F-16B Oregon ANG - 16-Oct - finished

[Chrisj2003]

Have 4 to choose from in the stash; gone for the one I think I will complete in time with minimal stores. Only AB is Eduard etch (kit pit is very bare); coloured etch which is new to me; help and recommendations on what glue to use to fix folded parts appreciated. Searching for photos of the 2 kit decal options I found the next assignment for 82-1041 was service in the Oregon ANG and a photo showing it weather beaten; which is doable with a mix of kit and SuperScale decals.  

 

Bench should be clear for next Saturday.

 

Chris

Edited October 16, 2021 by Chrisj2003
FINISHED

[trickyrich]

Welcome along Chris, I think you have honour of being the first through the gate!

 

Nice choice off model and scheme, those ANG schemes are nice.

 

For PE I generally use CA glue, but white glue/canopy glue will work as well. The trick is to rough up the rear surface with some fine wet&dry sand paper, this ill give the glue something to bit on so will stuck better.

 

Good luck with the build.

 

 

[arfa1983]

Another good 'glue' is clear gloss acrylic paint for small PE pieces 

[Chrisj2003]

Made a start:

• Washed sprues
• Filler in holes for underwing stores, painted, some of the 12 need another round of filling. Is there a better way of fixing these shallow holes in thin and solid moulded wings?
• Painted pit, and when that was dry it was darker than the coloured etch, repainted, early F-16s seem very light inside, or maybe photos have faded over 30+ years

This should be a lot simpler (and quicker) than my Gulf War F-4E.

 

Chris

 

[trickyrich]

nice start.

 

8 hours ago, Chrisj2003 said:

Is there a better way of fixing these shallow holes in thin and solid moulded wings?

 

Plastic rod or stretched sprue does the job perfectly!

[Chrisj2003]

Not much progress this week, a lot of football on the telly, and I know some can model while watching, but tiny bits of PE require all my concentration. Wings filled, macro shot suggests one not perfect but in IRL its fine. Progress on the multiple layers of coloured PE in the cockpit; its nice but I'm not convinced its that much better than the kit decals in this scale; will make a big difference to the seats, provided I can get the same tiny bits on both; there are lots of bits sub-2mm and I am not steady handed enough to get them in place.

 

Chris

 

[trickyrich]

Tiny PE is Beelzebub's handy work I reckon!!! I've lost so many bits over the years....I feel your pain.

 

I find it very hard to match the colour of the Grey's Eduard use for the cockpit PE at times. If the decals are really nicely printed and there's is nice relief details in the plastic you can get away with just using decals, you just need to almost drown the decals in softening solution and let sit. I did this on my (currently failed/stalled) ZM F-4E build, in that cast they worked out perfectly.

 

This is all decals over original plastic, no extra detailed painting required.

 

 

Oh dear I can't believe I said AM PE is bad..... I'd better have a lie-down and read an AM catalogue!!! 

 

Hopefully all the hard stuff is almost done.

[Chrisj2003]

@trickyrich no raised details on seat or IP or panels in this kit. So it’s flat kit decals or AM.  No 3D decals for this, and not many in 1/72 yet. Coloured etch is a first time for me, and I think worthwhile for the seats. But resin would be just as nice. All good fun trying different things. 
 

Chris

[Chrisj2003]

First there was the then the 🥵 so not much progress.

 

Masking the inside of the intake was difficult and required touch-up; much harder than my last two models, F-5 and F-4, which are squarer and in 2 parts. Figured I would struggle with masking exhaust insitu. Happy with the weathering compared to the real aircraft, but I've done what @Marlin did and painted as if it was upside down. I set out to do it correctly but put the dark gray on the wrong side of the neat mask strips, which is why the upper surface colour is maybe only one-third the circumference. On with re-masking. Still got some tiny bits of etch to do in pit.

 

Forecast to drop 2 degrees a day, so bench will be more bearable.

 

Chris

[trickyrich]

I would gladly swap weather with you now!!  

 

It was -1C this morning here, it's now lovely and sunny but till only 6C....... I'm freeze my wee ....... butt off!!! 

[Marlin]

Hi Chris.

Sorry that you did the same mistake as I. 

But I think you have it stripped and re-painted in no time. 

And that PE in the cockpit looks great. 

 

/Bosse

[Chrisj2003]

7 hours ago, trickyrich said:

I would gladly swap weather with you now!!  

 

It was -1C this morning here, it's now lovely and sunny but till only 6C....... I'm freeze my wee ....... butt off!!! 

 Assume that's not normal for Sydney? Heat in UK was hottest ever a few days ago; and we don't have a/c at home. Weather is always interesting, which is why we talk about it a lot.

 

Chris

[trickyrich]

it sort of is where I live in Sydney, North West, not far from RAAF Base Richmond. But I hate the cold, give me warm/hot weather anytime........ it's not warm until it gets to 35C!!! 

[Robertone139]

keep it up!

Edited July 26, 2021 by Robertone139
blah!

[Boman]

Nice! Remember building this one looong ago when I was still doing 1/72 scale. Nice kit and pilot

[Chrisj2003]

6 bits of coloured etch on front IP, and some of its not coloured! There's no way on the real thing the bit at the top with loads of buttons has a brass surround does it? Is it worth trying to paint when its not visible on a zoomed in photo?

 

Chris

[trickyrich]

wow that is tiny!!!  I think the IP cowling may hide some of it.

[Chrisj2003]

Some slow progress: exhaust end repainted, sidewinders painted, (odd bands on the real thing). Fuselage together and a question; there are holes next to the exhaust; are they prototypical? Should they be filled in?

 

Chris

[trickyrich]

I'm not sure whether they're meant to be there or not, I don't remember them being on any of the F-16's I've built.

[Chrisj2003]

Finally got the pit sorted; not prefect I didn't trim the inside of the rear coaming for the etch IP among other problems. Wings on, filler needed to underside, and a smear on top before fin goes on.

 

Chris

[Chrisj2003]

Wing seams sorted, vertical surfaces on; underside ones need some seam filling; some paint on stabs.

 

Chris

[Chrisj2003]

Decided to fit main u/c before finishing body paintwork; seems fairly robust, but this has more bits sticking out than most at this early stage.

 

Chris

 

[Chrisj2003]

First coat of Gunship Gray on topside; aiming for a solid covering then weathering as photo which shows rear upper panels almost as light as tailfin on this B model; there is a lot of very faded paintwork on 114 TFTS F-16s but the tails with the artwork are always sharp and clean.

 

Chris

[trickyrich]

great to see some colour on her!

[Chrisj2003]

Struggling with the 4 grays on this one. My poor masking leading to touch-ups and strange marbling of the FS16251 on the radome which I'm blaming on the paint.

 

To do:

1. Complete basic painting.

- radome for 3rd time

- metallics on u/c struts

- dirty u/c bays

- formation lights

- redo lower surfaces overall

2. Paint faded upper panels shown on the one image of this aircraft I can find when serving in the Oregon ANG.

3. Decals

4. Add little bits.

5. Touch-up

6. Seal.

 

Little chance of achieving all of that in one week; sorry.

 

Chris