1/32 Tamiya Viper

[Cristiane]

Just amazing.

[habu2]

If you have the T-birds kit, be prepared for quite a bit of extra work to make it right. I can make you a list of the necessary changes if you'd like. I'm really surprised at how much Tamiya missed.

Jake, beautiful build!

I'd be interested in that list, as well as hearing just what Superscale screwed up on their sheet.

[Pete "Pig" Fleischmann]

Whoa! I love it Jake! Looks fantastic! I love the loadout too-very Guard standard day FTP stuff..

Magnificent as usual buddy ;)

Regards,

Pig

[jmel]

Another air-to-air shoot Jake,awesome!

Hey, Dave! I thought I'd told you about it already. It is a KC-135 flight to shoot some gassing F-16s. Let's hope my foul-weather curse has lifted!

[jmel]

I know you are a busy dude, but I was hoping you might post that list of changes needed to get an accurate early F-16C. I am sure any tips or issues you noticed during construction would be helpful.

I'd be interested in that list, as well as hearing just what Superscale screwed up on their sheet.

Thanks a ton, guys. I really appreciate it!

Greg, the SS sheet for 86-0262 is useless. I really can't believe my name is on that sheet. It's embarrassing. The checkerboard is about a full 1/2" (!) too short from front to rear. The "OH" and "162FS" titles are grossly oversized, and barely fit on the tail. The "Springfield" title on the top of the vertical is too small, and the font too thin. The Iowa paint stencil is shaped altogether wrong. The Sabre head on the tail needs blood added to the teeth. That is as far as I got before I gave up and threw the rest of the sheet away.

Greg and Michael, I'll post a list here in a minute.

Jake

Edited November 30, 2006 by jmel

[jmel]

OK, the list of necessary fixes to do a non-block 40/50 from the Thunderbirds kit.

1) Tamiya supplied the same nose gear leg in the T-birds kit as is supplied with the CJ kit. The block 40/50 nose gear is beefed up vs. earlier models. The leg is too "square" around where the wheel attaches. It needs to be filed round.

2) A 2nd gear pin box needs to be added to the LH gear bay. One is molded onto piece #F27, but on earlier blocks, there are 2 boxes present.

3) The battery still represents the old, blue type. The USAF has gone to a maintenance-free battery, red in color, with an altogether different shape.

4) If you are modeling a jet with the MCID (bigmouth) intake, the sides of the inlet need to be sanded smooth. The bulged gear doors from the block 40/50 actually begin at the inlet. Since the block 30 doesn't have bulged doors, the inlet needs to be sanded flush with the non-bulged doors. Take a look at these parts to see what I mean. It is much easier to view than it is to write about.

5) The block 40/50 jets have Leading Edge Flap seals with 3 fingers, while the earlier blocks only have two fingers. Remove and fill the outboard finger on each wing.

6) Fy 86 and earlier jets only have 2 chaff/flare buckets. Tamiya supplied the block-off plates, but they'll need to be added and sanded flush. Fly87 jets and newer have the 4 buckets as supplied in the CJ kit. Since my jet is a fy87, this didn't affect me.

7) RAM air inlet beneath the cockpit, on the bottom of the fuselage on the LH side is being removed by a TCTO. The vast majority of jets now have a simple blank-off plate installed, instead of the scoop (part #C26). My jet had this scoop present in 2003.

8) The bulges on the top and bottom of the wing roots are only present on blocks 40-52. Four bulges, top and bottom, need to be sanded flush for earlier jets.

9) RAM plating has begun to appear on most units' aircraft. The two most obvious plates are on the panels immediately behind the radome, where nose art would appear. The 178FW's aircraft, luckily for me, do not have these plates, so I didn't need to add them. The vast majority of other units do, though, so check your references.

I hope this helps.

Jake

Edited November 30, 2006 by jmel

[Fox One Decals]

Nice job Jake, looks great.

Ben

[geedubelyer]

Smashing job Jake, what a beauty.

The finish of this model is lovely. ;)

All the extra effort really paid off my friend.

I like it,.......I like it ALOT!

:blink:

[Manuel J. Armas S.]

Amazing FALCON, Congratulations. ;)

[JimC]

Jake,

VERY nice Viper build...absolutely fantastic job on the jet, BUT...

Where, oh where, are the de-fog vents on the IP coaming?

Does this jet not have de-fog vents? No a/c in this bird?

Does it have a heater (not the missile or gun, but a device

to keep you warm when it's cold)?

I know you strive for accuracy (your list proves that) so...

What's the deal on the vents, hmmm?

;)

(Just out of curiosity, just HOW accurate is the Tamiya 1/32 Block 50 jet?)

Jim

[biscuit]

Beeeuteuful work ;)

mick :blink:

[jmel]

Jake,

VERY nice Viper build...absolutely fantastic job on the jet, BUT...

Where, oh where, are the de-fog vents on the IP coaming?

Does this jet not have de-fog vents?

(Just out of curiosity, just HOW accurate is the Tamiya 1/32 Block 50 jet?)

Jim

Jim, you're right. The vents aren't included on the kit's part, and I didn't think to add them because I originally planned to close the canopy. They definitely need to be there, and are quite obvious when they aren't.

The block 50 version is great. It has a few problems, but Tamiya only got into trouble when they decided to pass off the Thunderbirds kit as a block 32. They got most of the changes, but missed too many, in my opinion.

Thanks again, guys! I do appreciate!

Jake

[Ruud]

Hoi,

Great build. Looks like a great kit. Makes me look forward to the 1/48 CJ even more. 1/48 is big for me, putting that 1/32 Viper on the railing... that would make me nervous.

later

Ruud

[habu2]

4) If you are modeling a jet with the MCID (bigmouth) intake, the sides of the inlet need to be sanded smooth. The bulged gear doors from the block 40/50 actually begin at the inlet. Since the block 30 doesn't have bulged doors, the inlet needs to be sanded flush with the non-bulged doors. Take a look at these parts to see what I mean. It is much easier to view than it is to write about.

Another difference between NSI and MCID jets is the 'slant' of the ECS inlets on the intake splitter plate. On NSI inlets the ECS inlets are vertical, on MCID inlets the ECS vents are slightly slanted out at the bottom. Do the two Tamiya inlets capture this difference?

[merlin101]

Dam good or wat!! great looking model. Nice unit markings, my favourite!

[My AirFix]

Excellent Work Jake....

Very nice weathering & shading there....

Thanks for sharing,

Daryl

[JimC]

The block 50 version is great. It has a few problems, but Tamiya only got into trouble when they decided to pass off the Thunderbirds kit as a block 32. They got most of the changes, but missed too many, in my opinion.

Jake

Jake,

Could I impose on you to elaborate on the changes Tamiya missed? I was somewhat aware

of the vents, and am aware of the missing three (3) IP engine decals missing on the right

lower front panel and the access panel on the upper fuselage near the tail, but beyond

these very trivial issues, I haven't heard anything. (I'm not even going to ever try to fix

the access panel...way too much trouble. Maybe the 1/48 jet will address these 'minor issues'.)

Thanks for any thoughts...

Jim

[MA Cooke]

Jake:

Greetings from Blue Ash. That is an outstanding build! Wow.......now I gotta pick my jaw up off the floor.

Edited December 3, 2006 by MA Cooke

[jmel]

Another difference between NSI and MCID jets is the 'slant' of the ECS inlets on the intake splitter plate. Do the two Tamiya inlets capture this difference?

Yes, very nicely. Academy missed it, as did Cutting Edge with their Big-mouth conversion for the Hasegawa kit.

Jake,

Could I impose on you to elaborate on the changes Tamiya missed?

Jim

Jim, do you mean the changes they missed on the Thunderbirds kit? If so, I made a list at the top of this page. If you mean the problems with the CJ, there are only a few. The vents on the instrument panel coaming and the panel lines at the rear of the fuselage top are the two biggest. The third that I can think of off the top of my head is on the instruction sheet. They suggest painting the jet's camo in the old 3-tone camo, while each of the jets they supply decals for had already been repainted in the 2-tone. The CJ is a great kit. The Thunderbirds kit is, too, with a bit of extra work.

Thanks again, everyone!

Jake

[JimC]

Yes, very nicely. Academy missed it, as did Cutting Edge with their Big-mouth conversion for the Hasegawa kit.

Jim, do you mean the changes they missed on the Thunderbirds kit? If so, I made a list at the top of this page. If you mean the problems with the CJ, there are only a few. The vents on the instrument panel coaming and the panel lines at the rear of the fuselage top are the two biggest. The third that I can think of off the top of my head is on the instruction sheet. They suggest painting the jet's camo in the old 3-tone camo, while each of the jets they supply decals for had already been repainted in the 2-tone. The CJ is a great kit. The Thunderbirds kit is, too, with a bit of extra work.

Thanks again, everyone!

Jake

Jake,

Sorry about that! I neglected to specify which block. You answered for both,

but the one I was after was the Block 50. I would have referenced your list

above for the Block 32.

I wasn't even aware of the camo changes on the jets, so a big THANK YOU

for that (how did I miss THAT?).

Thanks again.

Jim

[Scooby]

Jake,

I'd like to make the same aircraft that you modeled here. Are you stating that the Block 52 kit is the better kit to use to model a Block 32?

If not what do I need to change? I have a Block 52 and I want to do 222.

[jmel]

Jake,

I'd like to make the same aircraft that you modeled here. Are you stating that the Block 52 kit is the better kit to use to model a Block 32?

If not what do I need to change? I have a Block 52 and I want to do 222.

Well, no, I'd still say to go with the Thunderbirds kit if you'd like to do a block 30.

The Thunderbirds kit includes a bunch of stuff to get you started with a block 32 or earlier. My point was that the block 32 Thunderbirds kit, built straight from the box, does not make an accurate block 32. Tamiya missed several items needed to do a block 32 (which the Thunderbirds fly) straight from the box. For a kit that costs over $150, they missed way too much, in my opinion.

If you have the CJ kit (a block 50, not 52), you're going to make extra work for yourself if you intend to do a block 30. You'll need the landing gear, wheel well parts, gear doors, instrument panels, etc, etc, from the T-birds kit, then perform the modifications I listed.

87-0222 is a block 30.

Hope this helps.

Jake

[Scooby]

Well, no, I'd still say to go with the Thunderbirds kit if you'd like to do a block 30.

The Thunderbirds kit includes a bunch of stuff to get you started with a block 32 or earlier. My point was that the block 32 Thunderbirds kit, built straight from the box, does not make an accurate block 32. Tamiya missed several items needed to do a block 32 (which the Thunderbirds fly) straight from the box. For a kit that costs over $150, they missed way too much, in my opinion.

If you have the CJ kit (a block 50, not 52), you're going to make extra work for yourself if you intend to do a block 30. You'll need the landing gear, wheel well parts, gear doors, instrument panels, etc, etc, from the T-birds kit, then perform the modifications I listed.

87-0222 is a block 30.

Hope this helps.

Jake

If I buy a Thunderbirds kit, what am I left with if I make 222? Will the remaining parts build into any type of F-16?

[Tiger27]

;)

Awsome viper build,very nice detail work also

[jmel]

If I buy a Thunderbirds kit, what am I left with if I make 222? Will the remaining parts build into any type of F-16?

Yes, if you take the engine and intake from the T-birds kit, you'll have what you need to do a block 52 with the CJ kit, or with very minor modifications, a block 42.

Thanks Tiger!

Jake