A-10LOADER

April 11/24
 
Here is the problem that Niels has pointed out.  Also, after looking at many pics I have of F-16’s, I couldn’t find one with these panels on any of them either.
 

 
Although the lens is a bit too deep, the real fit culprit is the diameter, so I carefully sanded down the outside edge to get it to fit into the hole without removing the fastener detail, but also the depth quite a bit.  These are position lights that are clearly red in Jake’s book (P 21), but the red color is almost at the surface.  By making the lens thin and painting it red from behind, the red is shallow like it should be.  There is also a tiny InfraRed Emitter light at the front of the light (left), which I will likely add later as a decal.  Once the lights are cemented in and painted, you will only see red from the area covered with liquid mask on the right.
 

 
Since I was on to lights, I decided to attack the little navigation lights on the wingtips as well, which are part of the launchers with rods holding them in place.  As Pete mentioned earlier, the lenses are not tinted red and blue/green like those on the intake, but have a small bulb in each with those colors instead.  To accomplish this, I usually just drill a small hole from behind, then place a dab of the corresponding paint color in the hole as a bulb replacement.  Unfortunately with these lights that are almost directly on top of each other, a hole from the bottom interferes with the other light, so as a compromise I just drilled holes from above, filled them with paint, then sealed them with clear CA glue.  Not very accurate if you want the bulb look, but a lot better than a painted lens.
 

 
The Kopecky LAU-129 launchers need a notch cut out and holes drilled to fit the wingtip, so I used the kit parts as a guide for exact width and pin location.
 

 
A view from the side, showing that the top light is always a bit offset to the rear.  Not exactly the true bulb look, but this still looks better than painted lenses.
 

 
More lights and more detailing options.  The rear navigation light is red, but only at the very back with the side’s painted fuselage color.  Here I painted just the insert that goes into the tail, which is slightly scratched from repeated insertion.  I'll fix that later....
 

 
From the side, you won’t see any red when the tail is painted.
 

 
But from the rear, like a fiber optic, you can clearly see red.  Above that light is an oval recess for 4 more tiny InfraRed light emitters where Tamiya placed an outward oval instead, that many modelers just cut off.  Here I dug a small recess and added outside fastener detail, where I will again add a small decal inside later to replicate the lights.
 

 
The anti-collision strobe light for the top of the tail has a silver light housing for a white light bulb.  After drilling a hole from behind to replicate this a bit, I just left a used drill bit in the hole and glued it in after trimming it for size.  I then painted the insert silver so that you can see some of that from above, much like the rear navigation light.
 

 
I had to be very careful about how deep I drilled the hole, because the lens at the top is tapered and very thin at the top.  This about is about all I could do without risking ruining the part.
 

 
Recall that I was looking for something to sort of replicate all those small “No Push” placards that are on the engine nozzle petals.  What I found is a compromise of what I knew would work, but a bit too shiny for accuracy.  Since you can’t read what the placard says on 80% of the P&W nozzles, even at 1/1 scale, I wasn’t too worried about 1/32 scale.  I ruled out paint masks because you can’t fix flaws and paint bleed without making a mess, so I used some Aluminum ANYZ decal film that I’ve used many times before, but in other colors like black, red and yellow.  While I was at it, I bought some new hose clamp film that will come in very handy with my next build, which is likely the 1/24 Airfix Spitfire Mk IX, if my new JetMads 1/32 AJ37 Viggin doesn’t call me to another jet! 
 

 
After carefully cutting the aluminum decal film, applying the “placards” and spraying a dull coat, this is what you get.  Like I said, the placards are a bit too shiny and pronounced, but I think the overall look is still an improvement on overall accuracy.  I’ll see if I can dull them up a bit without wrecking them, but at this stage I’m really getting tired of showing this nozzle time and time again, which is entirely self-induced!
 

 
On to other things….
 
Cheers,
Chuck

April 9/24
 
Lots of small updates, but mostly an introduction to 7 different after-market items you might not be aware of for this and the Block 50 kit.
 
First some housekeeping, to remove that panel line around the AOA probe on both sides of the nose cone.  While it’s usually stained this way due to the protective cap that's placed over the probe when parked, it isn’t a real panel line, so I want to remove it. Same thing holds true for the Tamiya F-15 kits.
 

 
This kit has a removable nose cone to show off the radar stuff like the Block 50 kit, but it doesn’t have the radar screen anyway, so it should be glued into place instead.  The nose cone join isn’t very strong as a result, so to reinforce the join I glued Part F-35 to the nose cone first, then a styrene spacer from scrap that was sanded down to size to fill the gap behind it.  I used thick CA glue to weld it to the metal weight at the front, which gives you about 5 minutes to wiggle it around to get the best fit from all sides and angles with ordinary Tamiya ETC applied around the margin.
 

 
The nose cone join was then sanded down where needed, with eroded fastener detail restored with the usual tools to do so, like a Mega Tool for the big fasteners.  For the AOA probes I cut off, I’m using Master brass replacements which I’ve used a few times before on my other jets.  I think they really “kick them up a notch”.
 

 
The other side.  These probes fit into small holes that I drilled, so I can leave them off until the end of the build.
 

 

 
Another addition to this build is Kopecky horizontal stabilizers, which I heard about from our friend Marcel about 18 months ago, so I ordered a set for this future model.  The Kopecky resin I’ve used so far is excellent and probably on par with ResKit, which is saying a lot!  The service is excellent and their website is here:
 
Kopecky Website
 
This set comes with nice subtle rivet detail, but if you want almost no rivets, they now make a smoother version (32028).  Although most of these stabilizers are quite smooth, there are a few where you can clearly see the rivets like on Page 30 of Jake’s book, so I’m happy to stick with these instead.  As usual, trying to photograph this snow-white plastic is a real struggle, but next to this dark resin, it’s even tougher.  As you probably know, those moon craters next to the stab axle on the kit parts are way too deep, while the Kopecky rivets are at the surface where they should be.
 

 

 
The Kopecky stabs also have really nice recessed hollow internal detail that is missing from the kit.
 

 
Even if you don’t care for the resin stabs, you should buy this kit for the super fine brass static wicks that come with it, also made by Master.  The kit one in the middle sure looks crude and chunky when set next to them.
 

 

 
As an added bonus, there’s enough wicks for the vertical stabilizer and the rear tips of the wings.  The little resin wick holders fit the kit parts perfectly.
 

 
While we’re looking at the vertical stab, that top panel line at the front should be filled and rivet detail added, while a static wick should be added, right behind the top light assembly that will be added later.
 

 
Kopecky also makes really nice LAU-129 missiles rails, which thankfully come in a set of 4, because you’ll need all of them.
 

 
And a really detailed center-line pylon, which comes in two parts, just like the real deal.
 

 

 
This will be added at the end of the build, along with the landing gear cover piece it attaches to, Part C27.  It looks so good from the bottom, I may not add the fuel tank, so that you can see all the work I did in the landing gear bay unobstructed.
 

 
I have struggled for years to find a decent ACMI pod, because up until recently, the only resin ones available were poorly made and it’s hard to keep up with all the new versions that seem to come out every second year.  Here’s the one on my subject, which I took in 2022.
 

 
Thanks to 3D printing, we now have a few good options, like Phase Hanger Resin (1 ordered) and a new aftermarket supplier I found in the UK, Bandit Resin Factory.  This supplier doesn’t have a full website yet, but they do have a Facebook presence, where you can see some of their products and contact the owner below, who will send you his catalogue.
 
Bandit Resin Factory (Facebook)
 
Apparently the ACMI pod above is a “Type E”, so I ordered 2 of them so that I had a spare for the stash.  This is the nicest ACMI pod I’ve ever seen and it even comes with decals.  Highly recommended!
 

 
I also bought a travel pod that I’ve never seen before, which is also excellent with a door that opens.  I didn’t open it yet, because I’m not likely to use it on this particular jet.
 

 
As mentioned before, the front flaps on F-16’s rest a few degrees in the upward position when parked for some reason.
 

 
So I decided to cement mine in permanently now, just in case I struggled with the fit and angle later.  With a microbrush holding up the flaps while the glue dried, they seem to be roughly correct.
 

 
Rear flaps were attached as well, but these ones can still move up and down.
 

 
The next aftermarket parts I used were the CrossDelta external reinforcement plates that I showed earlier, which for Block 25 and Block 32 Vipers have the “lawnmower blades” to reinforce the vertical stabilizer base and the big 5-piece plate at the wing root to reinforce the fuel tanks.  Tamiya includes a decal set to replicate these plates, but they are too thin and the rivet detail won’t show, unless you leave them unpainted white.  I thought these CrossDelta plates would be metalized plastic, but they are actually made from real metal and are self adhesive.
 

 
Tough to see on the white plastic, but this is where they belong based upon the instructions and Jake’s book (P. 23).
 

 
Since they are super glossy and metal, I scuffed them up a bit with 1000# sandpaper to help with paint adhesion, which isn’t too rough to leave scratch marks.  I will need to use a metal primer as well if I want the paint to stick.
 

 
Not in the CrossDelta instructions or in Jake’s book, Block 25’s like my subject have a small reinforcement strap just below the canopy hinge on both sides, so I cut up one of the bigger plates to create 2 of them.  Since they are so small, I wicked a little thin CA glue underneath them to hold them securely, then cleaned up the edges with CA glue remover.
 

 
On the starboard side, the strap is just aft of the panel hinge.  I also opened up that tiny vent on the side, which I should have done earlier from behind before the top fuselage Part B28 was cemented into place.
 

 
One thing that’s a little surprising to me with F-16’s is that there’s a small gap at the base of the vertical stabilizer, unlike other jets.
 

 
This small gap is perfect for the very tight fitting kit stabilizer, which is friction fit, so you don’t really need to glue it on, so it can be painted and decaled off the fuselage for ease of handling.  Note that the small air duct on the base was cut off, which Block 25’s don’t have.
 

 
Well that’s it for now, but I thought I would throw out a question that I’ve always wondered about.  If F-16’s have 16 static wicks trailing all the control surfaces, why don’t other fighter jets like F-15’s and F-18’s have them as well?  Hmmmm…….
 
Cheers,
Chuck

With enough thrust everything flys.  But don’t kid yourself, Pig is running around his basement with the model in his right hand over his shoulder making jet noises.  

This is as far as I dare go with skinning the belly for now. The forward join and intakes will require some adjustment before I can skin over that portion-
perhaps the oil-canning between the speedbrake wells is a little over done; but it is such a common characteristic of the T-38-I had to do it. Should look ok under paint..it’s just super reflective right now in bare aluminum.


 
…so on to the top next I guess!
 
P

…got that left speed brake well surrounded by aluminum.
can’t resist slapping the tail feathers up for a look-
 
P

Hello,
 
to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, I decided to build a rather particular F-16, which was probably one of the few if not the only case of “unsuccess” of this phenomenal and innovative multi-role aircraft.
 
In the second half of the 80s the USAF was looking for a replacement for the A-10 and so they thought of using a version of the F-16 equipped with ground attack devices, such as a FLIR, a laser tracker and a big cannon in an external pod derived from that of the A-10.
Another aspect that certainly makes the subject unique is the camouflage, the Europe 1 or so called "Charcoal Lizard", also derived from the A-10.
 
For the test phase, 7 F-16C Block-25 and a B two-seater were chosen. Before these there were some other tests with a couple of F-16As if I remember correctly.
The test did not go well, in particular the cannon hanging from the ventral pylon when it fired caused various problems, both structural to the airframe and to the avionics of the jet, in addition to the fact that the strong vibrations made it decidedly miss the target: anyway, USAF is still waiting for a replacement for the A-10 (...).
 
So, F-16 elegant shape + Europe 1 camouflage + external heavy weapon load has made this jet just spectacular and irresistible for me
For this project, I'm going to use the Tamiya 1/32 F-16C "Thunderbird" kit.
This kit contains the parts to make a Block-32 and with a few small adjustments it can be converted into a Block-25.
I decided to use few aftermarket for this because the kit parts are really good just adding some details.
 
The cockpit received instruments and consoles from Quinta Studio 3D set.
Other than this, all the other parts are from the kit, including the ACES II ejection seat.
 
 
 
Some electrical cables has been added on the back of the tube area.
 
The undercarriage wheel bays are from the kit after, to my unpleasant surprise, I discovered that the resin parts of the Aires set are definitely too short to fit the plastic parts of the fuselage.
 
 
 
Cables and pipes were added with some other small details.
 
 
 
Since I had decided from the beginning that I would put a FOD cover in the main air intake, I saved myself from having build and fit the air intake duct: the FOD cover has a yellow head of a falcon drawn in the center.
 
 
 
At that time these Block-25 F-16C didn't have the bulges above and below the wing roots and the "beer cans" RWR at the slats. These parts has to be removed from the plastic parts.
Same for the 2 extra chaff&flare box dispensers under the left side.
 
CIAO!
Piero
 

Oh man I’m so loving seeing this come together!

Chopped out the channels for the speedbrake arms..

The gear wells have suffered some shop rash over the 14 years of construction and need some love.
the printed speedbrakes from Timmy! Literally drop into place.
genius.
fabulous.
 
P

Made it to the main gear well with the aluminum 

 
will work the sheeting around the speed brakes area, then flip it over and start on the top/sides moving back to front.
 
Cant yet go all the way with the aluminum to the fuselage split( behind the cockpit)..I’ll need to blend the joint between sections before I can cover that area.

Beautifully done Chuck but, then again, we'd expect nothing less from you. Keep up the fantastic work bud.
Steve

March 31, 2024
 
Painting of the engine is done, but it was a real struggle because I’m so picky.  Painting a jet engine, inside and out, is challenging because of all the metallic and ceramic colors and no two engines are the same- but there are some similarities that you try to replicate.  It’s also very artistic, which can be both fun and frustrating.  I want all of my engines to add to the model, rather than be a liability where “good enough” is never really good enough.
 
Starting with the base (front) of the engine, I painting everything as close to what I could find for reference pics.  This is a combination of dull metal and a whitish ceramic look, which I enhanced with white pastels.  It’s a bit of a shame that you won’t see much of this later, when it’s buried deep inside the fuselage.
 

 
The flame tube was painted black at first, then I shot flat white paint through it from front to back, using a crude zig-zag mask that created irregular dark shadows within.
 

 
Painting the outside petals of the nozzle was the hardest part, because I wasn’t happy with my first two attempts and had to strip everything down and start all over again.  With 3 small pieces of masking tape and 15 petals, that’s 45 bits of tape that had to be applied 3 times!  As I’ve done before, I used an ordinary piece of paper rolled into a tube to hold the nozzle for painting.  Not only does it hold the nozzle, but it also shows where you painted and where you haven't against the white background.
 

 
I looked at countless Pratt and Whitney F-16 engine nozzles as a reference and used this one the most.  Note that the petals have 1 straight edge where the petals overlap, rather than 2 curved ones, which appears to be more common.  This Reskit nozzle seems to be the same.
 

 
A more common pattern of a curve on both edges of the petals.
 

 
The end result, after finally settling on Alclad Durluminum for the main petal color and Alclad Magnesium for the overlap.  I tried a lot of other colors but these two seemed to be the closest to the real deal.  If you look at the nozzles above, they are fairly smooth as Pete pointed out and all that tiny rivet detail is not very obvious.  Instead of filling it all in, I opted to just live with it, because doing so would likely harm the other fine detail that I want to keep.
 

 
Note that the nozzles are not spotless and there is some wear and discoloration here and there.  As I did with my CF-104 build, I decided to use some “Metal Liner” wash to dirty them up a bit.
 

 
I went with “Dark”, because the lighter washes didn’t really show up on the light surface.
 

 
I decided to go light on the wash to give the nozzles some stain, but not too much to overpower the metallic look, especially for small 1/32 scale.
 

 
Painting the insides of the nozzles was also a struggle, because I tried a few new ideas and they all crashed and burned.  What you want is a combination of black and white soot that has a fairly distinctive repetitive pattern, depending on which part of the nozzle petal it’s on.  Make some mistakes, like I did, and you get a combination of white and black in a grey mess, so I had to start all over again and go with something that I know works quite well on these PW100 engines.  Here’s a pic of what I used on the engines of my F-15C Eagle Aggressor 6 years ago.  Small thin strips of styrene, taped to the base of the nozzle along an axis that usually has less white soot than on either side, provide a partial mask when flat white paint is sprayed from the base of the nozzle outward, just like on a real engine.
 

 
The results can be pretty impressive, as shown on this pic I’ve shown at least 100 times here before, because I’m so proud of these nozzles.  Long before ResKit and others created fantastic looking nozzles using 3D printing technology, I made these out of a resin Two Mikes base and 11 Eduard and kit parts per petal.  30 petals combined with the 6 main parts of the nozzles equal 336 parts!  They took me forever to assemble, but I think they were worth it.
 

 
So I did the same thing again, using 0.4 X 2.5MM styrene strips, which fit each petal axis perfectly, they sprayed flat white paint from the rear outward.
 

 
The results, and this time I was very happy with the ending.
 

 

 
Added to the flame tube.  If you squint you might be able to see the dark shadow I created in the tube with that paper mask.
 

 
All engine parts combined so that you can barely see the front of the engine face.  This is really hard to photograph without a special macro-flash.

 
Engine painting done!  Now I’m scratching my head wondering if I’m going to add all those tiny “No Push” and “No Step” placards to the petals and how the heck I’m going to do it?  Maybe tiny strips of decal film?  Stay tuned……
 

 
Cheers,
Chuck

Hi
Regarding US Navy aircrews, I had gap for the périod mid 70s to early 80s.
So we made a F-14 aircrew of the first years, with helmet and oxygen mask that was in use before "top-gun 1", so before 1981.

However, as I do not have a F-14 available, i installed them in an Intruder in 1/32 scale :

 
 

Cheers
Norbert

At first, I was planning for the pit to use what was in the kit...
 

 
Found some parts for a real B, but they where modified, will continue with new replacement from Bruce for the Revell..
Hey, why not..
 

 
And until I hear from Bruce, I'll jump on something else, lots of Rockeye to paint...
 

 
Stripes ready...
 

 
Tadammm... 
 

 
Next, intake, pylons and MER...gonna use those from Tamiya, better detailed.
 

 
Stiffening the ducts and puttying...
 

 
More next week and thanks for watching..
 
Have fun,
Dan.
 
 

March 27, 2024
 
Since I’m now trying to make sure my model is as accurate as possible for a Block 25 in every way possible, I found another change I need to make since this Thunderbirds kit is for a Block 32.  Apparently Block 25’s only have 2 flare/chaff dispensers on either side at the rear, and don’t have the extra 2 added on the left hand side as shown below.  Eliminating them was easy by gluing in the cover Part C16 plates, then filling the recesses with CA glue and sanding everything smooth.  For the 2 dispensers at the back, however, this kit doesn’t have any since the Thunderbirds have cover plates on them.  Thankfully I have a few spares from the Block 50 kit, which has 8 of them.
 

 
This is confirmed by a pic I took of my subject in November 2022 at Nellis AFB.  Note that the forward 2 dispensers are missing as they should be for a Block 25.
 

 
Next, I decided to get into the ResKit F100 PW engine I bought for this build, but it doesn’t indicate if it’s the original 200 version, or the more modern 220 or 220E version.  No matter, because this is the one I’m stuck with.
 

 
This engine is super detailed like the ResKit J-79 engine I used on my CF-104 build, that turned out looking pretty good if I do say so myself…..
 

 
Like the J-79 engine, unfortunately, the instructions just show you how to put the engine together, with absolutely no guide as to how it should fit with the kit parts.  You are left to figure that out on your own, so I came up with a plan as you will see below. 
 
Like all ResKit resin, there are large casting blocks to cut off with a razor saw, which is tricky to do without damaging the fine details of the delicate parts.  Here is the main nozzle part and the approximate location of the cut line on the instructions. 
 

 
The best way to smooth out the cut line is to rub it on a rough sponge sanding block to get off the biggest chunks.
 

 
Unlike what the instructions call for, I’m sanding off the entire bottom of the nozzle, which removes a few millimeters of interior detail, in order to get a stronger fit with the kit parts as you'll see below.  This small detail will not be missed once the engine assembly is assembled and painted.  Here I’m using a flat sanding belt on a flat plastic holder, to keep the bottom of the nozzle as flat as possible.  On the sponge sanding block, the rocking motion and flexible surface creates a rounded edge, which you don’t want for final sanding.
 

 
The sanding is complete with a light buff with a 1000 grit sandpaper sponge.
 

 
This is the main goal when the ResKit resin and kit parts are glued together.  You want this fit to be as flat and flush as possible and it looks like the nozzle diameter is perfect.
 

 
Here is the top of the flame-holder with the recess and notch, that the nozzle fits into.  With the base of the nozzle sanded off, I sanded off this recess as well.
 

 
In order to fit the KesKit flame-holder into the engine fairing, I glued into place a thin strip of 0.5 X 4mm styrene into the kit parts P10 and P11, which turned out to be perfect.
 

 
And this is the reason for my departure from the ResKit instructions, in order to get a tight and very strong fit of the resin engine to the rear of the fuselage.  With this wide and flat surface, the engine nozzle can be glued on at the end of the build easily, with no fuss with finicky recesses or notches in the resin parts, which are not as strong.  Further, you can glue the “best side” of the nozzle upwards as you choose, without the need to lock it into a specific notch on the flame-holder.
 

 
The last resin block I cut was across the very detailed circular grid at the front of the flame-holder.  I dreaded doing this, because breaking the delicate parts seemed inevitable, but at least I had the kit Part P25 to fall back on if I made a mess.  There are 4 tabs that are a bit longer than the rest that I marked with red dots, that fit into slots of the engine duct.
 

 
The reason I noted the 4 longer tabs is because 3 out of the 4 broke off when I cut the assembly off the block, with the only remaining one marked with a red dot.      I’m guessing it’s because they flexed more with the saw and due to the extra stress, broke more easily than the shorter tabs?  At this point, I was fairly certain that I would be using Part P25 instead!
 

 
Much to my surprise, I was able to cut off the extra backing from all of the tabs and glue the broken parts back on with CA glue, without any more drama.  Using styrene cutters, the key to cutting the backing was to cut horizontally with the assembly to the base of the tab, which broke the vertical portion of the backing naturally, snapping it off.  From there, a #11 knife was used to clean everything up.  The repaired tabs are quite strong, with a fairly large amount of CA glue applied from the rear where it can’t be seen.
 

 
Here it is dry fit into the base of the engine assembly.  My kit came with a broken rim on this part, which isn’t a big deal because it will not be seen when fully assembled.
 

 
There are 3 more brass parts that need to be added below the resin assembly.
 

 
Final dry fit assembly, compared to the kit part.  Pretty impressive engineering by ResKit!
 

 

 

 

 
So now it was time to deal with how the front of the KesKit engine was going to fit into the fuselage.  I had the same problem and solution with my CF-104 build, so I sort of knew already what to do.  Using the front part of the kit engine that slides into a groove in the engine bay, I cut off about 1” of it and the front tabs.
 

 
I then cut off two pin locks in the engine bay that normally hold the kit engine.
 

 
Before I glued any engine parts together, it’s important to figure out which way is up and which way is down in the engine compartment.  I looked at several pics of PW100 engine pics from the rear and came up with all sorts of angles that I found confusing, but most of them were for F-15’s which appear to have the engines installed a few degrees out from what I finally settled on, like the pic below from an actual F-16.  Note the flat top to the heptagon with longer arms coming from the corners.
 

 
So I set the “Top” accordingly and marked it with a pen, which coincides with the deepest tab of the resin assembly, which is no doubt there on purpose.  The front portion of the kit engine I cut off was then glued to the base accordingly.
 

 
The sub-assemblies indicating which portions go to the top.  While the assembly on the right is glued together, the rest are only dry fit at this point.
 

 

 
The groove at the top of the engine bay is quite long, thanks to it sharing the same part as the Block 50 kit, which has an entire engine that can be removed for display.  This kit only uses the rear of the groove, which is all I need.
 

 
The Engine sub-assemblies now just slide into place with ease, after trimming the side pins of the kit parts to allow clearance, while still remaining snug.  This fit is solid, so once everything is glued into place, the engine will be very secure when bounced around.
 

 
With fuselage Part B20 dry fit into place, the engine fairing fits fairly flush on the bottom.
 

 
Same thing on the top, showing that the hole of the fairing lines up with the hole in the fuselage top perfectly.
 

 
And the candle on this engine cake, the rear nozzle, which can be glued on at the end of the build with no fit issues later- and no gaps.
 

 
So the current game plan is to paint and detail all of the engine parts, then install the engine with the kit fairing and other fuselage parts to ensure that everything is smooth and looks natural on the outside, which will take a little light sanding.  From there, I’ll mask off the rear of the engine and attend to the other kit assemblies on the tail.
One might ask why I worry so much about the interior of an engine that I'll rarely see again, even with a flashlight.  The answer is, "It's Fun!",   at least to me, which is a big part of what modeling is all about.  Thanks for checking in.
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Thanks for checking in-

 
slowly getting there…

Thanks Bevan!
 
March 21/24
 
Another quick update while a few things are still clear in my old mind. 
 
Whether to delete one of the front flap “fingers” has bugged me since I made my post above last night.  While I always strive to make my models as accurate as possible, sometimes the effort isn’t worth the reward and in some cases, altering things can look worse, so you wish you hadn’t bothered.
 
One thing that I wanted to do was to leave off the front flaps until after painting, so that I could easily mask off and paint a few small things like the RHAW “beer cans”.  If I just glued them on permanently now, however, filling in the gap for the third finger would be fairly easy and I could re-scribe the panel lines.  I came very close to doing so….
 

 
Before I did that, I thankfully flipped the model over to see what exists for detail underneath.  Here there is a lot more detail and none of it would be easy to fill and recreate, because the kit parts are made so that the flaps can be either raised or lowered, leaving a big gap.  The real wing doesn’t look like this at all and is almost identical to the top.  If it did, I would just fill it, but since it would be a real PITA to modify the kit wing, I’m going to punt and Fuhgeddaboutit!
 

 
For years I have been a bit intimidated by all the F-16 Block variants and what specific details they should all have, including the reinforcement plates that many of them have.  Apparently Block 50 and up variants don’t have them, because they are internal.
 
I have the super thin stick-on set that came with the kit in the upper right, but I also have the thicker Cross Delta set on the left, which thankfully comes with accurate instructions as shown below.  This indicates that I should be using the large fuel tank plate which is actually made from 5 parts (1), the “lawnmower blades” around the front of the vertical stabilizer (2), and a fairly big panel around the nose radar blisters (7), which are RAM panels (Radar Absorbant Material).  Surprisingly to me, the more modern Block 40/42 Vipers have a lot more reinforcement plates as shown.
 

 
My subject, 84-1220, nor 86-1229 have the front plates, which are RAM panels, so it looks like I’m good with using just #1 and #2.
 

 

 
While digging around for reference photos, I stumbled upon pics of a THIRD F-16 Aggressor painted in the digital Ghost Scheme.  It’s another Block 25, 84-1301, and since none of the pics are mine, you can see it here at Jet Photos:
 
F-16 "Ghost" Aggressor, 84-1301
 
Pretty cool.
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Thanks Guys!
 
 
Thanks Mike, it's great to see you follow along again.  Sorry to hear about your friend.  That's brutal.
 
Thankfully after lots of CT Scans and the like, I don't have anything sinister going on, but without going into too much detail, I do have lots of scar tissue due to multiple stomach surgeries after an ordinary appendix removal 3 years ago.  Just bad luck I guess, so we'll see what the future holds for more trips.  I liked your "work smarter, not harder" comment, which I used again at the end of this update.
 
 
March 21/24
 
First a little housekeeping.  I showed above that there are 3 blue hydraulic lines that stick out a bit at the front of the main landing gear, so I tried to create something that was close.  It turns out I have a pic of them, so here they are below.
 

 
 
Duane (chaos07) pointed out above some slight depressions near the canopy hinge, so here’s a pic of the one on the left.  It has since been filled, along with the one on the right.  Thanks Duane!
 

 
The kit parts share many with the Block 50 kit, so some of them need to be modified.  Although the blister removal on the wing roots is in the instructions, here they are again, since they are easily missed.
 

 

 
Here’s a tip that helped me a lot.  The instructions have you join the upper fuselage Part B28 to the rear upper fuselage Part A1 in Step 19 first, then glue the entire upper assembly to the lower fuselage in Step 20.  While this kit is generally excellent, gluing such large mating surfaces all at once is asking for trouble in my mind.  Instead, I glued the rear Part A1 to the lower fuselage first, got things sorted out, allowing the glue to dry and cleaned up, then glued the front Part B-28 to the rest later.  This procedure allowed me to glue all the complicated fitments in a reasonable amount of time without being rushed.  Gluing one big upper assembly to the lower assembly as instructed, would have been very hard to do cleanly.
 

 
I find masking off cockpits and landing gear to be a real PITA, partly because its hard to do cleanly, but also because it must be done right if you want a successful outcome.  There are no real shortcuts, but I have developed a procedure that I’m sure a lot of you guys use as well.  Note that this model is now sitting on the same cardboard box I’ve used for at least 6 different models, using pipe insulation as a soft platform.  The yellow paint is from my Harvard/Texan build 4 years ago, followed by my Special Hobby Tempest Mk V, Italeri CF-104 and my last build of the big 1/24 Airfix F6F-5 Hellcat, which all sat on this same box for much of their assembly and painting.  More on that in a bit.
 

 
I used a small block of foam to fill the cockpit cavity, then ordinary masking tape for the rest, followed by a liberal coat of liquid mask.  The mask holds everything together strongly and covers small edges that tape won’t adhere to.
 

 
When the liquid mask has dried, I apply a few pieces of masking tape, since the liquid mask is tacky and you don’t want it to stick to anything and come off.
 

 
The landing gear bays were a lot harder to do, but I did have the advantage of having a central beam to attach masking materials to, since Part C27 will not be installed until the end of the build, right after the landing gear is installed.
 

 
Again, the voids were filled with custom cut little pieces of foam, followed by masking tape.
 

 
Everything was then toughened up with liquid mask, in this case “Mr Masking Sol neo”, made by Mr. Hobby in Japan.  This is the very best liquid mask I have found, because it’s easy to apply but more importantly, easy to remove as well.  You can’t say that about Micro Mask, which can be almost impossible to remove from small cavities after it dries.
 

 
Again, cover tape to keep the gear bays from sticking to stuff, like my fingers, arms and elbows as I handle the model.
 

 
As much as my cardboard modeling box has served me well for a long time, it was time to “upgrade to a new model”.
 

 
This was created with a small acrylic storage container that was 6 ½” X 12”, cut down to 2 ½” high, then foam pipe insulation was added to the top, for a total cost of about $3.  While I see that many of you use all sorts of contraptions to hold your models, I like this simple box a lot better.  There are no pressure points to rub paint, I don’t have to adjust anything and I can carry my model around safely to and from my paint booth without fear of it falling off something.  I just cover the box with a microfiber towel and paint away.
 

 
You can flip the model around from top to bottom with ease, because there’s always a position somewhere that fits.
 

 
One thing I’ve noticed in my pics above is that the leading edge flaps are usually up a bit when parked.  According to Jake’s book, this is normal for parked Vipers, which are up about 2 degrees, so I will be gluing the flaps accordingly.  Right now they are just dry fit.
 

 
The other thing I found in Jake’s book and pointed out by Pete Fleischmann earlier, is that Block 25/30/32 jets have only 2 “fingers” that connect the flaps to the wing at the most inboard position.  This kit has 3 fingers, just like the Block 50 kit, so it’s obviously a holdover not easily cut off like the blisters.  If I filled the outboard finger it would be more accurate, but I’m not sure if this is “working smarter or harder”, since I kind of like the look of it, even if it’s wrong.  I’ll think about it.  Any thoughts?
 

 
One thing that I did add was the so-called “ECS Exhaust”, which was basically missing from this kit.  What prompted me to look for it, was because there was a small depression at this location, that I thought might be a flaw of the plastic.  Checking my Block 50 kit, it’s much more pronounced, although quite small.  There’s a great picture of it on Page 65 of Jake’s book with a half shroud forward from the hole in the fuselage, so I fashioned something similar out of styrene.
 

 
So that’s about it for now.  I still have lots to do and then there’s that super complicated paint job!  I sure hope it turns out OK.
 

 
Cheers,
Chuck
 

The long slow march towards the front of the jet continues-





 
cheers
P

Tail position light. The master for these was turned on a lathe by Timmy! Years ago. I used the aluminum master to make clear resin copies for the wings and vertical tail. 

Got the tail antenna up..still needs to be blended in. Also the tail beacons. Continuing to skin the belly-

 

March 14/24
 
This build marches on with quite a few updates.  With the main landing gear bay pretty much finished, it was time to finish the front landing gear bay.  While a lot smaller with less parts, there are still some important things you need to do in order to get the Aires resin to fit properly.  Here’s a few pics of where I was about a year ago.  The surface detail on the bottom of the intake needs to be sanded down, but so does the top of the resin part.

 
The Aires resin doesn’t have a notch for the gear leg to fit into, which tilts it slightly forward like the kit parts.

 
The fix is to cut a small notch and glue in a styrene block for the front paddle to slide into.  The bottom of the metal leg or the diagonal struts need to be trimmed as well.

 
This provides the correct angle and the ability to remove the gear leg until final assembly, much as I did with the main landing gear.
 

Although the Aires “instructions” don’t mention it (no big surprise there), the actuator and control arms Part F2 and F3 must be trimmed and cut as shown.
 
 

 
After painting and assembly with the other intake parts in Step 8, here’s how it looks with a little bit of grime added for contrast.
 

 
Here’s how F2 and F3 should fit the resin gear bay.
 

 
Much like the main landing gear, there are a lot of hydraulic and electrical lines that are attached to the front gear leg.  I only added the front 2 hydraulic lines, because they are the most visible from the front.  Again, I used blue lines like pics I have of the real deal.
 

 
Before gluing the front intake assembly to the rear intake assembly above the main landing gear bay, I painted and glued the front fan Parts P1 and P24 to the rear of kit part B31, because it doesn’t fit the Aires resin at all.  As shown earlier, I had to trim down the Aires resin quite a bit in order for this fan to fit at all.
 

 
Here is the front intake glued to the rear intake and rear air duct.  The big air duct ring Part C34 is not used or needed, but to close up the sides of the rear intake, I used strips of white styrene to close the gap and make it less obvious.  You can’t really see this gap from the front unless you use a flashlight and peek inside, so I took the easy route for once and focused on what you can actually see, instead of trying to make this deep assembly seamless.
 

 
On the bottom, I needed to sand down the central rib of the Aires gear bay a bit more……
 

 
…. so that Part C27 is a drop-in fit at the end of the build, after I install the main landing gear and other bits.  This part was a bit too short for some reason, so I added a white styrene spacer to make it fit better.  Aires supplies a resin replacement, but it's even shorter, so I don't know why they bothered.
 

 
I finally got the Aires cockpit to fit the upper fuselage pretty good, so a revisit of what is involved is shown again below.  The back of the kit cockpit wall needs to be cut out, which was a bit crude on my part, so I filled in my mistakes with CA glue and sanded them smooth.
 

 
The fit is much better now.
 

 
The front area around the coaming/glare shield is another matter, because the Aires parts don’t fit the kit parts at all.  To be fair, not even the kit parts fit very well, which leave a very noticeable gap at the front that must somehow be filled.  This is a shame, because on the F-16, there is no front windshield to hide all these flaws, so many modifications to this area need to be made if you want something that looks close to accurate.
 

 
I closed the gap at the front with some strip styrene, but the sides are still a bit of a mess.
 

 
More strip styrene to the rescue, among other tweaks here and there.
 

 
Here is the end result after painting from a variety of angles.
 

 

 
The black areas are not “weathered” yet, because I want to mask all of this off for painting, and weathering agents like pastels will reduce the adhesion of the tape.
 

 
Even the back area looks pretty good, at least to my eyes.
 

 
So how did I fill all those gaps without making a big mess with putty and paint?  I finally gave a bottle of black CA glue a try, but it was very risky.  I thought that if I applied the glue from the back, it would ooze into the gaps to close them and already be “painted” black, while gluing the cockpit into place solidly.  What really made this work was the viscosity of the glue I had on hand, pictured below.  It was a bit thick, maybe a touch more than medium viscosity, which allowed me to apply it with a micro-brush from below, working it into the gaps one small segment at a time, then flipping the fuselage over so that gravity wouldn’t let the glue move down too far.  After it dried a bit and became relatively solid, maybe 3-4 minutes, I flipped it over and applied more glue to the gaps on either side in a sequential fashion, never letting wet glue move to the surface of the cockpit for very long- maybe less than 5 seconds.  If this glue was super thin like the CA glues I usually use, it would have made a big mess and ruined everything.  If it was too thick, it wouldn’t have filled the gaps very well and would have been lumpy when it dried.  For once one of my little experiments worked, and I will always glue resin cockpits this way from now on.
 

 

 

 
Since I’m using the Thunderbirds kit which is primarily a Block 32, it doesn’t come with a gun like the Block 50 kit.  It even has a plug, Part Q5, which is supposed to be painted white.  Since all Viper Aggressors have a gun and are battle ready, I just painted the inside of the gun area flat black, so that all you can see is something dark and maybe not notice the lack of gun barrels.
 

 
Gun panels glued into place, since they will never come off.
 

 
This kit calls for a side vent, Part C4 in Step 19, like this Block 32 Ghost scheme Viper, 86-299. All pics are mine at Nellis AFB.
 

 
My subject, however, is 84-220, a Block 25 Viper with no vent on this side, amongst other small differences.  I’m not really sure, but it looks like the rear window is clear and not tinted?  Tinting variability of Viper canopy glass is all over the place and there are few hard and fast rules, which is why the kit comes with both clear and tinted glass parts.  Still, I'd rather make my subject as "correct" as possible, so does anybody have a good pic of what this rear glass should look like?  The front canopy is tinted for sure.
 

 
As a result, I’m not drilling a hole or installing the vent as instructed.
 

 
When I get to the rear vertical stabilizer, I won’t be added any vents either, as Pete Fleischmann so kindly guided me way back in December 2022, a few months after I started this build.
 
86-299 again (Block 32)
 

 
84-220 (Block 25)
 

 
 
So that’s about it for now.  With all the heavy lifting over, the rest of this build should go fairly smoothly from now on, right?  Famous Last Words for sure!
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Don't look now but, I think your supervisor is sleeping on the job.
Steve

Here she is, done! Thanks for the research support I've received for the build, especially from Jari.
 
I seem to have lost my photographic skills, most of the pics are overexposed, in some the model appears a lot more patchy than she really is.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 
I am really pleased with the way the hinge mechanism turned out, thanks again Severin.
Here and there I used old-school detailing techniques, e.g. the fuel dump was done by squashing some brass tube in a vice to get the oval shape, then sawn off to correct length and worked into the trailing edge. Those Eduard photo-etch stencil masks are gems.
 





 
Don't pay too much attention to the base, it's somewhat temporary since the end-game is to have this and an A-6B stand on a large Coral Sea base.

 

 
Cheers,
 
Marcel

So looking forward to the meeting!
 
Thanks Maxim, but that not hard, they did no job at all.
 
She is done! Well, the chain on the towbar is missing but I'll get that done in the next few days.
 
I've posted pics on the Ready for Inspection parking.
 
Cheers,
 
Marcel

PS Yeah that backseater does look like he is about to fall over backwards