Troffa

Italeri 1/72 "Pave Claw" GPU-5/A Gun Pod. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRATT!

@Jabba I haven't got a Hasegawa weapons set example to hand, but I may have soon. In the meantime I'll get some close up shots of the Italeri F-15 pod posted asap. Update: Photo's of the part in post below!

Wings on, and for the first time ever I have dropped the flaps on a Viper. Well they are drooping on the box lid. I have filled the ensuing gap and will see how this ends up looking. I have other Viper's in the planning stages and I will see if this is to become a regular thing on my F-16's. I'm going to let this set overnight and will wipe off the black overspray and excess filler when I get to this bad boy tomorrow. The hole I drilled to take my Tail fin pin is apparent in the resin spine. Loving a bit of Hasegawa 1/72 action. Good night to you all, from a balmy evening in Somerset, England. I hope that you are all well. Troffa

A fabulous build of a super looking aircraft, but the finish is amazing!

Welcome aboard Bertie, I look forward to seeing your work here on BM, and love the Gatsby quote! Cheers, Troffa

In the beginning, there was an Olfa P cutter, and it was good. The P cutter was deployed in order to remove the cockpit fairing to make room for the resin spine. And while I was flashing blades, I also removed the Tail Fin Fairing, also displaced by the Spine fairing. This was a relatively easy task as the lower fairing was without it's final half and the cutter was supported on the edge of the cut line. Having a read about the F-16 VISTA (Variable stability In-flight Simulator Test Aircraft) it seems that the Israeli Air Force were very interested in the pre-cursor program to VISTA- MATV (Multi-Axis Thrust-Vectoring) and had agreed to a joint venture with GD and GE , so an Israeli spec. Block 30 was selected for MATV, and when that program closed, the same airframe was selected for VISTA. Oh, and a centre (center) control stick was installed. If you want a detailed background to the whole program have a look here: NF-16 VISTA So with the rear cockpit fairing removed I did a test fit of the spine with the canopy installed to ensure I got their relative positions correct. That potential butt joint between fin and spine looks a little fragile, especially with the rest of the build, So I decided to drill the tail and install a styrene peg, this will be installed in a corresponding hole in the spine at a later juncture. I got the spine installed, primed the upper fuselage and progressed the cockpit. Some FS36375 Gray from Gunze and just decals for the instrument panels, but I'm going to bang some Quick boost ACES Seats into the tubs to draw the eye. Ooh yeah, that centre stick. I might have a think about that. I was concerned about the effect of the spine on the model's centre of gravity, so I added some lead shot and white glue to the nose to reduce the chances of tail sitting. A bit of masking and some Citadel Chaos Black from a rattle can completed the cockpit sills. Overspray, what overspray? I'm really enjoying this build, thanks for tagging along! Troffa

I've had this one in the stash for a while, I stumbled across it whilst looking for some other Viper kits for a forthcoming project, but I decided to bring this one to the front of the queue. It's the 1/72 Hasegawa limited edition boxing of the F-16D "VISTA" Test bird released in 2002. ( Gulp!) A really nice tooling in my view, and packaged with resin extra parts for the Spine, Brake Parachute housing and what I assume are Spin Recovery Parachute attachment points on the rear fuselage. It has a nice set of decals and a bespoke instruction sheet. With plenty of unused parts for the spares box It's a lovely package. Stay tuned! Troffa

Thanks to all for your very kind comments- as has been said, it's still a nice kit- a bit better cockpit and turret detail would be appreciated, and may well be the case in the latest tooling- but it was an enjoyable build of a very important type. All of your support is very much appreciated. Cheers, Troffa

Fabulous work Fuad, a really unusual subject, excellently executed.

Well there's no competition from me Jabba, My 1/72 one will be at least third on the line and dependent on how the distinctly second hand decals are when they turn up from ebay- and if I can ascertain exactly how the pod is slung on the centreline- but the story is fabulous- I can imagine the Senior USAF faction desperate to get rid of A-10 and hoping that the F-16 can fill the role with the Pave Claw, and all of the GE Reps committed to the system working and the ANG guys giving them all the bad news, whilst in combat! Did you see the photo of the damaged F-16A, GPU 5/A on centreline and ALQ-119 (V) on the wing pylon? Interesting fit. Getty Images F-16A with Gun Pod

And no, they were less than a stunning success Pave Claw shenanigans

Mr Hook is correct, although I got there in a round about way. On the bench is a Lizard F/A-16 that was going to get the gun pod, but during my research into the beast I came across the Boys from Syracuse and their rough day during Desert Storm. So I decided that I would have a crack at my fellow Desert Warriors

Bingo! I thought I had one- it's a Dragon re-brand of the Italeri kit for the Hong Kong and Chinese market- thanks so much for all of your help and support. Gunpod ahoy!

Thanks very much for the responses gentlemen, that's a great help- and I think it was the italeri F-15E that I had in mind, I think I may have that in the stash- I will have a look and see if I can find it. if not I will be back to request one from you fine folk. Many thanks, Troffa

I took these at the Museum in Jakarta a couple of years ago- Hope they are of use: