General Dynamics / Lockheed F-16 in 1/72 scale: kit review & modelling reports of HASEGAWA kits

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It has decals for two a bit dull standard F-16 grey schemes :
(1)  USAF std.scheme F-16D  of 13 TFS / 432 TFW PACAF , tail code MJ of Misawa AFB, Japan
(2)  USAF std.scheme F-16D  312 TFTS of 58 TFW, tail code LF , Luke AFB


and the parts layout:

The vertical tail has the standard USAF layout, so without any long fairing for a parachute. 

I opted to make an early Turkish Air Force F-16D Block 30B with the General Electric F110 engine using part #A2 and still the small intake. (So this was a very early F-16C before it was discovered that a larger intake would be better as for later Blocks). Turkey got several of these with serials 86-0191 up to 86-0196. Also other F-16D's were delivered with serials 87-002, 003 and 88-0013. 

I saw such an aircraft during an Open Day in The Netherlands probably in the 1980s, my photo is seen here:

 
The basic construction is the same as the other 1/72 scale Hasegawa kits but there are a few new parts in the sprues to cater for the later version -D: similar numbered parts #20 + #21 for the thick base vertical tail and another exhaust pipe #A2 for the GE engine; but here are no thick bulge wheel doors, so the kit is for an early block F-16D with only the initial small type intake provided. 

So no kit conversion is needed. The Turkish markings decals came from spare decals from an old ESCI F-16A kit #9041 released in 1985. I got these decals from my modelling friend Bas. The serial was compositioned from various numbers in the spares box.

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As with the other Hasegawa kits, the wing halves need careful alignment and the joints also again needed putty and sanding.

The rest of the kit assembly was straight forward. When readied, the model got a base grey coat first. Often I airbrush Revell Aqua 75  "Steingrau" for this. Any surface imperfections were restored with putty and sanding.

Next followed the standard NATO F-16 Federal Standard colours of lower surfaces FS36375 (airbrushing Gunze Sangyo H308 acrylic), FS36270 (using Gunze H306), and aft upper areas FS36118 (using Gunze H305) with the airbrush. White on bays and undercarriage parts.

ESCI decals are very prone to silvering so the model got a few gloss varnish coat to prevent "silvering". The rest of the decals came from the Hasegawa decals and others. 

NOTE: I was not sure about number of the roundels on the wing: should it be 2 on top and 2 below? I was not sure. Later I found that most Turkish F-16's had only 1 roundel on top and 1 roundel below the wing but that its position varies between starboard and port!

I added a couple of standard 370 gallon tanks. Also a few CBU-87 bombs on the outher pylons, these came from the Hasegawa Weapons set #5. Cockpit seats came from the kit but harnesses were added from tape and other bits.

Some 15 static dischargers as standard fitted on F-16's were refined and made from fishing line and installed. A final semi-gloss varnish coat was also airbrushed on top in a few thin layers.  

The two seat canopy was to be set open on this model. Inside the canopy 2x2 handles were added and the raising extension bar was made from a metal needle and a section was painted black. The nose pitot was made from a metal needle and at the right side a second pitot (missing in the kit) was added as fitted aft of the radar nose from scrap. 

That completed the F-16D Block 30B  of the "Türk Hava Kuvvetleri" (more Air Force info here...)

  

 and model set in a scenery...

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