RNZAF F-16CK Block 50 - Painted

[trickyrich]

10 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Careful Rich, this is the RNZAF you're talking, even if we'd got the F-16s, I can't see our pollies ever letting the flyboys have expensive stuff like that to chuck around the countryside. Aim-9s & Mavericks maybe with some bombs would be about the limit.

Steve.

 

we can always hope..... a couple of F-16 Sqns for multi-role jobs and a Sqn of MiG-29SMT's for air defence (that may change...). gotta have some decent aircraft to rely on across the ditch once we get our F-35's!!   I actually was thinking of turning them into QF-35's, would be great targets to shoot down and finally useful for something! 

 

6 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Taking shape quickly now Rich. I like your technique to replace the radome strips.

 

I vote for Harpoons - not a usual F-16 loadout and would make sense for a NZ Viper on patrol.

 

They do look cool with them on, the are capable of carrying them but I don't know if anyone did. Here's a photo of one during weapon tests. Though the one I'm fitting is the AGM-84E SLAM, the newer variation of the Harpoon (has the maverick guidance system fitted).

F-16 with Harpoon

 

But just wait till you see her with the AGM-142's fitted!!!  They look so awesome, trust the Israeli's to come up with this!

F-16 wt AGM-142 Popeye 2

 

There's even some photos of the F-16 carrying a pair of the huge GBU-15's (GPS Guided bombs).....so many evil choices! 

 

[trickyrich]

As mentioned with my other F-16 build I have had an extra couple of days build time than normal, but not an awful lot to show for it. A lot of the time has been spent doing stuff I’d normally be doing at the end of a build….anyway this is where I’m at.

 

The intake is together and at least for this build the joins inside aren’t too bad, so they should be easy to tidy up. Once that’s done I can fit this.

 

 

The gear has been painted and given it’s initial wash, I just need to now finish off the painting and detailing and that to can be fitted.

 

 

The tailpipe is pretty much done, just a couple of wee bits I need to do then I’ll mask it off and fit the shroud section.

 

 

The pylons have been fitted as well as most of the small intakes and such over the plane.

 

 

As mentioned I’ve been doing a lot of the final stuff and most of the time have been spent of the weapons. They’re getting close to being done, I had the rub back the main drop tanks as the joins were pretty   (I love this one)

 

 

I’ve just come across an F-16 with a refueling probe attached! The probe is built into one of the conformal tanks, I have only found some test photo’s of this (about a 1/3rd of the way down), but I want it for this build!

 

Conformal ATA Refuelling Probe

 

Actually I didn’t think of conformal tanks for her at all! So I’m off to do some shopping on evilBay. If I can’t find what I want then I have a back up plan in mind!!

 

Now some fun stuff, I’m now down to two weapons loadouts;

 

SLAM E’s

 

 

Popeye 2’s with Data Link Pod

 

[charlie_c67]

Any help in deciding? 😉

 

Incidently, the in CFT probe solves one headache for me too!

[trickyrich]

 

It was just by chance I found the ATA Conformal tank! I knew I needed some sort of Drogue refuelling system, so for a while I was either just going to just have a probe sticking out the side, as there's no room inside the fuselage or have a bulged fairing for it on the side. But the conformal tank solution is so much better idea! 

[charlie_c67]

 Well since the BAe Falcon FGR.5 has CFT's it does make sense... 

[Ian]

Back after my travels and loving the progress here. Although I'm a big believer in 'less is more' when planning a load-out, I do like your idea of a dedicated heavy anti-shipping machine - especially when you see what's shaping-up around the Spratly Islands at the moment, shades of Dan Brown, I think - If you're open to suggestion, can I offer that the 'Popeye' missiles & pod look far too heavy, the Harpoons & ALQ look fine but perhaps re-jig the A2A weaps, maybe go with just two short-range IR missiles, either 'winders or SRAAM's or IRIS-T's. Just a thought and no criticism intended whatsoever.

 

Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

 

Ian. 

[charlie_c67]

Is the F-16 loadout info on the link below any help? It gives what station things can be carried on, the weight each can carry and the g-force rating. Always find things like this useful for whifs!

 

http://www.f-16.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1276

[trickyrich]

thats an interesting chart, but for this build I don't need it as the loads are all within limits.

 

The F-16's are pretty much cleared for all the larger GBU's and AGM's, even the large and weird looking GBU-15's on pylons 3/7. The AGM-142 Popeye 2 (Have Lite USAF designation) was designed for use by the F-16's and is a slightly smaller version of the original Popeye. The Popeye 2 is quite popular weapon for the Israeli F-16I's and weighs in at around 2500lb, not that much more than a JDAM or GBU-28 "Paveway III" normally seen on these station. With a range of around 48 miles, it's perfect for taking out large targets. We had the larger Popeye's fitted on our F-111's.

 

Interestingly enough our F-18's are not capable of carrying these weapons, and those stupid F-35's well the'll be good for.......hmmm target practice??

 

I'll have the option to change weapons loads as these pylons will be "pinned" so I can swap away at my hearts content.

[trickyrich]

I’ve just realized that I forgot to do an update for this build last week! Now I have to try and remember what I’d been doing from the photos.

 

Well the tailpipe is finished and for the stock kit part, doesn’t look to bad at all, so I can mask it up and fit it to the fuselage.

 

 

The mould line in the centre of the canopy was removed which was not as stressful as I imaged it was going to be, and it look great in place.

 

 

The main gear was fitted along with the centre pylon.

 

 

I spent even more time on the intake area, hopefully I’ve got the joins all sorted now, this area is a right pain!

 

 

There were a couple of minor joins around the tail section that needed a spot of filler to sort out.

 

 

The canopy was finally closed up, despite what the photo looks like the join is actually really nice a smooth, what you can see is just the glue on the inside of the canopy which will be hidden.

 

 

The two main weapons are complete nice, those SLAM’s do like nice!

 

 

So here’s how she looks in her two configurations, the targeting pod is being replaced with the Sniper ATP pod, which I now have.

 

 

 

Here’s the Sniper ATP pod along with the Maverick’s, which I probably won’t use now.

 

 

So things will come to a halt now while I wait for the Conformal tanks to arrive. Once they’re on it painting time! Once that’s out of the way it should be a very quick finish!

[trickyrich]

Ok I have to admit this one has been taking up more time than my Tiger meet F-16!

 

Ok the Conformal tanks were waiting for me when I got home, so they were the first thing to got one. Actually they weren’t as easy to fit as I thought, and I discovered only after I had finished painting that I made a slight boo boo! Nothing major, but I will need to disguise it! 

 

 

I needed to fill in one side as this tank holds the In-flight Refuelling Probe....and they weren't quite filled enough!

 

 

Ok with them fitted and a few other bits completed it’s time for painting. First off the Lite Green.

 

 

 

, nice and patchy just how I like it. Right the camouflage pattern will be based on the Euro pattern Skyhawk’s, which I discovered is the basic SEA colour scheme with the Tan replaced with Grey!  So I tried to mask this pattern up how it appeared on the Skyhawk. So after lots of masking and a coat of the dark green we have this.

 

 

 

A bit more masking for the Dark Grey and we have this with some weapons thrown in for fun!

 

 

 

So the radome was next painted Lite Green, I didn’t like the Matt Black for this and I had noticed that the USAF F-16’s in the Lizard scheme had green radomes, so green is was!

 

 

 

I’ve started painting up the fuel tanks have as well as the Sniper Pod.

 

 

So of course how does she look……..

 

.. with SLAM’s

 

 

 

….and with Popeye’s

 

 

 

She’ll get a coat of clear tomorrow and I’ll probably do the non-step line work as well. Things going well I may even get the panel lines done too. She is probably going to have a bit of weathering done to her as well to help knock back and flatten the colour a bit as well, I want her to have a bit of a work-horse look to here. Things going to plan I may even have her decaled before I head back to work.

[Cookenbacher]

Looking menacing in Euro 1 Rich, I never noticed that it's same as the SEA scheme with tan switched out!

[stevehnz]

I like the look of this a lot, though I'm not sure that the Ohakea runway is long enough for it to get off with that lot hanging underneath it.

Steve.

[trickyrich]

23 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I like the look of this a lot, though I'm not sure that the Ohakea runway is long enough for it to get off with that lot hanging underneath it.

Steve.

 

Well the old F-111 could....as long as it wasn't on a wet runway!!  Those Popeye's are around the same weight as the JDAM's the F-16 is normally seen carrying, she could even carry the huge 600 gallon tanks as well!

[noelbarnes]

I built this last year...the Tamiya F-16 is a magnificent kit. I love what you are doing here. The paint scheme is excellent. Look forward to seeing her complete. 

[Pastor Rich]

Ha!  I love your style!  A Kiwi Viper?!  A pleasing "what if" and fun to follow.  Can't wait to see your next installment.  Well done! 

 

PR

[Bandsaw Steve]

Awesome!

[Madhatter]

I love the colour scheme on the Falcon - it looks so right. Not sure about the SUFA tanks though - I think it would look better without them but that's just me

Great work all round!!

[trickyrich]

I agree, they sort of do spoil the good looks of the F-16, but I wanted a Drogue AAR system so rather than just sticking a AAR probe on her, which the F-16's didn't have. I wanted to try and keep her as "real" as possible. So I went with the Conformal tanks with the retractable probe in the RHS, the "CARTS" was developed for the F-16 to give them Drogue AAR capabilities. 

 

But she does have a certain mean look to her now!

[Dermo245]

Another Rich-tacular build..

 

Terrific!

 

Dermot

[trickyrich]

Thanks Dermot, I am enjoying this build even if I haven't been spending that much time on her of late.

 

Due to rather unfortunate circumstances I've had to return suddenly from Korea and may be home for a wee bit, so I hope to spend a little bit of time on her and a copuple of other project before I head back again. 

[CharlieNZ]

That does look very nice, that was always my favourite A4 scheme too.

 

Just for information, the RNZAF's F-16s were Block 15OCU aircraft. Which from memory were the last A/Bs off the production line and incorporated a number of C/D airframe features.

 

Presumably they would have ended up all over FS26118 if we'd repainted them, since that matches most of our other aircraft. But the Euro 1 wrap around scheme would have been way cooler.

Spoiler

 

 

[whiskey]

Just came across this topic and I have to say, as a fan of the RNZAF Skyhawks and USAF CAS Vipers, this 'what-if' is awesome! Was there ever a final product?

[trickyrich]

thanks, unfortunately I had to put her aside while I was on other projects. I have done a little bit more to her since then but with luck I'll finish her over the remaining few weeks this year. I need to clear the bench of a few projects I have going on, this being one of them.

 

so please stay tuned.