mirvc17

Progress is slow…. Some work done on some aftermarket 370g tanks. The details on these are just outstanding…although, I didn’t do the best job constructing them, so I’ll probably buy another set and do better… there are a ton of new aftermarket parts being advertised on the48ers, so there are a few more parts to get…once they are in stock. these tanks have been glossed and now ready for decals and then weathering/fuel/grease stains…

Well, absolute KUDOS to the48ers.com where I ordered the PW 220/229 nozzles from. 48ers and I emailed multiple times back and forth about the discrepancies and we both agreed the pictures provided by Gloria were wrong. 48ers said Gloria was planning to fix those errors (picture) and it seems that we may have convinced them they had the wrong flame unit for the PW229. I also mentioned their naming convention was all wrong. It has nothing to do with BLK, but everything to do with the engine number (220 vs 229)… I don’t know if they’ll fix the flame unit to the correct one for the 22

Thanks for the link. Haven’t heard of that brand before. Looks pretty decent but doesn’t appear to be any more detailed than the Gloria set. And looks like there are no rivets on the burner can pedals… I’m pretty happy with the Gloria set.

Slow progress due to work, but this arrived in the mail, along with a ladder. The detail is superb! More detailed and accurate compared to Eduard or Metallic Details. It’s got all the rivets on the pedals of course.

AIM-9X’s ready for gloss and then decals. Some of the suspension equipment done and 2 tanks…that will need a lot of TLC to rid them of the seams. I didn’t do a very good job on my last jet, so I’ll spend more time on these ones.

The HTS pod is done, finally.

LITENING targeting pod done and dirt washed. Just needs a flat clear coat on it. I didn’t use the included Eduard decals, but rather the ones from the Speed Hunter 5th Gen Viper set … it better matches the TGP found on this Buckley jet I took some photos of… I don’t have serial numbers for the pod pylon though … oh well…

Thanks… I assume you mean my completed jet in the Showcase? To jump ahead to the next project, related to this engine. I’ve discovered a critical error with the Gloria nozzle. It’s almost baffling on their part. The kit I just bought (25/32) is supposed to be the PW220 nozzle, but it’s clear it’s actually the PW229 carbon nozzle. BUT, the AB flame unit inside is actually the PW220….. and their “PW 32/42/52” kit has the AB flame unit set up that’s found on the PW229… this is confirmed from multiple photos from the Modern Viper Guide (2nd edition) and Viper Under the Skin (

While not a part of this project, I received the Gloria PW229 nozzle (and some other HAF goodies) for a future project. The Gloria nozzle says it’s for BLK 25/32, but this is an error, as the PW229 is only mounted on BLK52s and some BLK42s. Their BLK 32/42/52 nozzle is a standard, non-carbon fiber PW220 (metal) nozzle. But I digress. The detail is superb and correctly has the petals attached to the inner nozzle with one large bolt, vice two bolts on the older metal nozzle. As detailed as this nozzle is, I’d be willing to be their GE nozzle beats Eduard and Metallic Details. I will d

Some nozzle work/comparisons today. The Metallic Details kit is a bit more detailed in the pedals vs the Eduard kit. The Eduard kit would also require some very good taping to paint the worn/black area of the pedals. However the MD kit is a bit thick in the inner ring of the exhaust compared to Eduard. MD nozzle is also molded to the aft piece while the Eduard will have to be glued. I’m not committed to either yet. I’m quite interested in another nozzle that is currently out of stock through one of my model supplier sites—the Gloria Models F110 nozzle. I’m definitely going to get one

The Eduard nozzles are definitely more accurate, but the potential of destroying them is too great. Terrible decision to mold them this way…or not include them into the main body. I haven’t started on the AIM-120Cs yet, and I’m hoping it won’t be as troubling.

As I’m waiting on the C/N kit to arrive, I’ve started working in the Eduard AIM-9Xs and the radar “Late” kit. Cutting and sanding resin parts is time consuming… The AIM-9Xs are an excellent upgrade to the stock missiles. The detail is excellent and the fins are nice and thin…. No sanding down fins like Drew did in his project. However, I have two gripes. The molds have the rear fins attached but you have to glue the front fins in… seems like a bad design—why not just do the same as the aft fins? Also, and worse…is the exhaust nozzles. They are attached to a block of resin and once

Thanks! I’ll start a thread for the C-17 build most likely when it starts to make some real progress. My next 1/48 F-16 has a thread/discussion started in the In-Progress forum.

So as I see it, the BLK 25/30 CN Aggressor kit would be a better launching kit than the BLK 50… some of my aftermarket parts will still be utilized though—like my CrossDelta conversion kit. The TAMIYA one is extremely hard to find. I did find out: The instructions also show you where the scab plates go along the dorsal spine of the airframe, though this diagram is a shameless plug for their optional photo-etched detail set available separately.

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