YF-16 Prototype No. 1

[82Whitey51]

On 10/16/2020 at 7:16 PM, A-10 LOADER said:

Dude, for all this surgery, you're sure flying thru this thing ! Looks great so far BTW.

Steve

I started it a couple of weeks prior to doing the post. It occurred to me that it'd been a while since I posted anything here on ARC, and that maybe someone else might be interested in doing a conversion.

 

[Collin]

Your model area is way too clean. Hopefully someday I can see this build in person and not over SOMD Zoom. 

 

Great thread, but I do read your thread in my head with a Boston accent. 

 

Cheers

Collin

 

 

[jenshb]

7 hours ago, 82Whitey51 said:

I started it a couple of weeks prior to doing the post. It occurred to me that it'd been a while since I posted anything here on ARC, and that maybe someone else might be interested in doing a conversion.

 

Absolutely!

[82Whitey51]

12 hours ago, Collin said:

Your model area is way too clean. Hopefully someday I can see this build in person and not over SOMD Zoom. 

 

Great thread, but I do read your thread in my head with a Boston accent. 

 

Cheers

Collin

 

 

😂...and that's why I'd never do any of those "how to" YouTube videos.

[eraucubsfan]

17 hours ago, 82Whitey51 said:

😂...and that's why I'd never do any of those "how to" YouTube videos.

From his cellah it's the "The Totally Wicked Modelin Howah"   Sponsored by Sam Adams Bahston Lawga

[82Whitey51]

4 hours ago, eraucubsfan said:

From his cellah it's the "The Totally Wicked Modelin Howah"   Sponsored by Sam Adams Bahston Lawga

Haaa  haaaa!! Man, I sound nuttin' like that.

[82Whitey51]

Masked, ready to prime, after a slight delay due to decanted Tamiya White primer incident (21 y/o daughter, moving stuff around on my garage work bench; "Daaaadd! Why is this white paint going all over the place??!!"  🙄) 

 

 

Modified the NLG strut, and will use the doors from the Tamiya kit, will donate the Hasegawa door in its place as it will be an FSD jet.

 

 

 

[BLACK_MAMBA]

Loving the work here Whitey! Some excellent skills on display here! Never realised just how big the difference was between the YF and FSD aircraft.

[Drifterdon]

Looking awesome Andy.   Following along with this one.   

[Dutch]

Andy, Looking like another contender at next year's IPMS show! Keep up the great work.  K/r, Dutch

[SERNAK]

On 10/23/2020 at 4:19 PM, 82Whitey51 said:

 

 

Andy, is that the Tamiya X-20 250ml you've got in the background?

 

I recently bought one online, and today when I received it I couldn't believe that this small bottle is 250ml and it was quite expensive! Our hobby has become quite expensive, UNFORTUNATELY!

 

Thank goodness I have a considerable stock of kits, to help minimise the total cost !!!

[82Whitey51]

On 10/28/2020 at 12:37 PM, SERNAK said:

Andy, is that the Tamiya X-20 250ml you've got in the background?

 

Yes...or at least that bottle was Tamiya X-20...as it sits there it is my Mr. Color Leveling Thinner (MLT) bottle. I like the Tamiya X-20 containers, I typically keep them when empty because the eyedropper I use can reach to the bottom of them, and they are less prone to spills 🤙

[82Whitey51]

Painting stage. That's where this project has been the last couple of weeks, so nothing exciting to report...other than lots of masking.

 

Shot it overall white with decanted Tamiya Fine White primer, fixed a few flaws that revealed themselves, broke off the pitot tube 😩, had to replace it with the one from Tamiya's early F-16 (which looks nicer anyway). Typically I attach pitot tubes, antennas, etc. LAST but with this kit and the way the pitot blends into the nose cone (not to mention the nose cone is not stock either...) I had to attach it, and blend it into place prior to paint. Dinged the first one, thankfully had a backup 🤷‍♂️.

 

I went over the white primer with a thin coat or two of Tamiya Gloss White (X-2), and let it dry a few days, then masked the red wing areas and tail. On the tail, left a 15mm band of white for the placement of the "YF-16" and "GENERAL DYNAMICS" decals. I used Gunze Flat Red (H13) for a base coat and came back with Gunze Red (H3) for the gloss top coat. 

 

Masking the blue areas was a bit more challenging, particularly the underside where you have to mask around the ventral strakes, and in the case of aircraft 01567, the curve to a rounded end at the afterburner section (the second prototype, aircraft 01568, had that area come to a point) but thin strips of Tamiya tape and the Shadow Hobby Thinnerline circle cutter did the trick. I used Tamiya Royal Blue (X-3) for the blue areas. The Caracal sheet calls for FS15056, Tamiya Royal Blue is close if just a shade darker...I probably would add a drop of white in the mix if I were to do it again but I'm happy with it.

 

So this is where it sits, a bit of fine tuning on some overspray, seeps, and edges but primarily done with the main painting other than the black glareshield.

 

 

 

I also masked off and painted the canopy, which BTW, is the Hasegawa canopy with the Otaki hinge areas grafted into place. Looking at photos, I could not discern where exactly the line between the black and blue met, or if it was masked or what...But on the Vingtor decal sheet (48-111) there's a Note saying it was a feathered edge so that's what I rolled with. There is also a sliver of white that cuts across the lower hinge area that I'll add as well.

 

 

A few touch ups, some light weathering, and then on to my favorite part DECALS!!

 

 

 

[habu2]

Looking good. Feathered edge on the canopy frame is correct. 

[Dutch]

Hey Andy, where are you with this one? Just curious. K/r, Dutch

[Matthew83128]

Amazing work so far. I crew F-16's for 20 years. I finished up at Langley AFB, and the original F-16 is hanging up at the Virgina Air and Space Mususem in Hampton. I remember looking at her and seeing the differences between all the C/D models I crewed.