Andrew Maverick Taylor Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Apart from knowing an F-16C from an F-16D, E, F, I,X that's about where my F-16 knowledge stops as far as knowing the differences between the different blocks. I have the Tamiya 1/32 F-16CJ Block 50 kit but I'm not a fan of plain grey schemes so I quite like some of the arctic schemes which seems to be mostly Block 30s. What are the major differences between a Block 30 and a Block 50 and what would I need to do if anything to the Tamiya kit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alternative 4 Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I converted my 1/32 Tamiya F-16 to a block 30. It wasn't hard, probably not 100% accurate either, but looks good to me. From memory you will need: - To remove the bulges from the main landing gear doors. Block 50's have bigger wheels than the 30's, so necessitate the bulged doors. I sanded the kit doors flat. - Reskit's Block 30 wheels. - Reinforcement plates around the base on the tail, wing roots and nose(?). Exact locations differ, so check references. - There may be differences in antennas, you would need to check references. Some Block 30's were retrofitted so differ depending on the timeframe. - Cockpit differences. I am not an expert here. - Remove the Bird slicers in front of the canopy. - The leading edge flaps (correct term?) are different. The Block 30's have one less connection point. Someone may be able to explain this better as I don't know the correct terms. It's not a complicated fix. - There are small bumps at the wing roots you will need to remove. - The landing gear lights are either in different locations or a different size, I can't remember. Those are the differences I can remember. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Williams Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 The landing lights on Block 30s are usually on the MLG struts instead of being on the nose gear door as on the block 50. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Don't forget early Block 30 vs late Block 30 wrt inlets.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BillS Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Eielson’s aggressors are big mouth, 110 jets so you're good to go out of the box. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 There once was a good article on Z5 delineating the differences but it has been removed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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