This is the Tamiya
F-16CJ Block 50 kit built as a Block 40 which flew with the 555FS during
Operation Allied Force. This particular jet which I modelled was shot down
during that campaign but fortunately, its pilot was rescued.
In order to convert
the basic Block 50 kit to a Block 40, I used a WAR HUD cannibalised from a
Tamiya F-16C/N kit and photo-etch stiffener plates from Tamiya's Detail Up Parts
set for the F-16. This set also included a metal pitot probe and metal AoA
sensors. To add a touch of realism, I also added a set of Royale Resin F-16
wheels which are a vast improvement over the kit wheels.
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I painted the model with
Gunze's range of paints. The kit was firstly pre-shaded with flat black.
Then I used 306 for the FS36270 medium grey undersides and fin and 305 for
the FS36118 gunship grey upper fuselage and wings. I also used an enamel
wash to highlight the panel lines and rivets.
The decals I used
were from Afterburner Decals which were printed by Cartograf and went on without
a hitch. In order to depict an accurate war load, I used the AIM-120Cs, AIM-9Ms
and fuel tanks from the kit, 2 GBU-24 Paveway IIIs and LANTIRN pods from
Hasegawa's Weapon Set D and an AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod from the Kinetic F-16.
Mark Chen
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