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Viper - 180th FW Ohio ANG


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As I put in the temporary thread, I'm building Academy's 1/72 F-16C. This will be a block 42 from the 180th FW, Ohio Air National Guard. I chose this kit because I like the tail art; I first saw the 180th FW years ago at the Niagara Falls airshow and thought the motif was great.

Box top:

DSC03469_zpse89138c6.jpg

References (thanks, Jmel, for writing a couple of these books!):

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The canopy looks too tinted, but we'll see. I wish they would have done the lights in clear:

DSC03470_zps441fdcbb.jpg

I am thinking about the loadout now. The A/G weapons will likely be the GBU-31s that came with the kit. No need to rely on Hasegawa weapons sets for this one.

Edited by bdt13
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I had to put up a serious fight with myself when this kit came out, trying to resist grabbing one. Admittedly, that giant bug didn't appeal to me at first and I was more into the South Carolina logo, as seen in various magazine articles...

Now, however, I'm really looking forward to seeing this one build in those really colorful "tactical" markings :thumbsup:

Cheers!

Niki

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Not the exact bird I am making, but shows some of my inspiration for the project:

Sting13_zps09330c61.jpg

Niki, you mentioned the Swamp Foxes, decals for whom are also in this boxing. Here's one of their Vipers, I think it's the one on the decal sheet:

SwampFox_zpsc6ecfd21.jpg

IIRC both were at the same airshow here in Pittsburgh 2-3 years ago.

Edited by bdt13
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OK, back to the build. Some cockpit scratchbuilding.

Seat - added the pitot horns, need seat belts and to fix the ejection pin mark in the headrest.

DSC03485_zps85b03091.jpg

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Adding detail to the coaming and to the back deck. The fit of the part in front of the canopy stinks. Some of it is the kit, some of it is me.

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Also adding detail at the back of the pit:

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This all looks so terrible in the pics, but better in real life. Now I see what I need to clean up! Please forgive my novice mistakes.

Anyhow, I am beginning to see how this scratchbuilding stuff gets so addictive. I just don't want to stop!

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Yes! Another Viper being started!

Looks good so far. I see both of us are taking different approaches in detailing the cockpit. Those extra bits and pieces are going to look great when they are painted!

At least the side consoles of the Academy kit are detailed. Hasegawa only includes decals for the switches and dials. :rolleyes:

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Funny enough, I saw this very plane back in 1997 and took a picture (the second one), which I just re-discovered. Taken at the Niagara Falls airshow:

F-16COH1NiagaraFalls1997copy_zps54590999.jpg

F-16COH2NiagaraFalls1997copy_zps8641831e.jpg

Of course, she didn't have the Pratt -229 motor back then, but an earlier version of the Wing King tail markings were present. The squadron boss bird was there too (see 1st pic).

Edited by bdt13
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  • 2 weeks later...

Big disappointment - the intake. The leading edge it way too blunt all the way around. Fix is in progress in the corners in this pic:

DSC03494_zps708f8d51.jpg

Updates to the seat:

DSC03493_zps3a07c3c8.jpg

Having trouble with the fit of the gun insert, but this could be me:

DSC03490_zpsd81a136f.jpg

I don't mean to kvetch - I like the kit overall so far, but it hasn't been perfect, and I think Academy could do so much better.

Edited by bdt13
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Looks like I'll have to use some Hasegawa AMRAAMs. I got confused looking at the photos of the nosecones and accidentally sanded down one of the Academy noses into the inert training configuration. I had already clipped the leading edge root of the fins - Academy molds them as full delta wing shapes, when the root is fully squared off in reality. Fortunately I have plenty of the Hasegawa version in the stash.

Any votes for the air-to-ground ordnance? Two GBU-31s is a little vanilla to me.

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I usually am a fan of missiles, so perhaps this would work?

http://www.f-16.net/attachments/89-2098_180fw_jmelampy.jpg

But some laser guided munition can be equally nice:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/F-16Cs_180th_FW_Ohio_ANG_over_Alaska_2006.JPEG

And to totally confuse you, those GBU-31 do offer a nice grey-green colour mix after all :)

Looking forward to some progress here :thumbsup:

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Perhaps this is a good time and place to make an inquiry...

Regarding the shape issues in the nose area of this kit: I have seen correction sets for both the actual nose cone and for the nose cone plus some additional fuselage length behind it (some right up to the canopy). How is it? Does a simple replacement of the kit's nose cone with a resin one mostly rectify the shape problem?

I have two Academy kits myself, love the plastic details in the box and was wondering if some small additional investment would be in order to make it look better shape wise.

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niki-

I have read some mention of a shape problem with the nose. I wasn't planning to address it, but to put the kit together and find out what it looks like for myself.

Thanks for the photo links. I did see the second one before, but I cannot use the link to the first. Can you post the full link to the page on f-16.net please?

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Strange, for the link works for me as I write this...

Chances are anyway for you to have already seen that particular pic also. Here's the full link:

www.f-16.net/attachments/89-2098_180fw_jmelampy.jpg

Those green training Mavericks and no under wing tanks make for a nice, sleek pose :)

Edited by niki4703
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Got the pic this time, thanks! Yes, it is cool looking. I'd have to cobble together a single Maverick launcher (LAU-117), which I just don't feel up to. Maybe on some future A-10 build, where it is almost obligatory for a modern Hog.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Tried the latex paint in the intake trick for the first time. Didn't work out so well on the first try:

DSC03499_zps18f47435.jpg

I have since stripped most of this out and done it over. Not sure if the smoothing quality of the latex paint is worth the trouble of keeping it even.

Various cockpit parts getting the Dark Gull Gray treatment. Some of these are to an RB-66B.

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The Academy kit does not come with great detail for the gun gas vents behind the bump on the fuselage. I sanded too much as well.

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Fortunately my new Verlinden 1/72 scribing template came this week. Lo and behold, this very vent is represented on the template!

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No I just have to line it up right and scribe away!

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Cockpit almost there:

DSC03517_zps75608b6d.jpg

Instruments drybrushed with oils to pick out the knobs and switches. Not horrible, but not as good as I would have liked.

DSC03516_zps2fccc577.jpg

Again, the big panels are for an RB-66B. The wee one is the Viper.

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I feel the seat came out fair, the areas I modified are a little rough, but it is more accurate than the way it came in the kit. Ejection handle has not yet been attached.

In a fit of detailing (I keep having these - is this AMS stuff catching? :blink: ), I decided to scribe the tread into the tires. I made a jig for the saw from scrap styrene and clamps I bought at the LHS for a quarter a piece.

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The result - some additional detail, but I need to get all the shavings out:

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I also got some of the final coat of paint onto the Orion - see it over in the in-progress pages.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 weeks later...

Actually, I DID rescribe most of the detail in the exterior just to make sure it pops when the wash hits it. But that was done before the last update. A long of life getting in the way since then.

Weapons and wheels on toothpicks - my usual MO for painting.

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Seat ready to go. The little decals Academy provides really provide that something extra.

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The other cockpit parts are for the B-66. I'll get them out of the way!

Hard to read here but the little white decal on the cockpit sill is the F-16 builder plate! Why can't all manufacturers do this?

DSC03842_zps8c4649c6.jpg

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Used the relatively new Testors Aztek paint for the white on the wheel wells and gear. You are not supposed to have to thin this, but I found it pebbly and VERY prone to clogging the airbrush. I had a 2 mm stalactite coming off the tip of my Paashe H at one point. At least it was white.

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Sprue Bros got the stiffener plates I needed back in stock finally. I ordered them the moment I saw them. I really need to learn to do this when I see this kind of thing.

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Clamps holding the fuselage halves together while the Tenax 7 sets.

DSC03844_zpsb016d6bc.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Thanks, Spectre. Turns out I contracted Lyme disease recently (never did see or feel any tick, though), though I'm getting the right treatment now, it still has sucked some energy from me. After work and family commitments I really haven't had the extra enthusiasm to make it down to the workbench very often.

As this build wraps up I will post some pics!

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