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F-16 in 1/72 scale : building the HASEGAWA kits
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Hasegawa also released various kits of the F-16C, the first probably as kit #604 in 1987. The kit made here is kit no.01604 released in the year 1992.
The Hasegawa F-16C kit is very similar to their earlier F-16A but has the appropriate vertical tail for the F-16C / D Blocks. Rear fuselage with exhaust is for the Pratt and Whitney F100 engine with also the initial normal air intake: this means that only early Block F-16C can be made straight from the box such as an F-16C Block 25. The normal first generation vertical tail for the F-16C or -D with the thick base and typical antenna on the edge is in the kit with the standard USAF like tail fairing.
The kit has 4 plastic sprues and 1 clear sprue and about 70 parts. The wing has two halves to be joint to the center fuselage section.
The standard horizontal stabilizers are in the kit as well as the normal main wheels and flat main gear doors and also has the appropriate early LAU-114 wing tip launch rails.
Decals in this kit release are for 3 USAF F-16C Block 25 schemes:
(1) 312 TFTS Scorpions , Luke AFB, USA ;
(2) 19 TFS Gamercocks, Shaw AFB, USA ;
(3) 512 TFS Dragons, of USAFE Europe at Ramstein AFB (in at that time West Germany).
The kit schemes have the rather dull standard NATO colours.
Note the different section in the sprue for the F-16 -C /-D vertical tail
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I got a set of nice TWOBOB decals #72-104 from my modelling friend Bas, Thank you Bas!
On the set was a nice scheme for an USAF agressor aircraft as flown by the USAF no. 64 Agressor squadron of the 57th wing at Nellis AFB, Nevada in 2017. It sports a blue splinter camouflage scheme for aircraft ser.no 83-0159, a F-16C Block 32 with the small intake and Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-220. So this Hasegawa kit can be used.
Kit assembly is straight forward; but as the
intake #B4 is a bit undeep as on all Hasegawa F-16 kits, with a razor saw the rear closed
portion was cut-off. This gives a "deeper look".
The kit was discussed on many previous pages such as page 5. Again, ensure a symmetric assembly of the wing halves and landing gear bulkhead!
The colours for the Agressor "blue splinter" scheme are a bit difficult to get. (Note: HATAKA seems to have the correct colours as enamels which I do not airbrush anymore).
So using acrylics paints I had to compromise a bit here and airbrushed these acrylics:
FS36270 grey Gunze Sangyo H306;FS36628 light grey for which used FS36622 so Gunze Sangyo H311;
FS35109 darker blue for which used Gunze Sangyo H56.
Edges between colours are rather sharp so for this scale masking was done with tape and tissue. It takes some time but needs to be done.
and the result....
Now the decalling was done, this is easier at this stage as not smaller parts are yet installed... that can break off..
Note that this agressor scheme has black walkway lines and those are provided by the TWOBOBS decalset.
The remainder of the smaller bits were fitted as described on the previously made Hasegawa kits. The model got a semi-mat varnish airbrushed with the usual technique.
... at Nellis AFB...
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Another 1/72 Hasegawa F-16C as seen above was made of another USAF Agressor aircraft. On another TWO BOBS 72-076 set decals were also provided for a F-16C Block 30D in a "Green Lizard scheme". It appears to be for the 18th Agressor Squadron as seen in 2008.
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This F-16C Block 30D has an GE F110 engine with large air intake. I had a spare large intake and GE jet pipe/ exhaust from a Tamiya Block kit (seen on page 18); so that would be crafted onto the Hasegawa F-16C kit (has parts only for the small intake and PW F100 engine). The Block 30D also seems to have the standard usual "beer can" antennas on the wing leading edge and the standard USAF thick base "C" tail (without parachute pack fairing). But this aircraft had no IFF aerials in front of the cockpit.
The spare larger big mouth Tamiya intake is seen here......
The installment needed some putty but can be done. Here seen after a base grey coat was airbrushed to check for any faults that need more correction.
The gear wheels and tyres as provided in the Hasegawa kit are the "thin ones", but Block 30D has thick wheels and bulged wheel doors. The wheels came from other spare F-16 kits and the bulged doors converted as I had no spares. Put on a bit of card on each door, putty and than sand as described earlier for another model.
The GE F110 engine exhaust came also from a spare Tamiya kit, just cut off the locator tab. The standard vertical tail was also fitted.
The model got another overall base coat and is ready for the camouflage scheme.
The wrap around colour scheme of this Agressor Fed.Std 34092 European Green, FS30219 sand, FS30140 brown. These could be found in a HATAKA AS29 enamel set but as I do not airbrush enamels anymore, I had to find alternative acrylic paints.
I settled for these:
Gunze Sangyo 302 green, Gunze Sangyo 313 sand and Revell Aqua 82 for the brown.
The wrap around scheme needed masking.
The result...
The model was now given a gloss coat with the usual technique (with Johnson Future) before decalling. The TWO BOB decals went on fine. The walk way lines on this particular Agressor aircraft are black.
The model than got the landing gear and fuel tanks as well. Make sure that the main gear legs are fitted in perfect symmetry. The home made "bulged" doors were also set in place as well. In the gear bay a battery pack was added from scrap with some hydraulic lines from thin metal wire.
On photos it was seen that the Agressor aircraft were fitted with pods. The central AN/ALQ-188 pod came from the Hasegawa Weaponset #VIII and the ACMI pod from the Hasegawa Weaponset #V painted red and fitted on the wing tip. An AIM-9L/M Sidewinder was also fitted on the old style launch rails as per kit.
The completion was done. A final semi-gloss varnish coat was also airbrushed on top in a few thin layers.
Cockpit seat came from the kit but harnesses were added from tape and other bits. Inside the canopy 2x2 handles were added as seen in all F-16's.
Some 15 static dischargers as standard fitted on F-16's were refined and made from fishing line and installed.
That completed the model.
USAF F-16C BLOCK 30D "Green Viper"
F-16C Block 30D , USAF 18th Agressor Squadron, 11 th Air Force... (2008 scheme), set in a scenery at Nellis, the famous Western US base near Las Vegas.
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Created this page
June 12, 2019