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F-16D USAF Thunderbirds


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Good day,

 

I have been always fond of the USAF Thunderbird #4 Slot position ( also #7 spare ) F-16D.  When Hobby Boss released one in 1/72 scale, I jumped at the chance to grab one.  Here is a brief recap of my thoughts of this kit………

1. Simple and straightforward construction.  Few parts

2. Nice recessed panel line details.  Basic cockpit.

3. Decals were problematic.  The decals were prone to tearing and out of shape.  The most glaring issues were found on the red nose, undersurface blue bird motif, and tail.  I ended up painting the sections that were ruined and tried to get the most important aspects correct.  

4. Very lightly weathered with light grey wash and pencils.

5. The exhaust nozzle was an experiment with powders.  I used silver powder over grey primer and worked it in with a Q-Tip swab.  After a number of applications, I then applied some black wash to the grooves between the petals.  I also added a very light dusting of gold and purple for slight staining from the heat build up but that worked it`s way off before and during clear coats.

6. Poor fit of the exhaust section to the fuselage, radome / nose section, and the lower fuselage and wing joint.  

7. The centerline tank was added from an Academy F-16 as it was not included.  

 

I would recommend this kit to all skill levels due to the ease of construction and it would be a good starter kit for a novice however the decals do require a significant amount of effort.

 

Thank you in advance,

Mike

 

First up, the real #4…………

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Hi Mike,

 

that’s an amazing model! Superb clean build! And wonderful presentation! 
Got one in the stash from Hasegawa, since 20 years I think. Time to put it on the bench! 😂😂😂

 

best regards 

Andy 

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