Jasonb13 Posted April 14, 2012 Share Posted April 14, 2012 (edited) Hi all, I'm always a bit nervous about doing STGBs, as I end up doing a OOB build along with a collection of modellers who know the aircraft in question so much better than I do, and who can never understand why I don't fix the 'obvious' issues with my kit! And the F-16 seems to fit into that category even more, what with its many versions and Blocks etc.! Anyhow, I'm hoping to build this aircraft : using this kit : Like I said, it'll all be OOB. If there are simple, obvious fixes that can improve the accuracy ( like 'just cut off that anntena' ) then I've no problem doing them ( and please feel free to advise me on them, all help appreciated! ). But I don't have the talent or patience to redesign the kit! The details in the kit looks quite nice, I'd imagine it's Revell's standard F-16 ( does such a thing exist? ) with an extra sprue for the twin-seater cockpit : Speaking of extra sprues, Revell, in their wisdom, have given me two clear sprues, so if anyone is doing a F-16B kit for this STGB and are looking for parts, just let me know! Finally, the decals in the box. You can do three versions, and obviously I'll be doing the Box Art : One thing I have noticed from the pic of the real aircraft is that the horizontal stabilators are angled ( I'm guessing due to hydraulic pressure dropping? ). Is that standard for F-16s, and should I model it that way? It'll probably be a few days before I get started on her, but thanks in advance for any help and advice! J. Edited July 6, 2012 by Jasonb13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsm Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Good choice, i'm sure there are many who will point things out. I'm told that Revells F-16's are prettys spot on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellzy Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Nice one J like the scheme wellzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Well, it's been a month, and apart from priming some sprues, I've done nothing! But today I finally got the sprue cutters out. And I already have a question! According to the Revell instructions, the two Joysticks should be curving back towards the Pilots ( when normally Joysticks curve away from them, if that makes sense? ). And also the two throttles ( if that's what they are ), are pointing out towards the side of the cockpit, when normally they should come in towards the pilot.? I don't know if I'm making sense or not, and my quick search hasn't helped. So, are the Revell instructions wrong? Thanks! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Hi Jason, I had a look at the instructions via a pdf for your build - I can't conclusively say yay or nay to them being right without seeing the parts in the flesh. Take a gander at this pic; You can clearly see the throttle on the left and controller on the right. (jetfighters.dk) And to answer your question re the stabs, yes, they do 'flop' down when powered down, so it would be accurate to model them so. If you put the pilots in , you could model them level... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted May 15, 2012 Author Share Posted May 15, 2012 Cool, thanks for that pic! From what I can see of the Revell instructions, the top of the Joystick is curved back towards the pilot ( i.e. in the pic you've given it'd be like the buttons on top of the joystick would be facing forward, which is clearly wrong! ). And the throttle on the left in your pic seems to have a lot more on its right, towards the pilot, then on its left, towards the canopy, also different to the Instructions. So it looks like Revell got those two pieces backwards! And I rarely do pilots so I guess I'll be looking at the Stabilators being sloped down, thanks! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted May 15, 2012 Share Posted May 15, 2012 Dang! Should have asked this before I "fuddled" the throttle/joystick in mine....I do have a pilot in though so they're fairly hard to see now. Take your time on the intake assembly too Jason; mine needed dry-fitting a few times and I still managed to make a small error that will need fixing.Other than that, I'm enjoying it!! Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted May 16, 2012 Author Share Posted May 16, 2012 Sorry Dermot! There's always something, isn't there? I'll keep an eye out for the intake assembly, thanks! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruudster Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Viper stabilizers can be put anyway you want them. Sometimes the two sides don't even match up :-) So do as you like. It is a lovely kit. The decals are the only down side, they've decided to use red instead of orange on the stencils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 Finally something to show! I'd normally have this kind of build done in about 3 weeks, so the fact that it's nearly 6 weeks on shows I've been *very* slow with this one, life just got very busy! Anyhow, I've got the cockpits done and in place. As usual, macro photography doesn't do my skills any favours, but it'll do for this scale, and it'll all be under the canopy anyhow... J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonymousDFB1 Posted May 26, 2012 Share Posted May 26, 2012 Nice work Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted May 27, 2012 Author Share Posted May 27, 2012 (edited) Thanks Mish! Have a little more work done. Some of it is only dry-fitted, and a lot of filling is needed, but at least it looks like an F-16! J. P.S. All those little aerials on the wings and vertical stabiliser are going to be a git, I can tell! Edited May 27, 2012 by Jasonb13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted May 27, 2012 Share Posted May 27, 2012 Nice work Jason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 Thanks Dermot! Just glad to finally be making some progress on this. Got some filling done yesterday, I'll hopefully get some sanding done tomorrow and with a bit of luck I'll be able to take advantage of the good weather to get the airframe primed this week. I've already used white primer for the wheel bays and intake ( so much easier than brush painting ) so I'll make sure I have them well masked before hand... J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted May 28, 2012 Share Posted May 28, 2012 Any pointers on the filling Jason? What areas/how you tackled it? Myself, I noticed around the engine intake and where the front fuselage meets the rear but would hate to lose all that engraved detail... Thanks in advance. Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted May 28, 2012 Author Share Posted May 28, 2012 They are definitely the main areas Dermot! The intake isn't too bad, as there isn't a lot of detail there. I'll have a go at sanding it tonight and see how smooth I can get it. The join at the top between the front and back fuselages is a different kettle of fish. As you've said, there's a lot of detail there. Not sure how good a job I can do. I'll use tape to cover the detail and then sand, but it's not gonna be pretty! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidsm Posted May 29, 2012 Share Posted May 29, 2012 Coming along nicely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted May 30, 2012 Author Share Posted May 30, 2012 Thanks davidsm! However, I must admit, I'm really struggling with this one. I'm not sure why, but I'm just not motivated about it. I do know some of the kit issues ( not great fit and a surprising amount of flash for a good Revell kit ) don't help, but apart from that I still just can't get my mojo going. I did some work this evening, but I ended up doing more assembly and less filling / sanding, in the hopes that it coming together would inspire me. In fact, I've probably made it harder to do some of the necessary filling / sanding now, as I've stuck more bits on! And that just shows how I'm fighting this build, as normally I think out the steps well in advance. Anyhow, I did get something done though, and she's pretty much ready for primer. Well.... all the bits are on, but I need to do a lot more filling / sanding before I'd prime her. The pics aren't great, but the join on top of the wing still needs work, as does the nose, tail, exhaust. intake etc. etc. Once that's all done I'll prime her and see how she looks. It definitely won't be one of my better builds though! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruudster Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellzy Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Nice work Jason keep it going wellzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted June 10, 2012 Author Share Posted June 10, 2012 Thanks! I am still making slow progress on this. I was away for a few days, but before I went I got the filling / sanding done and got her primed. I've also got the Light Grey ( one of 4 shades of grey on this aircraft - you gotta love Modern Jets! ) painted on the underside. When I get time I'll get the rest of the airframe painted. As a brush painter, I'm a bit worried that I won't get the tail looking nice, that gradient of dark blue to light blue will be impossible to get right. I'm also thinking of trying to do the red cover on the rear pod, any suggestions on how to do this? I was thinking maybe Tamiya tape? Anyhow, here are the pics... J. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted June 10, 2012 Share Posted June 10, 2012 Getting there mate and looks good. Yeah, 4 shades of grey - that's why I chose a special scheme for mine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonb13 Posted June 17, 2012 Author Share Posted June 17, 2012 Well, I am still making progress on this, though it's very slow work ( mainly 'cos I either don't have the time or the motivation! ). I've a month left to finish, so I need to get my act together... I have the airframe pretty much painted now. I still need to do the lighter blue section on the tail, I'm trying to think of how to do it so that the change in colour looks gradual, but as a brush painter I just don't think I can! Once the tail is painted, I can put the first coat of Klear on it. However, as much as the airframe is taking shape, I've done nothing at all with the undercarriage, wheels, weapons etc., so there's still a good bit to go! J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Nice work so far Jason and good to see an update on this one! What colours did you use for the engine? All the best, catch up soon. Cheers, Dermot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Stick with it - she looks fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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