jenshb

If you have the IR sensor on the nose ahead of the cockpit, you have a pretty big blindspot from the fuselage below it, , so the only "perfect" place for it would be the tip of the nose...

Personally I find Xtracolor a bit hit and miss for colour accuracy, and the tins I havse (judging by the colour on the lid) doesn't *look* right to me. Especially the darker shade doesn't look blue enough. Maybe other batches capture the look better?

Jamie from Sovereign Colourcoats have suggested the *nearest* match in his range (based on the CIE L*a*b* system - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIELAB_color_space) to be WW2 US Navy Intermediate Blue - ACUS08 and RN Light Weatherwork Grey NARN52. As Vaison says, the light has an impact, and I find that the colours have a blue tint to them in many photos. This combination looks good too: https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/83697-132-mirage-2000-5f-kitty-hawk/

Thanks for your input Brian. Here is another look at the same three colours compared to 15102. MrColor C65 is on the bottom with the two White Ensign Models Colourcoats on top. This time the RN/USN #3 Blue is in the middle and the True Blue on top, but there is little difference between them. The MrColor is too bright and intense for 15102 whereas the Colourcoats are a pretty good match even though they are an eggshell finish rather than gloss. I suspect a gloss coat will darken them somewhat. The first photo is taken under the LED lights of my desk lamp. The second photo is taken with natural (overcast) light coming in from the left. Both photos taken with my mobile phone with no white balance correction.

None of them. The decal is too dark when I compare with photos, so I will be masking and spraying the blue trim. The decal instructions say to paint the top of the tailfins 15044 Insignia blue to match, but that colour is too dark to match the decals. 15102 it is then...let me have another look at that FS 595 fan...

Finally got a bottle of MrColor 65 Bright blue and sprayed a test sample. It is too dark and bright for FS _5123. I had a good look through my 50 shades of blue drawer and came up with two other candidates that looked near enough (though not labelled FS_5125). I took the image on my mobile under LED lighting - not the best, but daylight was waning. MrColor C65 is on the right, on the left is White Ensign Models WEMCC GW17 WW1 RN/USN #3 Blue, and in the middle is WEMCC ACUS 28 True Blue. That looks like the best match, although in some angles it looks too dark. Overall I think it will work on the early Pukin Dogs scheme.

That helps a lot Paul. Looking at my FS 595 colour fan and comparing with photos I found on the web, that captures the look in my view. Now I just need to get a jar of Mr.COlor Bright Blue. Jens

No, not a new song title, but trying to determine what shade of blue was used on the VF-143 F-14As in the light gull gray over white era. I have the Furball Decals, and they specify Insignia Blue for the tops of the tailfins (that must be painted), but that will not match the blue trim of the tailfins and the three stripes on the forward fuselage. Looking at photos on the web, the blue is definitely lighter than the dark blue of the insignia. The hue varies with the photos too - in one photo it definitely has a hint of red in it which I can find no FS match for. In others it looks less rich, so I am thinking something along the lines of FS 15050 Blue Angels blue as that would also be available through the Navy supply chain... Jens

What does the anhedral look like?

Nice work on an unforgiving finish! Definitely a Sabre with a difference. Jens

Eduard have photoetched sets and resin cockpits, seats and wheels.

One thing to watch out for - the wings in the kit are "flat" - i.e. no anhedral, wheras the real thing does. Jens

The Hasegawa kit may well be basic, but it captures the shapes and features of the YF-16 well. It will need help in the detail department however, so an Aires exhaust, an Escapac seat will go a long way to making things look better.

Can't be black - in spite of the lower light levels, the 101 is lighter than the F-16 which is black - ref. the photo above.

The GD paintshop would have access to Dark Gull Gray to paint the cockpits, would they not? To my eyes, the grey in the 101 looks darker than the Dark Ghost Gray of the aircraft in the background, but not as dark (or even "blue") as the Gunship Gray. The background does affect our perception of colours however, so I just played with the pipette tool in MS Paint to "airbrush" some patches of the colour in the 101. Not ultra-scientific, I know, but makes for a more direct comparison. Just noticed that the fuselage roundel appears to be cut off at the bottom where it is intersected by the panel line. Jens