Never Merge with a Squalo - AMI F-20M - 1/72 Hasegawa

[Cookenbacher]

The Italian Air Force purchased F-20's in the late 1980's to replace the F-104 in the interceptor role, while the Tornado replaced them in the attack role. They would serve into the early 2010's when they were replaced by the EF-2000. In that two and a half decades, The AMI F-20's would defend NATO's southern flank, and gain a reputation as the fighter that any adversary would least like to get close to.

 

I want to represent the F-20 as it appeared near the end of its career, and so I removed the wing tip missile rails and replaced them with more modern ones. I also drooped the flaps a tiny bit, just to add a little interest.

 

 

Thanks @Corsairfoxfouruncle, Dennis, for putting this one together and sorry to keep copying your builds, but they're so cool I can't help it!

 

@giemme, let me know if the title makes sense - I just used google. 🙃

 

 

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

No need to apologize sir, Im flattered you like my choices when it comes to ideas, schemes, and kits. 

[Terry1954]

Love this idea Cookie!

 

Will follow this one for sure.

 

Terry

[Robert Stuart]

Going to watch with interest, wonder which scheme you'll settle for.

[modelling minion]

Great to have another F-20 in the GB, they're proving very popular.

Also interested to see what scheme this ends up in.

 

🇺🇦

[Luke1199]

Looking forward to seeing this! It's a great kit, enjoy the build.

 

[Cookenbacher]

20 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

No need to apologize sir, Im flattered you like my choices when it comes to ideas, schemes, and kits. 

Well they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

 

19 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

Love this idea Cookie!

 

Will follow this one for sure.

Thanks Terry, I'll try and keep it interesting.

 

17 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

Going to watch with interest, wonder which scheme you'll settle for.

 

13 hours ago, modelling minion said:

Great to have another F-20 in the GB, they're proving very popular.

Also interested to see what scheme this ends up in.

 

🇺🇦

I'm planning on a boring old grey scheme that the AMI has been using the past few decades (it's actually one of my favourites - but I like boring grey schemes), but I'm working on a little twist.

 

 

11 hours ago, Luke1199 said:

Looking forward to seeing this! It's a great kit, enjoy the build.

 

Thanks Luke, the kit has been wonderful so far, although I have a question or two for those of you who've built it before - more on that below.

 

The cockpit fits very nicely, but I'm realizing that the assembly behind the seat works well if the canopy is to be posed open, but how do you modify it to be posed closed? The instructions are not very clear.

 

Also, I had a lot of trouble with the intakes and they're going to require quite a bit of filler.

 

The F-20 saw many upgrades during its time in Italian service: the right side cannon was removed to make room for an infrared search and track system, and IFF 'bird slicers'.

 

Oh, and I think the bump just behind the radome is for the AMRAAM two-way data link.

'Bird slicers' complete - and a little crooked - I didn't bother to measure anything!

 

 

Time to clean up those intakes!

 

[Robert Stuart]

Those bird slicers make a nice detail update.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

1 hour ago, Cookenbacher said:

but how do you modify it to be posed closed

I removed the two horns on the seat, then moved the rear frame line slightly forward when painting to hide the big gap. 

 

1 hour ago, Cookenbacher said:

Also, I had a lot of trouble with the intakes and they're going to require quite a bit of filler.

I didn't seem to have that issue ? Though I glued mine as units off of the aircraft then installed them. While setting I finagled them into position a bit better. The bottom has a little ridge I sanded smooth but otherwise they weren't that bad. 
 

Will you add the refueling boom ? If so maybe I think on top if one of the sides of the intakes. I don't think it looks too good square in front of the pilot like the instructions say ? Or if you have a spare A-4 straight or kinked boom off the side of the nose ? 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[modelling minion]

Very nice work Cookie.

I really like the additions you are making and the way you are filling out the story of the F-20's use by the AMI.

A grey scheme can look very good, especially when nicely weathered.

 

🇺🇦

[Col.]

Tidy work and sensible additions to the basic type as it progressed through its service life Cookie

[giemme]

Nice squalo going over here, Cookie  

 

Ciao 

[Terry1954]

On 8/22/2022 at 2:08 AM, Cookenbacher said:

I'm planning on a boring old grey scheme that the AMI has been using the past few decades (it's actually one of my favourites - but I like boring grey schemes), but I'm working on a little twist.

 

A good call for this one Cookie. I think an F-20 in AMI grey will look awesome. Intrigued by what the twist might be!

 

Terry

[Cookenbacher]

On 8/21/2022 at 7:40 PM, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Will you add the refueling boom ? If so maybe I think on top if one of the sides of the intakes. I don't think it looks too good square in front of the pilot like the instructions say ? Or if you have a spare A-4 straight or kinked boom off the side of the nose ? 

I decided to not add the refueling boom - the AMI F-104's seemed to have external booms too, but seemed to rarely have them installed if my references give an accurate count. So I think that it would be the same for their F-20's 🙃.

 

Some empty missile rail detail:

 

And got the intake seams puttied, oh and added the GPS dome behind the cockpit:

 

On 8/23/2022 at 2:21 AM, Terry1954 said:

Intrigued by what the twist might be!

 

I used the Silhouette cutter to make a 4 Stormo horse emblem:

 

Black base added:

 

And the Sky grey:

 

 

 

I made the classic mistake of overdoing the top coat, obscuring the contrast in marbling the black base - oh well. Oh, I also added the LERX vortex generators that the AMI F-20's were known for.

 

[stevehnz]

Rocking through this one in fine style Cookie, enough good ideas in here to make me wish I'd signed up for this GB with my F-20 kit now, but I've got enough to be going on with before anyone gets any ideas.    I'm keen to do a RNZAF whif one someday.

Steve.

[Robert Stuart]

That is coming along quickly, the Silhouette horse head is a nice touch.

[giemme]

Nice detailing and top paint job, Cookie! I think the black basing is actually working on this    

Ciao

[81-er]

Very nice work there, Cookie

 

James

[modelling minion]

Great work Cookie.

I really like the details you go into on the back story.

The horse on the tail looks excellent, suits it very well.

 

🇺🇦

[Wings unlevel]

Great concept, terrific execution so far, nice work.

[Terry1954]

She's coming along beautifully Cookie. The horse emblem is a very neat twist, an Italian stallion perhaps or a kind of nod to the Ferrari emblem, making this one a Ferrari of the skies!

 

Terry

[giemme]

@Terry1954: the Ferrari emblem actually comes from aviation. It was Francesco Baracca (Italian WW I aviator) fuselage emblem, that was then adopted by Enzo Ferrari when he was racing with Alfa Romeo cars (apparently Baracca's mother encouraged him to bear that emblem, for good luck in the races). It then became Ferrari's own logo, but it also has stayed in the Italian Military aviation till now, being the emblem of 4o gruppo

 

Ciao 

[Cookenbacher]

On 9/5/2022 at 5:59 PM, stevehnz said:

Rocking through this one in fine style Cookie, enough good ideas in here to make me wish I'd signed up for this GB with my F-20 kit now, but I've got enough to be going on with before anyone gets any ideas.    I'm keen to do a RNZAF whif one someday.

Steve.

Thanks Steve - I really can't wait to see an RNZAF F-20 whenever you get around to it!

 

On 9/5/2022 at 6:06 PM, Robert Stuart said:

That is coming along quickly, the Silhouette horse head is a nice touch.

 

On 9/6/2022 at 9:00 AM, modelling minion said:

Great work Cookie.

I really like the details you go into on the back story.

The horse on the tail looks excellent, suits it very well.

 

🇺🇦

Thank you Robert and Craig - and also thank you folks for hosting this STGB!

 

On 9/6/2022 at 4:14 AM, 81-er said:

Very nice work there, Cookie

Thank you James!

 

On 9/6/2022 at 12:14 AM, giemme said:

Nice detailing and top paint job, Cookie! I think the black basing is actually working on this  

Thanks Giorgio, I used some ink pens to accentuate it a little now:

 

 

On 9/9/2022 at 8:17 PM, Wings unlevel said:

Great concept, terrific execution so far, nice work.

 

On 9/9/2022 at 9:57 PM, Terry1954 said:

She's coming along beautifully Cookie. The horse emblem is a very neat twist, an Italian stallion perhaps or a kind of nod to the Ferrari emblem, making this one a Ferrari of the skies!

 

Terry

Thanks Terry and WUL, I also made a couple stencils of the full rearing horse, but it some of the details were so small that I was afraid it wouldn't turn out well.

 

On 9/10/2022 at 12:31 AM, giemme said:

@Terry1954: the Ferrari emblem actually comes from aviation. It was Francesco Baracca (Italian WW I aviator) fuselage emblem, that was then adopted by Enzo Ferrari when he was racing with Alfa Romeo cars (apparently Baracca's mother encouraged him to bear that emblem, for good luck in the races). It then became Ferrari's own logo, but it also has stayed in the Italian Military aviation till now, being the emblem of 4o gruppo

So fascinating that they are linked!

 

The Sky Ferrari has decals:

 

and a landing gear:

 

Nearly there

 

 

[Robert Stuart]

Paint, decals, weapons ... think this is close to completion?
Looks good Cookie

[giemme]

Impressive job, Cookie - and fast too!  

Ciao