Crash Test Dummy

The Karaya sets only include the standard pylons common to most modern F-16s. They do not include AIM-7 501 pylons. Kinetic has them in some of their F/A-18 kits on their AIM-7 sprues. You might try Kinetic customer support to order a couple sprues, but I wouldn't hold my breath. While this sprue has an F-16 pylon I don't think they ever included this in any of their F-16 kits. I'm nearly certain they haven't been in any of their new mold kits and I never cared enough about their first attempt to keep track of what they did with any of them.

I don't know if you're joking. Hasegawa A-4Bs on eBay are expensive because they were always a limited edition and somewhat rare. There hasn't been a A-4B release in over a decade. Sellers can price them at whatever they want and people will pay if they are desperate enough. Hobby 2000 is buying sprues direct from Hasegawa that are newly made for their boxing. Hobby 2000 gets the sprues from Hasegawa and decals from Cartograf, provide their own packaging, mask and instructions. Sell them at a price to make a profit, but not so expensive people avoid them. The initial one o

Buy whatever's cheapest. Is this for thinning or cleaning? I thin paint with hobby thinner and clean with cheap stuff. I use KleanStrip Lacquer Thinner from Home Depot for cleaning. I haven't run into anything it won't clean, including a few eBay airbrushes that I have no idea what was in them. It also never crossed my mind to use it for thinning paint for the airbrush. For paint thinner I'd either stick to the recommended thinner for your paint or Mr. Color Leveling thinner if it's compatible. I only use paint I can thin with Mr. Color Leveling Thinner so I don't have to stock a

I wouldn't assume anything from a manufacturer. I wasn't aware the Block 20 was an A/B combo. I've kind of ignored that one waiting to see what Minibase's kit. Since the OP asked about GOLD kits I was only commenting on Gold kit releases and didn't want to confuse things like you have by bringing up the first gen kits.

Its should have them. I'm glad it does. It provides positive locating for pods. Shaving off a couple lumps is the least of the issues with these kits. I still see a fair number of built kits that builders left them on because they don't know any better.

This is incorrect for the F-16 kits. Kinetic has different sprues for single seaters or two seater kits. They have not issued a kit that could do A/B/C/D. It's A/C or B/D. 48105 builds any of the two seaters. You need 48146 F-16C Texas ANG. This has the parts for any Block of the single seaters. AFIAK 48105 and 48146 are the only kits so far with the MCID intake and GE engine. These become "universal" kits where the others are limited to only PW Blocks.

VRC-50 US-3A "Miss Piggy" would be very welcome. I've got the US-3A kit in the stash and lack of decals has been a big roadblock.

ADFs in Foreign Service. Italy use to operate the type and had a couple specially marked planes. Jordan, Pakistan and Thailand currently have them in service. Pakistan uses a unique camouflage pattern. Jordan's went through the MLU program and can now use Sniper pods and LGBs.

Buy a couple glass pipettes or eyedroppers instead and just clean them out. I've bought eight eyedroppers over 35 years and the only problem is the rubber bulb will wear out after a couple decades or so.

From Wikipedia: A U.S. Navy McDonnell F-4B Phantom II (BuNo 152210) of Fighter Squadron 32 (VF-32) "Swordsmen" in flight during the Vietnam War. VF-32 was assigned to Attack Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW-1) aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42) for a deployment to Vietnam from 21 June 1966 to 21 February 1967. The aircraft is armed with Mk 82 Snakeeye bomb

Thermal protection wasn't introduced until after the Forrestal fire in 1967. Even then it wasn't an overnight change. I watched a video last week that had Skyhawks in 1972 using thermally protected Mk82, but non-protected Mk83 sometimes on the same plane. I don't know how common Snakeye fins were on Phantoms from carrier decks. The USMC on the other hand:

The underside was also white in that case. The planes had been in a air defense grey over white scheme and the green/brown camo was sprayed in theater over stencils and everything. It was a rush job and it showed. The paint deteriorated quickly. Important markings like US insignia, unit markings and major stencils like ejection warnings were reapplied, but they didn't bother with all the little stencils. The bottom color being white was close enough so it was left alone and still had the complete complement of factory stencils..

The advantage of the -30 is being able to carry more volume of cargo, i.e. more pallets or troops, but the weight limits are not that different. That's probably determined by the wing structural limits which is common between the two variants. The extra volume on the -30 is unnecessary for the aerial refueling role. This mission runs into weight limits before you run out of volume, even in the short 130s. The stretch version has a higher empty weight, so it's going to be heavier at all similar payload weights meaning longer takeoff and landing runs. There really is no advantage except for whe

Old Hasegawa decals can be "difficult" and those could be over 30 years old. During my last Hasegawa build I ended up buying a coffee cup warmer and a small metal cat food bowl to keep the decal water hot. A long soak much longer than any other decals I've used. I wait until the decal is loose on the film in the water is the only way I've found to deal with them. Even doing that several long skinny wing walk decals tore. I try to start with something small that won't be missed or is unused to get a feel for how the decals are going to respond. FYI, that kit is not really a Bloc

It's FS36622 "Camouflage Grey" same grey as the bottom color of Vietnam era South East Asia camouflaged planes. But, you can vary that lighter or darker. over different sections, so the missile is so monotone.