| Scale | 1/72 |
| Manufacturer | Fujimi |
| Kit ID | 24005 |
| Type | General Dynamics F-16B 75-0752 |
| Unit | Ground attack trials at Nellis AFB |
| Date | Late 1980s |
| Aftermarket parts used | Pavla Aces II seats Master nose probe & AOA vanes |
| Other detail added | Decals from Caracal Models CD72031 |
| Model built by | Geoff Cooper-Smith |
| Date Completed | February 2021 |
The kit is the Fujimi F-16B 'Wolf Pack' boxing, with several additions, including a couple of Pavla S72006 Aces II seats (which had to be trimmed to fit), Caracal 72031 F-16 CAS Vipers decal sheet (I used their serials in the end), Mr Hobby H301 / H302 / H303 paint (suitably lightened as out of the bottle they looked too dark and indistinct AND 3-tone wrap round is an airbrushing nightmare as it all has to join up as there is no underside colour to give you a break!), Mavericks from Hasegawa weapons set No IV (U.S. Air to Ground missiles) painted and decalled (using Wolfpak 72068 'Yipes Stripes!') as AGM-65Ds complete with scratch built launch rail adaptors and Master AM72008 brass pitot and angle of attack probes. The AIM-9s (and painted green!) and drop tanks came from the kit.
The dio is based on a well known picture of F-16s lined up at Nellis, with an F-16B at the front of the row. It also uses figures and ground equipment from the strangely named Hasegawa U.S. Aerospace Ground Equipment set and the U.S. Pilot / Groundcrew set.
The base is card double-side taped to wood. This was then 'scored' with a biro and ruler and some tone, etc provided by airbrushing some 'concrety' colours, followed by a bit of weathering with pastels and watercolours, all sealed in with a coat of matt clear.
It was originally going to be a 'free-stander' but I hadn't realised what a delicate little thing the F-16 is in 1/72 - as it has all the static wicks (toothbrush bristles), fins and probes of the real thing, every time I picked it up I knocked a bit off! Thus the decision to mount it was made.
I have a more detailed build review of the F-16 itself on the 580 Website as the airframe depicted had a very interesting life indeed and the Fujimi kit is fabulous considering its age - the engraving is so delicate and the parts fit so good. Only the cockpit (and in particular the seats) and clear parts let it down.
Fujimi F-16B on www.580modellers.co.uk
Model and photographs by Geoff Cooper-Smith.
