AMT/ERTL 1:48 G.D. F-16A FIGHTING FALCON

 

Reviewer: Sheldon Rampersad (rec.models.scale)
Kit Review submitted:  11 January 2006

Kit Details:

Aircraft History:

The Fighting Falcon or Viper first flew in 1974. It was designed as a simple light weight complement to the F-15 Eagle and as a suitable airframe for the export market. The type went on to replace the F-5 and F-104 of NATO countries and provides the main fighter basis for numerous air forces. The aircraft incorporates full digital fly-by wire technology. The airframe has been expanded into what can be referred to as a medium weight aircraft.

The Kit:

The parts of the kit come bagged and in good condition. The parts are clean and the plastic is sturdy and not soft. There are five decal options to choose from; USAF, Dutch, Norway, Belgium and Denmark.

Construction:

Building began in the cockpit as it usually does with me. The cockpit was painted grey and the decals supplied were applied to the control panel and the sides. The seat was painted and attached. The fuselage is split into an upper and lower half.  The fuselage halves were painted. The cockpit assembly is placed into the upper fuselage half. The canopy comes down over the cockpit. The problem that arose here was that the control panel does not fit flush with the fuselage as it should. I would thus highly recommend building the kit with the canopy closed. The upper and lower fuselage halves were then glued together. 

I chose to build the Dutch version of the aircraft. I wanted to build the F-16 with the retrofitted tail containing the drag-chute. Although the instructions say that this is only the Norwegian version as the Dutch aircraft were fitted with the drag chutes later on. Another problem arose here. The chute fairing comes in two halves. When glued to the fin it looks good. When you put the complete fin on the fuselage you discover that the fairing is too thin. On the fuselage there are slots for the fairing to fit into but the drag chute fairing is thin and leaves visible space in the slots. My solution was to widen the fairing from the inside and to apply filler in the space that was left. 


© Sheldon Rampersad 2006

With that problem solved construction moved on. The burner can and exhaust were painted silver and dry brushed with black to give it the stained look. 

The nose gear was probably the most complicated piece of assembly for this kit. The wheel attached to the strut. The strut attached to a plate which was cemented to the lower half of the intake assembly. The top half of the intake assembly was attached and the air smoothening fairing placed in the middle of the intake bay. The entire assembly went onto the lower fuselage half. The main landing gear was a straight forward assembly. The instructions are not too clear however and I recommend some detailed photographic research be consulted. The only fit problem here was that the gear door actuators don’t actually touch the doors when in place. 

The payload rounds out the build. The payload is poor, only two sidewinders and two drop tanks. There are holes to be drilled out on the wing underside for other pylons but none are supplied.

Paint & Decals:

The aircraft was painted in the three-tone grey worn by most F-16s. the decals went on without problem and are clean and crisp.


© Sheldon Rampersad 2006

Conclusions:

Overall this is a good cheap kit. There is much room for adding to the kit. If you love the aircraft type you probably won’t be satisfied but it is still a good addition to the collection.


© Sheldon Rampersad 2006

 

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