Black Knight Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 A long winded title on the label for this one; General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon 'Thunderbirds' USAF Display Team Can be built as a single seater for the Thunderbirds or a 2-seater for the Dutch; I fancy doing this wheels-up as the Thunderbirds version. I've not built a display aeroplane since I built an Airfix 111 sqd Black Arrows Hunter everso long ago Reading my teabags I see a lot of Micro-Sol & Set in the future of this build 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyverns4 Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 and at the ready! I remember building this one way back when, when it was first released in 1978???? Oh dear That means that I am , Christian, geriatric exiled to africa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arniec Posted December 4, 2017 Share Posted December 4, 2017 Good choice. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 After weapons loads and u/c parts are put into the spares boxes there aren't many parts to this So far this evening; The single seat fuselage insert isn't a great fit; it'll need sanding a bit to tidy it These trenches in the wings will need some filling; 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted December 5, 2017 Share Posted December 5, 2017 Point to note, Matchbox give you the two part nosewheel door from the prototype, not the single part production type. It is an easy fix as the bay shape didn't change, just glue the parts together and dab a little filler, or make a new one from card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted December 5, 2017 Author Share Posted December 5, 2017 The nose wheel bay doors are glued on. They're to get some fillers yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted December 15, 2017 Author Share Posted December 15, 2017 I got some modelling time through the night and this morning and got on with four of my MB builds Lots of fillers round the fuselage insert joint, all rubbed smooth now This is the inner engine exhaust part. I'm going to mount this F16 almost vertically on a clear acrylic rod, to show off the Thunderbird markings on the top & bottom better. The exhaust part has been drilled and a length of capped plastic tube added, the acrylic rod will slide up into this My pilot. Has to be installed before the fuselage halves are joined. I just couldn't get a neat tidy fuselage joint. I got plenty of gaps, so its a slathering of filler's again. Thats all been smoothed now and soon its on with the wings Any suggestions for the base for this? I can't decide 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonhoff Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Could you make a baseplate cut out in the outline of the Thunderbirds logo? Also built this a very very long time ago - 2 seat cockpit parts still in the spares box. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted December 15, 2017 Author Share Posted December 15, 2017 Thats a clever idea 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted December 18, 2017 Author Share Posted December 18, 2017 Filling and sanding, filling and sanding..... Just a bit of work to do on the cockpit and putting on and masking the canopy and its ready for a spraying of white primer; 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 Great progress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesP Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 Bringing back memories of painting multiple coats of Hu Gloss White over that dark grey plastic back in the 80's :shudder: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted December 22, 2017 Author Share Posted December 22, 2017 I got to putting the canopy on, masking it and spraying this with white primer this eveniing; 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted December 22, 2017 Share Posted December 22, 2017 That's looking a bit (alright) "All White" OK - Cheers... Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted December 23, 2017 Author Share Posted December 23, 2017 I used a Halfords rattle can of white plastic primer which doesn't have fine control of where the paint goes. Thus when I sprayed in around the engine intake the fuselage got too much, which resulted in thick paint and a few very minor 'runs' there which I've sanded back once the paint had hardened 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 I reckoned that after 3 weeks the white primer should be dry so the other day I got spraying this gloss white and unmasked it yesterday evening. Maybe tonight or tomorrow I'll start on the decaling I need to paint the jet exhaust yet a 'grrrr' - there is a bit of plastic swarf caught in the very rear of the canopy. I've been shaking it like Elvis to try and move it but it ain't going anywheres yet 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted January 16, 2018 Author Share Posted January 16, 2018 Decaling is taking longer than I thought it would. Some of the decals are bigger than they need to be, some just don't fit and I'm using a lot of Micro-whosit to get them to conform to the shape. May have a photo later 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 ...but it's got the F-16 Look already V-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 A few days of decaling and about half a bottle of Micro Sol later. I cut away the most of the white portions in the decals as I knew there would be a mismatch between the paint white and the decal white. I couldn't do the the fine outline and didn't do the fin; which I should have done, but I don't have tiny blue stars to replace the ones there. I replaced the kit's Star'n'Bars as they were printed out of register Some of the decals fitted ok, some were too big and some were too small. I need to touch in the dark blue in places and also do the red This is how the nose design fits; a gap on each side to paint in I should be able to get the touch-in painting done this evening 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermo245 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted January 19, 2018 Author Share Posted January 19, 2018 I shall declare this one finished - for now The support rod is just pushed into a temporary block of wood but this is how it'll be mounted 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arniec Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 That is a great job done and agreat scheme. Cheers, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted January 20, 2018 Share Posted January 20, 2018 That Matchbox 16 has turned out wonderfully well BK and a great way to display any Aerobatic aircraft. Nice to see your many builds being finished and displayed in the gallery. Cheers.. Dave. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted January 20, 2018 Author Share Posted January 20, 2018 Thanks, but I've only finished three so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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