DaveJL Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Hello all, Here is another of my upcoming projects; 1/48 Kinetic F-16D Block 52+ in the markings of the Moroccan Air Force. These jets have recently been used in combat in Iraq/Syria and Yemen. The kit: Aftermarket: Will be using Pavla seats, Kinetic etch set for the cockpit (not sure how much of this I'll use), Steel Beach FOD cover, Attack Squadron BRU-57 bomb racks and Caracal decals (took me an age to find these!) I'lll be loading it up with 2x AIM-120, 2x AIM-9, 4x GBU-38 (taken from an Academy F-15E as the Kinetic ones aren't overly accurate) 3x fuel tanks and a Sniper pod. The jet itself: C model with BRU-57 and inert GBU-38's: (net images, reference only) Been wanting to do this scheme for a while and this, along with the Turkish F-16C Block 50+ that i'll be starting shortly, will kick start a number of builds of the latest generation of F-16s used by Arab nations (the others being the UAE, Iraq, Oman and Pakistan.) More soon. Dave 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Great choice of subject, will keep watching this thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudolf24 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Great project ! I see this F-16 has got very nice camo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Nice choice! Seen one of these flying while on a trip there with work last year so will keep an eye on your progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Thanks chaps, hope to get a start in the next couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 11, 2016 Author Share Posted February 11, 2016 Hoping to make a start on this over the weekend. Could anyone tell me if the cockpit of the 52+ is all black for NVG use or just the normal grey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 14, 2016 Author Share Posted February 14, 2016 Made a start this morning. Cockpit built up and PE added: Front fuselage built up. I added a bit of wire running from the HUD repeater on the back-seaters coaming just to give a bit of detail: Main landing gear well built up, sprayed and ready to be fitted: Ordnance made up: The GBU-38's are from an Academy F-15E. Two are fitted with airburst fuses and two with standard fuses. The Sniper pod and fuel tanks will require a bit of a clean up. Next up is to add the cockpit to the forward fuselage, install the landing gear bays and close up the fuselage. More soon. Dave 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper15 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I like these Kinetic F-16's, and I like the subject you've chosen so I'll be watching with interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 I like these Kinetic F-16's, and I like the subject you've chosen so I'll be watching with interest. Cheers. Hope you enjoy. Made a bit of progress today. All the pylons built up (note the resin BRU-57s on the left of the image): Awful moulding on the flaps: Sub assemblies: Spine with drag chute housing attached. The fit is awful, hence the filler: Main fuselage assembled: The fit again is poor, especially around the LEX. This is my 3rd 1/48 Kinetic F-16 and I have to say the fit on this particular one is just awful. I don't know wether it's this particular boxing or perhaps the individual mould, but nothing fits as it should. I didn't have this much bother with my previous builds (Sufa and Brakeet). Going to be a bit of a wrestling match I think. Making me reconsider my F-16 builds as I'd planned another 4-5 Kinetic examples.We shall see. Enough moaning … Next up is to clean up the fuselage joins (mainly the LEX), clean up the spine and start putting everything together. More soon. Dave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Going to build a Hasegawa example, in the markings of the Iraqi Air Force to give a bit of comparison with the Kinetic one. The build thread for that one is here Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper15 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I'll watch that also, I nearly mentioned how nice the Iraqi jets look also in my first comment. I imagine that kit will go together better at least, although the Kinetic kits do have a charm to them imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jckspratt1 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Looking forward to this - really interesting scheme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 I'll watch that also, I nearly mentioned how nice the Iraqi jets look also in my first comment. I imagine that kit will go together better at least, although the Kinetic kits do have a charm to them imo. The fit on this one is really poor. Looking forward to this - really interesting scheme. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 21, 2016 Author Share Posted February 21, 2016 More done. Awful fit all round. The engine should would not fit flush with the fuselage and actually appears mis-shapen. The fit of the panels around the nose is terrible, the side panels appear about a mm too short and one appears warped. The last straw was when I went to add the intake and there was about a mm gap between the end of the intake and the bulkhead in the main landing gear bay. So, this kit has been set aside and abandoned. Fear not, as i'll be ordering another Hasegawa 52+ and continuing it from there. As mentioned earlier, I don't know what is wrong with this kit, if it is the boxing or particular moulding. The Sufa and Brakeet kits I build were not perfect or easy, but they were certainly no where near as bad a fit as this kit. I'll be selling a few of the Kinetic F-16's that I have after this! Will keep the UAE F-16F but I think the rest will be going! Will update when the Hasegawa replacement kit arrives. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 Sorry to hear this kit is proving such a nightmare Dave. Certainly a step backward when a 25+ year old kit fits better than a brand new product Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 21, 2016 Author Share Posted February 21, 2016 Cheers Col. As I say, didn't have anywhere near as many issues with the previous 2 I built. Perhaps the it can redeem itself when I get around to building the F model! Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper15 Posted February 21, 2016 Share Posted February 21, 2016 That does look really bad, sorry to see that. I admit, You have me worried now as I have several more of these in the stash, I also have four Tamiya versions mind, I think I'll crack on with those first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 That does look really bad, sorry to see that. I admit, You have me worried now as I have several more of these in the stash, I also have four Tamiya versions mind, I think I'll crack on with those first... The Sufa and Brakeet kits I built were fine, not great, but a lot better than this one! I'm hoping it's a one off... As for the Tamiya kits, I think i'll be using those for some of the single seaters I had planned to build (Turkey and Oman) Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viper15 Posted February 22, 2016 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Yeah, I have one each of the four versions in 1/48, I'm looking forward to making the aggressor in the black, white and grey scheme. I may have to buy a couple more C versions as there are too many good looking paint schemes to choose from. I'm still hoping that Tamiya will expand their range with an F-16D at least.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted February 22, 2016 Author Share Posted February 22, 2016 Yes a Tamiya D model would be most welcome! Would allow me to use that to build a Pakistani, Polish, Hellenic and Egyptian 52+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted March 7, 2016 Author Share Posted March 7, 2016 New kit: To be continued (close to where I left off…) Dave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Made a start on the new kit. Firstly, the extra parts acquired: Cockpit built up, painted, and fitted: Fuselage closed up, nose cone added: One thing that needed work was the wing tips as the Moroccan, unlike the Iraqi jets, are equipped with the AIM-120. So the old wingtips were removed and fitted with the LAU-128 launch rail: Ordnance is the same as previous posts. I'll be using the Kinetic pylons and fuel tanks for this one: Spine assembled: Aires exhaust: Paula seats: More soon. Dave 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 3rd Placer Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Dave, did you test those seats to see if they would fit into the Kinetic tub? I have tried (3) aftermarket seats and they are too tight. I'd be interested in seeing if they fit. Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveJL Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Dave, did you test those seats to see if they would fit into the Kinetic tub? I have tried (3) aftermarket seats and they are too tight. I'd be interested in seeing if they fit. Ryan They fit the Kinetic kits with a small bit of trimming. They fit the Hasegawa kits with no issues. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 3rd Placer Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now