1/72 Scale F16C "Tigermeet" Fighting Falcon. (AAGB)

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Coming in late on this GB so I'm going to keep the build fairly simple. This will be my entry for this group build. Thanks to Steve and Si for the approval and hosting. This is Revells 1/72 F16C Tiger Meet model. I'm a bit of a sucker for these wrap around decal schemes. This version is of the F16C Viper AF 87-0284 belonging to the 140th Fighter Squadron of the Colorado Air National Guard specially painted for the Tiger Meet Of The Americas (TMOTA) in 2003. This plane received an award for the best painted aircraft.

Its one I have had in my stash in the garage for sometime and I'm glad this group build made me dig it out because the mice had taken residence in the box. Fortunately the only damage was a chewed instruction sheet and one of the sprues. One of the hazards of living in a rural community.

 

[Steven000]

Nice project Steve, I've build an earlier version of this kit when I was a small boy, flying through the house with it ...
Will follow your build, looking forward to that decal scheme!
Cheers, Steven

 

[yak face]

Great choice steve , the scheme is stunning . Good job the mice didnt like the taste of decals ! , cheers tony

 

[Steve Jones]

Great to see you in the GB Steve. I know nothing of wingy stuff so I will leave it up to the rest of the guys to cheer you on your way

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Well I'm off and running with this one at last. 29 days to complete it. All the undercarriage wells have been completed and fitted to a partially assembled fuselage. Also assembled the cockpit and ejector seat. Both have been primed and painted. Going to try some dry brushing on the instrument panels but not going to worry too much about them as they will hardly been seen. Also added some nose weight just in case. There isn't anything in the instructions about weight so its just a precaution. So far the kit is going together really well, nice fitting pieces. Only issue I have with these 1/72 F16s are the number of aerials, all about as thick as a piece of cotton. 3 on each wing 3 on each of the horizontal stabilisers and 3 on the tail. Almost impossible to handle the kit without breaking them off.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Trying to cut out some ejection seat harnesses. Just cant quite get the right thickness. These may have to do. I want to add some belts to the seat as I will be having an open canopy.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

And this is where I am at now. Wings fixed in position. Ill leave the tail off until the last moment. Front section of the fuzz will be fitted once the cockpit area has been painted and fitted.

 

[Jim R]

Hi Steve
Glad the mice didn't do any real damage. That is a stunning looking paint job. I hope the decals go on well.
Jim

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Hi Steve
Glad the mice didn't do any real damage. That is a stunning looking paint job. I hope the decals go on well.
Jim

Just came across a piece that the mice got to but nothing that a bit of filler wont solve. This is the third Revell Tiger that I have made and if the previous 2 are anything to go by the decals are a treat to work with. Ive always used Micro Sol and Set and so far not had a problem.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Little bit of progress. Cockpit interior fitted and fuselage halves joined. Tail, nose, and exhaust tube now fitted. I wont be fitting the horizontal stabilisers and ejector seat till the end. This weekends target is to clean up the joins and have the fuzz primed. painted and varnished in preparation for the decals going on next week. 3 different shades of grey to go on for this paint job.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Painting disaster last night. Had the model all primed. Applied the first coat of paint and it reacted badly in a couple of areas with the primer. Had to quickly whip the whole lot off and start again. Not sure how this happened. I know Im rushing a bit but I thought I had allowed enough time (24hrs) for the primer to cure. Been to the model shop today and picked up a can of acrylic based Humbrol primer. She is all primed and Ill try again with a paint coat tomorrow. Set me back about three days though.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Frustrating week of painting but I am now ready to apply a varnish prior to decals. On track for getting it finished in time.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Well its been a tough week for us all and to be honest its hard finding the right mood to post anything at the moment. But I did sign up for this build and will do my best to get it completed. To that end I have made some progress with the decals which though quite a challenge have all gone on OK following the painting issues. Most are now on and then its varnish top coat, undercarriage and accessories like missiles etc. 10 days left, should be done in time.

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Well as its almost the end of the group build I have drawn a line under this one. Haven't been able to get to the model shop for some bits that I needed for completion so I have photographed it with a loosely fitted canopy. Also need to spend some more time on the ejector seat so Ill post the completed pictures up in the relavant forum section when I have got these bits sorted.