1/32 Tamiya Thunderbird F-16C

[Dave Williams]

Are we still talking about the Tamiya F-16C kit, or have we moved on the the Academy F-16I kit?  I’m not sure anymore.

[jenshb]

On 4/7/2021 at 4:31 PM, Helmsman said:

SprueBrothers has it in stock. Bloody expensive though.

Maybe it's sold out, but I just see the Academy F-16I and Tamiya F-16CJ (Block 50) on their site.

 

[jenshb]

I purchased the necessary sprues a while ago, and passed the intake to a friend who wanted to improve the Academy kit.  I mainly wanted the P&W exhausts and launchers (this was before ResKit did their beautiful exhausts). Apparently it wasn't too difficult to modify.  Now, Zactomodels make a small mouth improvement for the Academy kit, so maybe it is possible to tweak this to fit the Tamiya kit?  Combine with a ResKit exhaust, the only things missing are the early Sidewinder launchers, "flat" main wheel doors and lightweight main gear legs if required...

[ScoobyDoo]

Didn’t I read on Britmodeler or LSPs that this kit was being re-released in 2024?

 

I know I read it somewhere, I can’t find the release info now.

Edited December 27, 2023 by ScoobyDoo

[Kagemusha]

59 minutes ago, ScoobyDoo said:

Didn’t I read on Britmodeler or LSPs that this kit was being re-released in 2024?

 

I know I read it somewhere, I can’t find the release info now.

 

I've not seen that on either site, hope it proves to be the case.

[ScoobyDoo]

5 hours ago, Kagemusha said:

 

I've not seen that on either site, hope it proves to be the case.

I can’t find it now either, maybe I was wishful dreaming. I swore I read somewhere it was announced.

[Tony T]

Yes, they can release it in animé pink and it would work with primer and paint with AM decals if they don't think the Thunderbirds will sell any more. Sadly, as Thierry points out, Tamiya don't reissue kits in new markings without new parts, and as there are unlikely to be any new parts and the Thunderbirds markings are "obsolete" there's little hope of the kit reappearing. But please prove me wrong Tamiya. 

 

Frankly, I'd prefer the CJ reissued as a Block 40 CG with wide angle raster-scan HUD and LANTIRN gear, or as a latterday CM with the newer targeting pods and whot-not. Groovy. But unlikely also.

 

With F-16MLUs in the Ukraine by next Summer, maybe ResKit will get around to making backdate sets for the fin (vert stab) and undercart (MLG etc).

 

Tony 

[Pete Fleischmann]

Hey Tamiya-

here’s an awesome idea:

release an “all in one” F-16 kit with sprues from the Thunderbirds kit and the CJ, so I can build virtually any C model F-16. Include decals for whatever you think will sell-

Then:

create a stand-alone injection molded D model conversion that you could sell separately. The parts break down of the C kits would make this super easy.

 

your welcome.

P

[RaceFuel]

I genuinely am baffled by some of Tamiyas business decisions, especially related to 1/32 scale stuff. I know it's expensive to produce and can be risky..but Trumpeter and HKM don't seem to be too put off from cranking out some 1/32 jets with fairly impressive frequency..yet some absolute money printers are just left on the table with Tamiya..

A new tool 1/32 F-14? Super Hornet? 

Ah well. 

Yes, a "Omni-Viper" kit would be great. 

[Dave Williams]

Trumpeter’s rate of releasing any 1/32 kits, much less jets, has slacked off greatly since they started about 20 years ago.  Other than the much delayed TBD and some meh F-35s, Trumpeter hasn’t done much in 1/32 over the last couple of years.  For HKM, their single jet kit, the Meteor F.4, was almost 10 years ago.  Other than the new A-20 series, their other recent 1/32 kits are reboxings or variants of previous kits.

[RaceFuel]

7 minutes ago, Dave Williams said:

Trumpeter’s rate of releasing any 1/32 kits, much less jets, has slacked off greatly since they started about 20 years ago.  Other than the much delayed TBD and some meh F-35s, Trumpeter hasn’t done much in 1/32 over the last couple of years.  For HKM, their single jet kit, the Meteor F.4, was almost 10 years ago.  Other than the new A-20 series, their other recent 1/32 kits are reboxings or variants of previous kits.

True, ever since 2020 my sense of time is completely out of whack 

[allbann]

Nowaday it is Italeri that reasles the most  1/32 scale.

 

Wish Tamiya would at least release the flight stand with the CJ kit

[Mr.T]

The F-16 series is in need of a revamp and an extension to the A(M), B(M), E/F range...

However, the Thunderbird version is a sought after version as it has the basic building blocks to turn it into an A/B model. We'll see. There is a lot of aftermarket now to convert, but that makes it a expensive project.

Also, Tamiya has not done a dual at all (yet).