Aftermarket for Tamiya F-16 questions

[rkp111]

Greetings to all and thanks in advance for any help.

I'm ordering the Tamiya f-16 adversary, first time for building a jet fighter. I have always built either WW-1 or WW-2 subjects. I've been looking at all the aftermarket items and wondering if there's any particular one that really improves on the Tamiya kit.

I'm planning on the Eduard photoetch set for the cockpit, not sure about all the rest that's on the market. 

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

[Seawinder]

I'm with Jordi. On the Block 25 I built a few years ago, I only used the Eduard PE set for the central consoles of the instrument panel: the outer screens painted up fine without PE. You could certainly use a resin ejection seat (I'd recommend one from Sierra Hotel), but I used the kit seat with belts from the Eduard set and thought it looked pretty darn good. I really liked this kit and hope you will too. The only nit I recorded in my build notes was the flap attachments were flimsy.

[exdraken]

There is a Tamiya improvement set with reenforcement plates and a metal pitot... very handy!

 

Wheels and nozzle if you like can always be improved a bit!

Edited October 21, 2019 by exdraken

[Stephen]

A resin seat and Master metal probe are all you need. If you need the reinforcement plates then I recommend Crossdelta.

[Seawinder]

1 hour ago, Stephen said:

A resin seat and Master metal probe are all you need. If you need the reinforcement plates then I recommend Crossdelta.

While the model may benefit from those items, I personally don't think they're necessarily needed. As I said above, the kit seat with the Eduard PE stuff looks pretty good, speaking as one who just about always uses resin ejection seats.

[exdraken]

3 hours ago, Seawinder said:

reinforcement plates

strongly depend on the air- and timeframe!

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/148-aircraft/148-lockheed-f-16-detail-part/

comes with the pitot already!

[rkp111]

On 10/20/2019 at 11:34 PM, Seawinder said:

I'm with Jordi. On the Block 25 I built a few years ago, I only used the Eduard PE set for the central consoles of the instrument panel: the outer screens painted up fine without PE. You could certainly use a resin ejection seat (I'd recommend one from Sierra Hotel), but I used the kit seat with belts from the Eduard set and thought it looked pretty darn good. I really liked this kit and hope you will too. The only nit I recorded in my build notes was the flap attachments were flimsy.

Thanks for the info on the Sierra hotel stuff looks quite impressive. 

[Nocoolname]

Really depends how far you want to go. I have 3 of the Tamiya kits for building an Alaska Splinter Aggressor, a Belgian 'Solo' display bird and a Thunderbirds version. For one of the kits I have the Aires Cockpit, the complete Black Dog set which opens up everything from the forward avionics bays through the gun bay through the wheel wells back to the base of the fin and round it off with an Eduard radar and Radome and a full PE set. For another, I have the Aires Cockpit, complete PE set plus the gun bay AM set and another Eduard radar and Radome. For the third I have an Aires Cockpit, the Black Dog avionics set and complete PE set and a radar. I kind of figure if you're going to go, go 'large'! But then I'm also a bit nuts! 😜