scotthldr Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Having been out of the building side of the hobby for 18 mths I decided to ease myself back in by starting on a 1/48 Hasegawa F-16D. Is it just me or are these kits past their sell by date as the amount of trouble I'm having so far is hammering the mojo. The last two kits I built were Tamiya's F-16CJ and Kinetic's F-16C Blk52 and both are streets ahead in terms of building and I thought Kinetic's was a labour of love. Hasegawa problems so far... 1/The fuselage halves don't mate up as you would expect with the lower half from the intake forward having a visible droop in it which in turn knocks the intake sub assembly out of line. 2/The fitment of the rear fuselage from the wings back to the air brakes isn't good, you get one side true and the other side pops out. 3/The area just in front of the exhaust (part H5) has a noticeable step all the way round between the main fuselage and said part. Hard to see in pictures if this is the case on the real thing but I don't think it is? 4/The radome doesn't match up with the fuselage and is a completely different shape. That's as far as I've got with the build. Anyone else think the same? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vodnik Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 You do realize that the Hasegawa F-16 molds are 27 years old, don't you?... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scotthldr Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Yes, that's what I meant when I said "past their sell by date" the molds are so tired they need re-doing. How old are the D molds, they wouldn't be as old as 27 yrs would they? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 You do realize that the Hasegawa F-16 molds are 27 years old, don't you?... I bought my first 1/48 F-16A before I graduated college in 1983. So that makes them at least 31 years old. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Netz Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I haven't experienced any of those problems. F-16D build. Curt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Scott, Maybe you got a dud? I finished a Hasegawa C model recently and it went together no problem. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vodnik Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I bought my first 1/48 F-16A before I graduated college in 1983. So that makes them at least 31 years old. :)/> I checked the date on my F-16A Plus kit, but indeed it wasn't the first Hasegawa Viper, so you're right. They must be over 30 years old. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dedalus Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 I haven't experienced any of those problems. F-16D build. Curt Ditto there. Built 5, I think, two in the past 5 years or so. The weaknesses that I see are about the detail, which is a little sparse and/or simplified compared to Tamiya kits (I realize Tamiya doesn't have a -D, but you know what I mean). But fit seems okay generally. The main fit problem that sticks out is getting the wings to sit level/straight. If you're not careful, they might look right without the landing gear on, but once it sits on the wheels one or both wings looks a little off. Some of the OP's issues might relate to a kit that is warped a bit, maybe sat in the hot sun or a hot storage room. Mike Todd Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Niels Posted April 4, 2014 Share Posted April 4, 2014 Currently building an F16D as an Belgian F-16BM. If you glue the top fuselage to the bottom, and take care to align and tape until dry the fit is good. The intake can sometimes appear to be out of fit, but my experience is that light pressure into place and holding it until dry cures this. The exhaust problem you mention is one I've experienced too. Most of the problem can be fixed by adding gentle pressure to the fuselage to align it With the exhaust ring until dry, but usually also require some filing. The radome is usually ligning up well with the fuselage, but as there are no locator pins ala the Tamiya kit, you have to "slide" it around to fit. The molds are old, but for their age they are holding up well, although warping of parts can occure With Hasegawa just as any other kit maker. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
scotthldr Posted April 4, 2014 Author Share Posted April 4, 2014 Thanks for the replies it's good to hear others experiences with the kit. I suppose it would also depend on the boxing as well, an earlier D will be more crisp than the much later Blk52 Adv kit which is the one I'm working with. Nothing that can't be fixed just annoying when I was after an easy build to get me started again. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 The Hasegawa 1/48 F-16 molds date back to ~1983 when the first Hasegawa/Minicraft F-16A kit was released. The initial F-16A kits were re-released by Hasegawa in 1987 when the F-16C kit V3 first debuted. The first two-seater kits (F-16B kit V5 and F-16D kit V6) were first released in 1989. The original B & D kits were re-released as "white box" kits with the same (original) decal markings in 2006. By my count Hasegawa has released approximately 60 different boxings of their 1/48 F-16 molds over the years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Niels Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 You know you have one of the early releases when it comes With the gun port still molded in, and lacking a full engine duct :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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