General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon
This is another model of the F-16, but this time in 1/72 scale. This model actually started out as something that my wife (then girlfriend) wanted to do with me. She put the cockpit, fuselage, intake, engine, and the tail together before she eventually lost interest. It was nice to have her try to do something that I do and I gave her tips and helped her out when she was putting it together. She did a decent job while she was working on it, and it would have looked good once she finished. But she never did and said I could finish it. So I did. I still refer to it as "Laurie's F-16" from time to time.
It didn't take much for me to finish it off too. I added the wings, filled in a few gaps and it was ready to be painted. I decided that I wanted to do a 'modern' weapons load, so I went with fuel tanks, JDAMS, AIM-9s, and AIM-120s. From what I've seen, it's a likely load that an F-16 would carry now days. I would have liked to add a targeting and/or navigation pod to it, but I didn't have any laying around. Hasegawa makes kits that are just missiles or bombs, and they have one that has targeting and nav pods in it. I thought about getting it so I could round out the Viper a little more, but I decided just to go with what I have.
This little model went together quite well. Hasegawa makes some nice models, and this is no exception. If you get one of their current F-16s, it has parts for a few different versions. The instruction usually just tell you how to make one version, but with a little research you'll be able to make all different kinds.
Painting and Decals
Painting was pretty much by the book. Nothing crazy about airbrushing once you've done it a couple times. The decals are from an after market set that featured Guard units that flew in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I bought the set to get some decals for my X-35 and F-19, so I had plenty to choose from when I did this one. I went with one that didn't have some crazy art on it. I didn't want a giant wolf or other strange art work on the tail. I also used a bunch of the kit supplied decals to round out the markings. After the decals, I seal them and did a dirt wash on it.
This is the second model I've done where I use the technique to show the panel lines. It turned out much better on this one. The F-16XL just didn't have the right details for it. I imagine that with lots of practice I'll be able to do good lines on raised detail, but the recessed lines on current models make the technique rather easy. The landing gear still gave me some problems, but it's better than the XL.
There are a few spots where I didn't get enough paint in the groves and it wiped away. There are also a couple spots where I didn't see that it wasn't cleaned off either. Over all though, it looks nice. The trick is to get a really smooth gloss coat. If it's bumpy at all, you'll have a hard time cleaning off the excess paint. I managed to pull out a pretty decent model this time around. It's worth a shot if you've got the patients.