Your detail painting really kicked them both up a few notices. And the seat cushion in the block 30 pit is weathered perfectly.  It always amazes me how so much of the AM parts are oversized even from one manufacture to the next one for the same part. 

 

Joel

Edited July 15, 2017 by Joel_W

[Durangokid]

Great updates, those pits look great.  How did you do the yellow warning strips on the panels? They really make a difference.

 

I have the Avionix pit and the coaming is way off too.  I think its the same as the BB one tho...

 

 

Bryan.

[Marcel111]

Great updates, those pits look great.  How did you do the yellow warning strips on the panels? They really make a difference.

 

I have the Avionix pit and the coaming is way off too.  I think its the same as the BB one tho...

 

 

Bryan.

Bryan, I used Airs ale decals for the yellow warning stripes. Also used Airscale extensively for the instruments. The BB and Avionix cockpits are the same as far as I know. Yeah, they look a little off but at least the size looks good.

[Marcel111]

Guys, I am wondering if someone can help me out with a scan of the Tamiya CJ instructions, I would like to see how the pylons are supposed to be assembled and fitted to the wings.

 

Thx,

Marcel

[Spaced Marine]

Not a scan but how about a PDF of the instruction book from Tamiya:

 

https://www.tamiyausa.com/pdf/manuals/60315ml.pdf

 

Love the A conversion. I'm tempted to build an Israeli Netz after my Barak, if my T-birds kit doesn't become an aggressor in the Shark scheme instead.

[Marcel111]

Not a scan but how about a PDF of the instruction book from Tamiya:

 

https://www.tamiyausa.com/pdf/manuals/60315ml.pdf

 

Love the A conversion. I'm tempted to build an Israeli Netz after my Barak, if my T-birds kit doesn't become an aggressor in the Shark scheme instead.

Thanks for that!

[Marcel111]

I finally have something worth throwing up on the forum with this build. I am actually making a bunch of progress but I don't think anyone around here needs to see how the Tamiya F-16 assembles.

 

Anyhow, here is where I am with the exhausts. 

 

I sprayed all the insides with a flat black before mixing a little off-white and spraying over the flat black. I then made very extensive use of the Tamiya weathering pastels, especially the "soot". 

 

On the outside,  I sprayed everything with a coat of Humbrol satin black, with most of the rest the covered with Alclad. I like to use Humbrol Satin Black as a basecoat for Alclad when it comes to exhausts, since it introduces a relatively flat finish... F-16 exhausts from all I have seen are never polished a gloss finish. When I hold the exhausts again the pics in Jake's book the colors and shine look pretty much spot on. The principal Alclad colors I used were Pale Burnt Metal and a 50/50 mix of Gunmetal and Steel.

 

Here's the KASL Hobby P&W:

 

 

 

 

Anybody out there have any ideas on how to to the NO PUSH marking on the exhaust petals? The Academy kit has some pretty good-looking decals but I am pretty anxious about applying decals over that metal finish. Wish there were some dry-erase things available.

 

Here's the Aiers GE:

 

 

 

 

I did completely sand down the raised detail on the outside of the exhaust but what look like tiny holes remained instead. The detail is almost not visible, I think the overall effect is actually nice.

 

Cheers,

 

Marcel

[Uncarina]

Marcel,

 

They both look really authentic! I'm at the stage of adding those decals myself.

 

Cheers, Tom

[A-10LOADER]

Beautiful work as usual Marcel. I'm a big fan of the Tamiya weathering sets as well and, the " oil stain " color will be heavily used to weather the Tomcat.

 

Steve

[chuck540z3]

Beautiful burner nozzles Marcel! You have captured the "look" of both, which isn't easy to do. One suggestion, however, is that the GE staining could use a bit more pastel work. As Steve mentions above, Tamiya "Oil Stain" can darken the inside while providing a bit more of the brownish shade often found in the interior, like the pic below I took of a Viper Aggressor for reference:

 

 

 

Cheers,

Chuck

[Joel_W]

Marcel,

 Both exhausts are extremely well done.   I only wish you posted these before I went off on my one with the Scooter. I just try to use some pastels on the inside for better representation of soot. 

Joel

[Marcel111]

Thx guys!

 

Beautiful burner nozzles Marcel! You have captured the "look" of both, which isn't easy to do. One suggestion, however, is that the GE staining could use a bit more pastel work. As Steve mentions above, Tamiya "Oil Stain" can darken the inside while providing a bit more of the brownish shade often found in the interior, like the pic below I took of a Viper Aggressor for reference:




Cheers,
Chuck

 

Chuck, that pic is very useful, thx for posting. That exhausts looks considerably more worn than the GE exhaust in Jake's book... perfect, that's the way I want to represent mine. Incidentally, which camo scheme does that Agressor have? Judging by the right horizontal stab, it looks like some kind of splinter scheme but obviously not the new black/gray/light gray one that are flown by the 18th? Any chance you can post a pic of the entire aircraft?

 

I did add some more soot to the GE divergent section, probably need to follow suit in the AB section itself. Also, I played around with the Tamiya metallic weatehring set to introduce some slight color variation to the outside turkey feathers.

 

 

 

Note color variation on the outside of the Pratt exhaust:

 

 

 

For some reason I like the Pratt exhaust a lot more than the GE exhaust... I think the KASL product is part of the reason, that resin is just so well done.

 

Cheers,

 

Marcel