Wild Hare 1/32 F-16 XL Conversion

[KWWMINER]

Thank you all for input! I do not know if I will ever finish the Attic conversion kit. I probably will not be able to sell it and expect that it will just gather dust in the closet. I have been able to liquidate a lot of my smaller scale planned builds, which was a surprise. Like some of you, I have accumulated far more builds than I can possibly build in the post retirement years left to me! I was most interested in the news about the Skunkworks brand. I still have some of their kits and was planning on a diorama build using their Nimitz class catapult kit. I will keep my eye out for a wild Hare conversion. I really wanted to build a large scale “what if” version of F-16 XL in the Heater Ferris wrap around camp scheme used on the two seat F-16 XL. I will probably move on to my 1/32 F/A-C Hornet build based the Academy kit. It will be in the Fist of Fleet livery I saw on an F18G in Fine Scale Modeler! I will put together some postings after I start. Thanks again!

[Dandiego]

An F-16 xl in 1:32 is possible.

 

You need two kits, a razor saw and some Bondo.

 

Ask me how I know.

 

Dan

[Modelpig]

10 years ago I converted a Tam F-16C T-Bird kit using significantly modified Attic resin wings. (I was able to order just the wings back then) Basically the Attic wing is about 3/8" short in length...also removed the control surfaces for further upgrade. Fuselage was stretched using plastic card stock and vac-u-formed shapes to adjust the overall length and geometry. I'll see if I can dig up some more pics from my WIP that was posted on another site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KWWMINER]

Great job! I purchased the Hasegawa kit for my Attic conversion and was in the process of fitting a resin wheel ell to the lower fuselage half and was also trying to fit a resin engine as well. The Attic fuselage ends and side seams on my conversion were atrocious beyond belief!  I cut off the front to the first panel line and did the same to the donor kit. Looked. Like this wa s going to work, so I did the same to both speed brakes. The resin wheel set fit well but was quarter inch short. I looked at a Wild Hare build and the resin wheel bay was a little short there too but only about 1/8 inch.

 

On to the fuselage side seams. These also bad as well. Ranging from 1/8 inch or less to almost 1/4 inch or more these were equally atrocious. The fuselage resin was flexing all over the place. The solution I came up with was To  put some blocks in the same position on the upper and lower fuselage halves and then countersinking a screw that would force hulls together as far as could go without distorting the fuselage. This would be done in six or eight locations. With fuselage stabilizes and the new donor kit parts installed, I would have a stable base where I could seal the openings from the back. Bondo for the front side and sand, sand, sand! The resin wings fit well, but the missile wells needed work.

 

I had resin Big Mouth intake and cockpit which would work. The cockpit tub would require some conversion work around the canopy hinges. This would have been a piece of cake, after all the other work. The instructions sagely advised that was a conversion for the advanced modeler. At this point I put everything back in large plastic box with a lid.

 

It looks like your approach was the more practical solution. Again, great job!