Need some recommendations on ACES II Seats and Other Stuff for the F-16C - And So it Begins.....

[BiggTim]

3 hours ago, Pete Fleischmann said:

The Resin2Detail seat is nice. My only problem with it is it is “armed”.
 

Ok if you put a pilot in it; but then you’ve got to remove the straps- so nice- but not optimal 

 

P

Maybe someone should tell R2D that - they probably don't know.

[Marcel111]

On 2/29/2024 at 10:07 PM, Pete Fleischmann said:

The Resin2Detail seat is nice. My only problem with it is it is “armed”.
 

Ok if you put a pilot in it; but then you’ve got to remove the straps- so nice- but not optimal 

 

 

P

That‘s a pretty easy fix though? Cut off and replace with some rectangular rod sitting upright-ish.

[Pete Fleischmann]

25 minutes ago, Marcel111 said:

That‘s a pretty easy fix though? Cut off and replace with some rectangular rod sitting upright-ish.

True enough.

The vast majority of modelers/contest judges/aviation geeks wouldn’t know the difference anyway…but it just jumped out at me as an unnecessary error.

[Timmy!]

Why does this somehow remind me of engine runs without a torso harness….

[Pete Fleischmann]

1 hour ago, Timmy! said:

Why does this somehow remind me of engine runs without a torso harness….

only a complete moron would be that stupid 

[Juggernut]

Those of us who fly DCS combat simulator know all to well the seat arming lever on the ACES II seat.  There’s no EOR checklist but it’s on the before takeoff checklist to arm the seat.

 

Never having the pleasure of standing within the vacuum zone of a jet engine, I can only guess that is what prevents you from having a jet engine for a coffin after it ingests the unlucky person who got too close.

[Pete Fleischmann]

2 hours ago, Juggernut said:

 

Never having the pleasure of standing within the vacuum zone of a jet engine, I can only guess that is what prevents you from having a jet engine for a coffin after it ingests the unlucky person who got too close.

Mmmm….If you are referencing Timmy’s! Comment; I’m afraid there’s a little inside ball going on between Timmy! and I with that exchange- he was actually busting my balls..

 

well…trying to 

[Juggernut]

9 hours ago, Pete Fleischmann said:

Mmmm….If you are referencing Timmy’s! Comment; I’m afraid there’s a little inside ball going on between Timmy! and I with that exchange- he was actually busting my balls..

 

well…trying to 

Oh, well in that case, I’ll just leave it between you two.  

[Pete Fleischmann]

Just now, Juggernut said:

Oh, well in that case, I’ll just leave it between you two.  

…just a story that takes a few beers to tell-

[Juggernut]

3 hours ago, Pete Fleischmann said:

…just a story that takes a few beers to tell-

 

Well, if you're part of the flight crew that either overnights in Harrisburg, PA or Nassau, I'll buy the beers, you tell the story.

[Juggernut]

Well, after a weeks worth of squinting, stretching, looking through a magnifying glass, having JMEL's F-16C/D Viper Guide open, and a quick tutorial on compound paths, this is the result.  There are three jets on this sheet, all in HG V paint (mostly because ALPS decals are notoriously fragile on the Tango Papa decal paper I use; even with a coat of Microscale Liquid Decal film applied).  I've taken a couple liberties with the serial number in that the only photos I have of these jets show light grey markings and stencils... Since I cannot do that on an ALPS printer, I chose to do them in black figuring (hoping) that the markings have been "blacked out" in the past few years.  I have photographic evidence of at least two jets with blacked out markings so I made the leap of faith....

 

Many of the stencils, with few exceptions, were patterned from the Tamiya F-16C decal sheet.  Now you know why I've been squinting.  Each stencil on this sheet can be read but damned if some are REALLY small.... my old eyes need a magnifying glass to read them.  The circled numbers all match the Tamiya callouts for the decals so I can use the provided marking guide.  All three jets are from the 79th FS Tigers, 20th FW.  I did not have the will to start doing colored decals for the tail, so I had to go with a squadron that was on the Tamiya sheet.... You'll also note that the canopy rail crew emblems are blank.  I can fill them in later or leave them blank for a deployed aircraft.

 

The MISCELLANEOUS STENCILS section is comprised of a couple different sizes of "DO NOT PAINT" since the Tamiya kit does not provide these for the repurposed RHAW antennas on the forward fuselage and any other antenna that may not be noticed.

 

I had to take my best guess as to some of the sizes on the various markings.  As always, constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.  I also purposely put in a few "tell-tale" signs that only I know of so if someone decides to use my stuff, I'll know it by looking at it.

 

Edited March 6 by Juggernut

[Juggernut]

Oh wow, I almost had a minor coronary....

 

I was reading through the Tamiya instruction booklet and I realized that the AIFF "bird slicer"antennae are not on the instruction sheet... Slipping into a mild panic, I came upstairs to discover that the part IS there in the kit, it's just not called out in the instructions.  Nothing like going from 70 to 200 bpm and then back to 70 in 2 minutes or less....

 

Anyway, I've started work on this project (FINALLY!).  I've got a beautiful Reskit AN/ALQ-131 pod and the requisite centerline pylon from Kopecky Scale Models.  As I get moving, I'll start a thread for those that may be interested.  It's gonna be a wild ride!  Thank God Chuck has his F-16 build for me to reference and using the same reference book as he had (F-16C/D Viper Guide by Reid Air Publications).  I have an idea on how to tackle those damn wingtip position lights...but I've gotta do a little bit of thinkin on it before committing knife/saw to plastic.

 

WIP Thread

Edited Tuesday at 12:41 AM by Juggernut