Steve McArthur

I'm not really an F-16 or USAF expert so I don't know anything about F-16s at 480FS without Googling it. I just know what the Tamiya kits were supposed to represent and how you could mix and match parts to get different blocks. In general, F-16 configurations depend on time period. The planes evolved as mods were added over their service life. The most recognizable external difference to me is whether or not the plane has the AIFF antennas (bird slicers) on the panel forward of the canopy.  The kit has parts for with or without the bird slicers. These were not on the planes as built, but added under the CCIP upgrade in the mid 2000s. Not all planes apparently got them, but I think it was more common on Block 50 than Block 40. 

The only other thing to really pay attention to is what ordnance the USAF used varies depending on time period, so finding reference photos again becomes important. Getting good at Googling is key. At some point the HTS pod moved from the right side to the left, so a targeting pod could be carried on the right. I think this was tied to the CCIP update, but may have been a separate mod. Google is your friend. USAF, DOD and even the 460 FS should all have photo galleries that would likely contain very useful high resolution photos. Your best bet is to find a photo of a plane armed the way you want to model it.