sigtau

I'm guessing you have the Caracal 48092 decal sheet. Any interest in selling the Dark Knight 7th CG/CC scheme from that sheet?

Has anyone tried this set? I can't find any photos of the actual parts, just the instructions from their website.

Wow, you went all out on this set. Looks awesome, nice mix of schemes.

Scalemates is correct. I built the Academy kit when I was a Junior in high school....Spring 1992. There's also the fact that the copyright date is 1990 on another copy of the kit I have in my stash.

Original release was 1988. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/academy-minicraft-1675-general-dynamics-f-111f--1093151

I got my first F-16C kit around 1991. Due to the currency exchange rates, and the ripoff Marco Polo importer, they were crazy expensive for the time. It was around $30 USD for the block 40 night falcon version back then. The F-14 kit was crazy expensive back then as well. My entire Christmas that year was composed of the F-16, F-14, and the Academy F-111F. Plus all the Verlinden super detail sets for those kits.

I'm so late to this one, but the colorful VP-19 markings with the red bird would be awesome.

The Tamiya non-standard color catalog is why I moved beyond them, even for armor. Even the colors that are supposed to match real world colors are not quite right (NATO 3-tone armor colors are an example of this issue). And their custom mix recipes in their kit instructions are not trustworthy. If you really like the Tamiya formula, the AK real colors brand is very similar. They come in FS/RAL/etc. colors. Color accuracy is debatable, but I've had good luck with the colors I used from their line (WW2 through modern armor). I also think the Mr. Color Acrysion (SP?) is a similar

Check out Reskit. They don't quite have the library of options that Eduard has, but they are more consistently accurate. For example, reskit is the only aftermarket company that makes accurate ejector racks. They make the legacy MER and TER, along with the F-16C TER. They also make the BRUs typically found on F-18s. The Reskit GBU-12s are way more accurate than the Eduard GBU-12s. Reskit also makes a very nice AIM-9 series, although they do take some time to build. The Eduard AIM-9s aren't bad, but are very difficult to remove from the pour stubs without damage.

Another option is to buy a set of the Aires Quickboost F-15 seats that already have the seat belts molded in. I used the Aires F-15E cockpit set for the Revell kit and decided I wasn't going to even attempt to mess with the overly complex PE belts. The Quickboost seat is the same base seat, just with belts added. If you are also doing an F-15E, you will need to use the PE canopy breakers from the main cockpit set. Another option is to check out Quinta products. Their cockpit sets typically include a full set of seat details. I've found their belt are easier to work with than P

Seems like a case of check your references. I think the 8 spoke wheel is the early one and the 12 spoke is the later version. Most reference photos I see for the D through G models have the higher spoke count. https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196044/republic-f-105g-thunderchief/

Which type of MRP paint, Lacquer or Water based? What color is it? What color of plastic or primer are you are applying it too? Are you mixing completely prior to painting? I use MRP lacquers for about 85% of my paint work. I've only had one issue with a bottle of dark ghost gray being too thick to spray correctly, so I had to thin with Mr. Color Leveling thinner. I get full coverage in 2 coats, which is the same as I do with heavily thinned Mr. Color lacquers. I spray it on top of Mr. Surfacer 1500 primer.

I bought one locally, then ordered two direct from Luckymodel in early December. I have the same issue with the two I ordered direct. They sent me a tracking number and then nothing. I've asked them why it hasn't been picked up and the reply I get is they are short staffed. I just got an update today saying that the kits are on the way in a container and I'll get the final tracking number once they ship from their US based warehouse. Perhaps there's a similar thing happening in the EU?

For warpage, I believe the worst of it was the upper forward fuselage. It was slightly squashed down, causing the wings to not be level. The aft fuselage "U" shaped part had an issue Raymond described as a molding problem. It looks like as the part was ejected from the mold, the forward edge curled outward. Or the main lower fuselage curled inward. Ether way, it created a step that had to be filled and sanded flat. The other warping issue I ran into was the avionics doors on the nose. They are molded separate and the fit is super sketchy. They don't have positive

Thanks Gary! It's unfortunate the fit is so meh with this kit. The problems have persisted with nearly every major assembly step. The biggest overall issue is steps at nearly every joint. Some can be mitigated with reducing part thickness or shimming. But many require obliterating detail in order to level the joints.

I'm currently building a Tamiya and the new Kinetic kit side by side. The Tamiya kit is far superior to the new Kinetic offering. The only area that the Kinetic kit has Tamiya beat is the wheel well detailing. The surface detail on the Kinetic kit is on par with the Tamiya kit. But the overall fit and accuracy of the Tamiya kit can't be beat. If you throw Hasegawa into the mix, I can honestly say the fit on that kit is better than the Kinetic kit. Obviously the Hasegawa falls way short on detail and accuracy for later lot C model air-frames. But the Hasegawa kit is going to g

Any test build photos available?

Indeed, I ordered two sets from them last year, shipped to the USA with no issues.

My "building experience" clearly needs work. I guess I'll just have to do better next time converting and detailing the cockpit of your kit to a block 10 configuration. Mixture of kit parts, modified Quinta F-16A set for the V1 kit, Eduard seat, leftover Eduard PE bits, scratch built instrument panel, HUD/video recorder, sidewall details, etc....... Still need to install the yellow spider shaped canopy lock and finish up a few minor finishing touches.

I forgot to mention I also had to remove some material from the shelf on D31, show with the red lines in these photos. Everything seems to fit fine after I made that modification. D31 seats up fine to the forward intake halves well. I also forgot there was an issue with wide gaps on either side of D7 where it sits between E1 and E2. To solve that issue, I removed a small amount of material from the mating surfaces of E1 and E2. It resulted in a very nice fit of D7, but that may have caused D31 to interfere with D7. Note the uneven gap where the forward bulkhead D31 meets part

To be fair, I only said the fit was "mediocre" - not bad, but not great. As a block 15 and up plane, it's not bad. The A and ADF tail base shape is the only significant error in the kit. As a block 52 plane, it's pretty much good to go. I have two more kits coming and have stacks of block 25 through 52 decals that need a home. This kit will work fine for that range of blocks.

The photo I posted in my last reply was BEFORE I modified the tail base to have the correct profile. But the step is a minor issue compared to the shape of the tail base parts. The cross sections of all three vertical tail base types (A, C, ADF) have the EXACT same rectangular profile in the kit. I took the leftover C and ADF front bases and the rear C and parabrake housing and lined them up in this photo. They will completely interchange with each other in the kit, which is not the case on the real plane. The A and ADF tail bases form an isosceles trapezoid cross section at th

I didn't capture photos for all of the issues before corrections. a) Right forward insert part D67 must be shaved down to avoid sitting proud of the surface. Not really an issue if you are filling it smooth, but it takes work to clean it up and not obliterate all the panel detail that are supposed to remain. b) Gun port insert D3 (I used the early version) also doesn't sit flush. I had to carve away part of the aft edge to get it to seat right. Came out OK in the end. c) Intake lip part E10 flares outward along the mating joint to the main intake assembly

The Reskit nozzle for the Hasegawa kit, part number RSU48-0119. I managed to rework it to fit into the kit shroud, but it also includes a resin shroud that comes pretty close to fitting the Kinetic kit.

Calling it thoroughly enjoyable is stretching the truth. It looks great in the box with the sprues still wrapped in their bags. Open those bags and you are treated with very mediocre fit with nearly every part. The fuselage and wing components were badly warped in my kit, requiring a fair bit of bending, checking fit, repeat. I had to shim up the rear fuselage joint just behind the wings. The upper fuselage was ~1mm narrower than the bottom in that area. I enjoy a little bit of a challenge, but I wouldn't expect it with a retooled kit that's supposed to be new and improved.