1/48 Tamiya F-16CG

421st Black Widow

by Daniel PerezVertti

--------------------

 

The F-16CJ Block 50 kit was a highly anticipated release for me.  I completed this build about a year ago.  But the first thing I wanted to build when I did get the kit, was a Block 40. Strange, but I just wanted to do a jet with a WAR HUD and scab plates!

So the build was very straight forward, and needed little modification to convert it to a Block 40.  The WAR (wide angle raster) HUD came from a my Black Box spares bin. The scab plates were designed by me in AutoCAD, and printed in scale, then cut out of .01 plastic card.  The wheels are Block 40 wheels that came from a Hasegawa F-2 kit. They popped right on with no modification whatsoever.  The Block 40s have recently been re-wheeled with Block 50 wheel rims.  For this particular jet, of this particular time frame however, my references suggest that they still had the Block 40 wheel rims installed.  So they stay.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

The loadout used was one suggested in the Afterburner decal sheet for this jet from OIF 1.  The missiles were built out of the box.  The GBU-12s came from the Hasegawa weapons set, and the JDAM with BLU-103 warhead from a Revell F-18E kit.  The LANTIRN pod also came from a Hasegawa weapons set.

Paint is Testors MM enamels, as usual for me.  In total, about 25 hrs. of work well worth it.  The Tamiya kit is as good as has been touted and more.  I thoroughly enjoyed this build. Two more are on the way soon ;-)

Daniel 

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

Photos and text © by Daniel PerezVertti