MESHER Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I know the Tamiya 1/32 F-16 is the King in this scale, but is the Academy one that bad of a model? I heard a rumour about Academy releasing a 2 seater in 2009, can anyone verify this or have any information on release date etc? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drhornii Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 It has it's short comings but really not that bad of a kit if you use a resin cockpit set. The glareshield is totally wrong but as stated, the AM cockpit set will fix that. For the rivet counters, there is a panel on the upper RH fuselage (lust fwd the A/A refueling door) that is reversed, this really becomes a factor when adding stiffening plates on a block 40/42. Best bang for the buck if you get it at Hobby Lobby with 40% of coupon. I built 2 of the kits and they go together just fine. Decal sheet is huge & printed by Cartograph. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bill Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 I am building it right now and I like it. Its a nice kit. The F-16 experts say it is not an accurate representation of the F-16 but hey I think it looks nice. But I am no F-16 expert just a plastic model builder. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dedalus Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Academy has announced a -D kit for this year, but with Academy, that doesn't always mean this year. I have the Academy and Tamiya kit and can only say that Tamiya is way better, and that the Academy has several problems with accuracy. And I hate the soft molding and where it is the worst is the upper fuselage--that you and everyone else will see. I bought both on the cheap because I'm cheap ($100 for the Tamiya at a local model swap meet, and about $60 for the Academy). I was going to resell the Academy, but decided to keep it for the weapons--which are pretty nice, and build the kit in flight--no messing with gear, and taking it easy on the cockpit since it will be closed up. But even that simplified build frustrated me and now it sits in a holding pattern, half done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CW4 Erick Swanberg Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Build it it is a great kit yes it has it's shortcomings and is it the tamiya kit no, but put it up in a contest against a tamiya kit and if it it built better than the tamiya kit it will beat it. Judges look at how well it is put together not which brand it is. Personally I have several of both kits and love each of them. Erick Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JasonB Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 For F-16 'experts', its a kit that causes much heartache and gnashing of teeth. Yes the Tamiya kit is superior, but the Academy kit still makes a nice model, and the biggest errors that a normal human might notice can be fixed. As noted, the glare shield sticks out like a sore thumb. I had an old BB cockpit laying around, and it fit like it was made for the kit. You could also just use the glare shield from the BB kit and replace the kits piece. Second issue is the curve of the base of the tail seems to be a little too sharp, a little judicious sanding will take care of that. Third issue, and probably the hardest to fix, is the intake. It sits a bit too close to the bottom of the fuselage, and the ducts on each side of it are virtually non existant. The big mouth intake is off as well, but most people wouldn't notice or care that much. The small mouth is better. I tried adapting a spare Tamiya small mouth intake to the kit, and with some work it could be done. Or, just build it and let the haters hate, and not worry about it. The exhausts, especially the GE, has some bad seams between each segment, the P&W is better. I know there are a lot of other lesser issues with it that F-16 devotees like to point out and haggle over, but again, for the average person, they won't matter. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
31Tiger Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 For the rivet counters, there is a panel on the upper RH fuselage (lust fwd the A/A refueling door) that is reversed, this really becomes a factor when adding stiffening plates on a block 40/42. Nothing wrong with those panel lines as academy made them. All panel lines are like that on later build F-16's (from the mid 90's till now) including that little oval panel that everyone is talking about. Check before changing it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MESHER Posted March 2, 2009 Author Share Posted March 2, 2009 Does it matter if you are building a Block 40 or a Block 50 or all the same problems for both? What is required to build a F-16C Block 40 IDF out of this kit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcatfreak Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 ...the AM cockpit set will fix that. What company is AM? I know Black Box (Avionix) and Aires for Academy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sv51macross Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 What company is AM? I know Black Box (Avionix) and Aires for Academy. AM is an acronym for After Market, meaning any brand would fix the problem. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MESHER Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 Is there any new companies or other companies that make a 1/32 scale cockpit set for the Academy 1/32 F-16? What would I need to make a IDF F-16 Block 40 out of this kit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JasonB Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 Is there any new companies or other companies that make a 1/32 scale cockpit set for the Academy 1/32 F-16? What would I need to make a IDF F-16 Block 40 out of this kit? Aries makes a nice cockpit for it. I think I read that IDF block 40's don't use the WAR hud, so the Aries pit oob should work. The other changes for the Israeli block 40 can be had in the Isradecal block 30/40 conversion set for the Academy kit. http://www.isradecal.com/ic_main.html Also, Avionix did a cockpit for the Tamiya kit that would probably work as well. This is based on the fact that the Aries pit that I have, thats meant for the Academy kit, is an exact fit in the Tamiya kit as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
meindert Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 check out the comparison between the two 1/32 F-16 kits at web: http://www.xs4all.nl/~designer/models/F16-32/f16-32.htm I had plans to make a two seater with some scratch building but will await if Academy will issue one! let us hope so. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
richter111 Posted March 15, 2009 Share Posted March 15, 2009 Yep, I had been planning a scratch build but am going to wait for the two seater (and a job) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.