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Hello again,

Thank you all for your input in the "What I'm building" topic!

I actually wanted to wait for Vince's proposed Africa GB, but then acted a bit on impulse and decided to try and break this lock that has prevented me from finishing a plastic kit in a very long time.

As already mentioned I will call upon Hasegawa's 01962 1/72 F-16A ADF Fighting Falcon "ANG Combo" kit:

8369235741_0fc96fc4a6_z.jpg

I have a bit of fear regarding the decals from the box. Besides being Hasegawa made (unlike the Texas ANG Combo which includes decals printed by Cartograf), they are mostly flat but with glossy patches and also heavily scratched. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that Hasegawa chose to leave them floating in the box and not to pack them separately with the clear parts as I saw that it normally does:

8369236833_625f601928_b.jpg

Regarding that AIM-7 pylon, I will try and come up with something that will look good from a distance ;)

If they've not dried out on me (remember - not touched plastic, glue or paint in a looooong time!), I will use Revell and Model Master enamels. Paint application procedure? Paint brush :blush:

Due to my working shifts, I hope to be able to show some progress every second or fourth day. I like tackling plastic kits in daylight and with winter here in the northern hemisphere, there isn't much of that available.

This will also be my first Hasegawa model ever. Until now I just read about them and stacked them in my to-do pile.

Please, everybody, set your expectations not too high so as not to be disappointed by the end result in this thread! :)

"Now, tear open the plastic bag and extract plastic sprues from within..."

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Spectre, I agree with your opinion of their earlier kits. The same is true for their F-15s and F-14s.

However, all their 1/72 F-16s are still the same basic F-16 kit from 20 years ago, more or less they just added new sprues. The quality of this kit wasn't matched until RoG released their new F-16 kit just 10 years ago. The Hasegawa F-16s are very straightforward and easy to build.

I'ts going to be interesting to see the differene between the 1/72 Academy and Hasegawa F-16s in this GB side by side.

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niki-

Welcome back to building, and thanks for joining our build! Always happy to see another Viper model, and you have picked the ADF to boot. I don't think enough of the ADFs get done.

I have a lot of 1/72 Hasegawa plastic in the stash, but none of their F-16s. On the decals, if they worry you, I suggest putting a small one on the bottom of the model first. If it goes wrong, you know plans need to change. I have used Testors decal fix spray on older sheets to stabilize them with good results. The only problem was they got a little thick afterwards. Of course, the decals could be just fine! :pray:

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D-day plus 2 :)

Having spent the rest of the day before yesterday sorting out my work bench and shockingly finding out that my Revell CONTACTA Fluid bottle has dried out, I started today cutting first metal plastic before heading out to the night shift.

The F-16 molds are slowly but steady showing their age, especially the fuselage halves, for it is here that I encountered some flash. I dry fitted those pieces and while the fit isn't great, it's not that bad either. There will be some sanding required since I can see how my gluing technique is going to smear some Contacta all over the place.

What I also realized - to my dismay - is that the Night ID Light on the port side of the forward fuselage is approximately located on the seam between the upper and lower fuselage pieces. I was going to drill a hole, slap a piece of plastic on the inside of the fuselage, paint it silver and fill with Kristal Klear. But I supposed I would have a plain surface to work on and not two halves joining exactly on this prominent feature of the ADF...

8375628511_5e07064c51_b.jpg

I tried to address the nozzle and create some sort of inner detail, so I cut stripes of Tamiya tape and placed them in that area. I hope after painting and some dry brushing one will be able to see a bit of difference in contrast to the bare plastic piece.

8375629559_038f39dd08_b.jpg

What decals are concerned, I managed to find a damaged item that seemed unimportant on the sheet, trimmed it and submerged it in warm water. It came out relatively ok. The carrier film is pretty large and fairly thin especially towards the edges (think of it as of a picture blurred around the edges...). After sticking it to a gloss painted surface and gently touching it with a paper napkin to get all the water out, I wiped it a couple of times using the same napkin and a corner of the carrier film broke. Since I'm not exactly the careless type, using unnecessary force, that would suggest that care must be taken handling these decals. Anyhow, I'm glad they thin and not overly thick as people got used to receiving them from the Far East manufacturers :thumbsup:

Dressing up the cockpit is up next, I suppose.

Till then!

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Nice to see that another Viper is coming along. :woot.gif:

About that ID-light: You could sribe a circle into the fuselage and paint it silver to simulate the light, or maybe use a piece of the clear sprue, insert it into the hole and sand it flush? Just an idea...

The nozzle will good with the added strips. Any detail you add to the nozzle will make it look better!

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D-day plus 4

I'm feeling like someone working on the F-35 program...

Yup, I suppose that's the feeling of starting a build hastily, without the proper R&D work carried out :D

Seriously though: I think I cannot get that easily over the nozzle and seat issues in the Hasegawa kit. Especially after checking Lancer's work and his replies here and in his topic (thanks! :thumbsup: ) I revisited the nozzle area and concluded that my efforts looked a bit too cheap. So, I will go back and try using some thin strips of styrene for a more pronounced and clean look.

Regarding the seat, I got hold yesterday of the latest F-16C issue by Revell (04669) and seeing it molded so badly - lots of flash, sink marks and scratches (Revell is clearly cutting some corners here for the sake of low pricing. I know the molds are not as new anyway, but there is something definitely wrong with the company that handles some of Revell's re-issues) - I think I'm going to salvage the seat and use it here.

Later I'm going to pick up a bottle of Tamiya glue from my supplier and since the weather looks like this:

LRBS 151030Z VRB01KT 0200 R07/0250N R25/0275N FG VV000 01/M00 Q1020 0719//95 NOSIG

...and therefore it's about as dark as it normally gets during daytime, I don't think I will be able to add anything to my build today.

But we're getting there!

:)

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Wow... Did I set the bar this high? Remember, I haven't finished a single model in the past 6 years!

That Revell seat is a good choice.

BTW... Since you already have this kit, take a look at the PW nozzle, which should be included in the kit. I personally think it is superior to the Hasegawa PW nozzle, and once I made a resin copy and fitted it to the Hasegawa F-16A.

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Hi,

Thanks again! I obviously saw the Revell nozzle and thought about using it but hardly suspected it would fit good enough to avoid some surgery and lots of puttying, for all of which I'm not exactly in the mood. Well, I'm not as young anymore as I used to be... :D

Tomorrow, before leaving for the night shift, I shall make a dry fit with that nozzle and also check on the cockpit tub if I get the same gap at the back as you experienced and if the Revell one fits in any acceptable way - there is some detail to be found on that part also as opposed to Hasegawa.

Cheers!

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D-day plus 10

Procrastination...

Well, not really this time (though I'm usually very good at it :( ) because I managed in fact to get out the paint jars and do a little artist work. Nothing to brag about, I just thought to share whatever small progress so you don't think I'd given up already:

8401109877_73eba4df6f_b.jpg

After long debates with myself, I settled on using the Revell cockpit. Cutting Hasegawa's IP coaming and test fitting Revell's one (which was in turn cut out from it's original place on the upper front fuselage half), I immediately realized that it won't be anymore possible to glue the canopy shut which is just as well because the decision to use the Revell items was based on the superior detail that those sport and having an open canopy helps showing those better.

I also test fitted Revell's nozzle but decided to go in the end with the Hasegawa one spruced up with some Plastruct 0,5mm x 0,8mm styrene strips. It looks a bit out of scale, but I will sand everything down and hope for the best when dry brushing. The Revell nozzle will be used in a different project which I might start sometime later in this GB :smiley-transport007:

Tomorrow afternoon and the day after tomorrow I shall try to finish detailing the cockpit and closing up the fuselage halves.

Cheers!

Edited by niki4703
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Come on, you can do it, don't give up! I am waiting anxiously the next episode wether is a HGW mixed with Revell, or the other way around, or none of those mentioned:))) Just don't loose the momentum!

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Dodo, I know you were mocking me, buddy, but I gotta thank you!

Because of that I pulled myself together and finally managed to get the cockpit dressed up and even glue it inside the fuselage half an hour ago.

8420063784_724bcc2c0a_c.jpg

The Revell cockpit was a bit of a pain to fit and needed trimming on every dimension. Even its own seat wouldn't go willingly inside the tub (broader and higher than necessary). Seat belts were painted on. I used dry brushing to bring out some details and worried not to much about reproducing exactly the 1:1 model. The only thing I take pride in is the artificial horizon made up of two tiny, tiny blobs of blue and earth brown paint respectively. See if you can spot it in the picture below:

8420066002_790205440a_c.jpg

...I know! Picture quality isn't much help. And by the way: with the naked eye everything looks much, much smoother :D

I'm not getting very well along with the Tamiya series of glues and dearly miss my Revell Contacta. Until I shop around, I shall try to bond the fuselage halves using the

. Wish me luck! :) Edited by niki4703
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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

D-day plus 2 :)/>

Having spent the rest of the day before yesterday sorting out my work bench and shockingly finding out that my Revell CONTACTA Fluid bottle has dried out, I started today cutting first metal plastic before heading out to the night shift.

The F-16 molds are slowly but steady showing their age, especially the fuselage halves, for it is here that I encountered some flash. I dry fitted those pieces and while the fit isn't great, it's not that bad either. There will be some sanding required since I can see how my gluing technique is going to smear some Contacta all over the place.

What I also realized - to my dismay - is that the Night ID Light on the port side of the forward fuselage is approximately located on the seam between the upper and lower fuselage pieces. I was going to drill a hole, slap a piece of plastic on the inside of the fuselage, paint it silver and fill with Kristal Klear. But I supposed I would have a plain surface to work on and not two halves joining exactly on this prominent feature of the ADF...

8375628511_5e07064c51_b.jpg

I tried to address the nozzle and create some sort of inner detail, so I cut stripes of Tamiya tape and placed them in that area. I hope after painting and some dry brushing one will be able to see a bit of difference in contrast to the bare plastic piece.

8375629559_038f39dd08_b.jpg

What decals are concerned, I managed to find a damaged item that seemed unimportant on the sheet, trimmed it and submerged it in warm water. It came out relatively ok. The carrier film is pretty large and fairly thin especially towards the edges (think of it as of a picture blurred around the edges...). After sticking it to a gloss painted surface and gently touching it with a paper napkin to get all the water out, I wiped it a couple of times using the same napkin and a corner of the carrier film broke. Since I'm not exactly the careless type, using unnecessary force, that would suggest that care must be taken handling these decals. Anyhow, I'm glad they thin and not overly thick as people got used to receiving them from the Far East manufacturers :thumbsup:/>

Dressing up the cockpit is up next, I suppose.

Till then!

If you can keep from it, don't wipe the decals. Use your paper napkin to wick up the water. If you have water on top that is bothering you, just lightly drag the paper across the top of the decal. The best thing to do is just let it dry. When the decals are dried onto the model, you can use some water to clean up any residue from the decals. Also, if you use any decal solution, DON'T touch the decal while the solution is working its magic. When the solution starts to make the decal wrinkle, that is absolutely the worst time to touch it. Give it a couple of hours (I wait overnight) to dry out real well. After that, you can take care of cleaning up the area, fixing air bubbles, etc. Good Luck!!!

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Thanks a lot for your interest and your advice, guys!

The last five weeks have been anything but fun, unfortunately. We've had some major health issues with my 86 year old grandmother (sturdy woman otherwise) and the atmosphere has been more than tense. It took a lot of effort and care from my parents (with me trying to cheer everyone up a bit) to snap her out of that condition. I'd like to think that the worst is over for now, but the daily routine of us all has been transformed. I've stopped by the forums every other day, having otherwise no real time or strength to focus on the actual build.

Prior to all hell breaking loose, I managed to glue the fuselage halves together. Meanwhile I got the Revell Contacta glue I was after and by the end of this month I shall also (hopefully!) get a Master Pitot Tube and AoA probes. Until then, in between my regular shift work, I also took it upon to help my former employer finishing a project they have to wrap up by April 5th. So, it looks like another couple of (more) weeks without any progress, but let's not anticipate :) I figure I should be able to squeeze in some prep work on the engine nozzle, wheels and missiles. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile I enjoy dropping in and seeing the progress of you all with your builds :thumbsup:

Cheers,

Niki

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I for one know that life gets in the way sometimes and my thoughts are with you.

As far as me trying to coax people along, well it's just my job as a moderator. Sometimes people just need a push because they are in a rut.

Hope all turns out well.

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  • 1 month later...

"No gluing nor painting required"... :)

Things are looking much better meanwhile in my little corner of the world, so I pushed a bit so as to not let this week go by without doing some work on the F-16.

I spent a couple of hours cleaning - as much as I could - the seam around the glued fuselage halves, as well as the molding seams on the wheels. Additionally, I decided that painting the intake would be much easier if I were to remove 1.5mm of plastic from the back of the piece and get momentarily a see through effect. After applying the white paint, I shall get some plastic sheet, paint it black and shut the back end of the intake close again.

8647717243_51292ecd4b_c.jpg

Nothing came out of my plan to acquire Master's brass Pitot and AoA wanes, so I shall stick with what's in the box and fashion some AoA spikes from stretched sprue.

Since the canopy will stay open, I would also like to portray the seal ring on the cockpit's frame but I have my doubts about being able to handle such a fine strip of stretched sprue and get it to bend around corners :doh:

Cheers,

Niki

P.S.: Hasegawa's instructions tell of cutting the wingtip rails and replacing them with additionally supplied items (I suppose it has something to do with the ability to carry AIM-120s on those stations!?) but the profile I was inspired by (I know, I know! Never go by what a profile is showing you.) shows the old rails, so I will stick with those. After all I would very much like to finish this build sometime this... spring! :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Unbelievable how fast the time passes! Wasn't quite so when I was younger... <_<

I'm back in the saddle, full speed ahead :)

Having started another F-16 in the What-If GB, I very much liked how our colleague Arnaud mastered a Revell F-16 intake (see here) and while not quite able to emulate his craftsmanship, I came up with this:

8721421930_5c66ac60f8_c.jpg

8721428652_15b877dac8_c.jpg

8720304701_28486f14b6_c.jpg

I used some 0.5mm Evergreen sheet and some leftover Sidewinder from the spares box.

8720304593_c3581a35de_c.jpg

I will paint all surfaces inside the intake white, while the disc will get some burned iron/ steel and small black stripes to look like a turbine face.

8720304485_34cf4c7bb9_c.jpg

I guess we could argue about proportions, but once the intake piece is attached (I checked) it looks pretty nice in there :)

For tomorrow I planned to finish painting the intake and attaching it as well as painting the gear bays and inside of the nozzle.

There is some housework ahead (installing an AC unit in the room I'm working), but I hope that will busy up no more than a day.

Cheers,

Niki

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Very good idea with the compresor stage! It will look great on the Falcon! The way I did it on the Typhoon: I made similar roundels from aluminium taken from a beer can. The diffrence is that I did some cuts from outside to the center with a small round bladed scissor, and the result was a good looking first compressor stage. Also on the F-100-PW-200 that equipes the ADF series the shock cone in front of the compressor is a bit longer and more sharp.

http://www.leteckemotory.cz/motory/f100/F100-PW-220_1.jpeg

Edited by dodos
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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

Sorry for the long pause! Over the next couple of days the work in my room will be carried out - finally!!! - and after that it's mainly job, sleep, F-16 :)

There are already other commitments waiting, but I shall strive to get this finished by GB end term.

Here's how it turned out with the turbine face:

8852848839_1ed38bb686_c.jpg

If you plan a bit ahead it might turn out even nicer!

8853465782_7cd4971007_c.jpg

Until next time!

Cheers!

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