Exhaust Stains

The F-15 & F-16 are coming along very slowly as of late. The little detail projects have become tedious and a massive time killer. The F-15’s external stores have been conquered but upon attaching the rack for the Litening Pod, the same issue arose as with the other racks. I feel like Mark Watney (Matt Damon) in the movie “The Martian”. At the end he says that “if you solve enough problems, you get to come home”. That sums up this build for final assembly. The new problem will get filled today and shaped up tomorrow.

While all the annoying wrinkles are being ironed out, I worked on something simple to ease my mind. Both airplanes’ exhaust cans were addressed this morning. The F-16’s saw some assembly get finished up before being attached to the fuselage. The F-15 just got a little weathering. It’s all about little victories at this point.

Birthdays and Model Building

Getting older isn’t ever the greatest of events. To make that disaster a little easier to swallow, we get distracted with presents! Yay! So for my 38th birthday this year, my wife and kids got me a fabulous gift.

When my Badger airbrush finally went kaput last year, I was left with my hands in the air scrambling to find a solution so I could finish up some painting. My Dad’s airbrush served as a loaner until I purchased my Aztek. That experience led me to the conclusion that I needed a two airbrush workbench. That conclusion came to fruition with the Iwata Neo. The trigger style airbrush has been debated, and going against all negative feedback that I have read about them, I bought one. I haven’t had a chance to test it out yet but it feels more natural with the trigger. I am really excited to get some paint flowing through it.

So with another airbrush added to the workbench, I needed to add another air line for easy access to both guns. That was easy enough after a trip to Menards for some supplies. With a “T’ and two shut-off valves, we are all set.

The F-15 was back on the workbench with the racks getting their filler. It was easier than I had originally thought so I am hoping the rest will be the same. I will give it a delicate sanding and evaluate if I need to add anymore filler. After I get past this hiccup, I can finish up final assembly.

With the F-15 in repair, the F-16 saw some weathering get finished. Since this is a Tiger Meet scheme, I kept it relatively clean. My next steps are to get the various blisters painted and affixed. Final assembly is right around the corner.

The Let Down

While the weekend didn’t pan out like I had hoped for, I did get some quality work accomplished. The F-15 wouldn’t have been finished anyway, due to the ordnance not getting finished. Another, more delicate, issue arose during final assembly. The external stores attached to the conformal fuel tanks refused to fit well. With some sanding and trimming, I made them workable. They will need to be filled, unfortunately, before I can call this build finished.

On a positive note, the landing gear and bay doors are attached and the aircraft is on its feet. There are some added efforts to knock out now and I am really not super concerned with them. I will focus on a steady fix and keep working towards finishing this build up soon.

Decals were the pressing matter of the weekend and I finished them up this morning. The F-15’s ordnance were main priority so they were addressed first. After they were all finished up, I shifted over to the F-16. There wasn’t much more to finish with a minimal second half of decal application. It will be out to the garage from here for some dullcote. Depending on how extensive my fix is on the F-15, the F-16 may move into the top slot to be finished.

Weekly Update

My weekly output has been focused mainly on finishing up the F-15 build. With my work schedule sucking up more free time lately, I feel that adding anything else would be disastrous. The time that I have been able to dedicate to the F-15 has been miniscule, but I have been able to take some huge steps towards completing this kit.

Weathering the F-15 slotted in as my main goal for the week. That was dutifully accomplished Tuesday evening and then it went out to get all sealed in with clear matte. From this point on it will be all final assembly and touch-ups.

My other minor accomplishment was to get the ordnance glossed for decals. This should have been addressed weeks ago but here we are. Decals will be a joint effort with the rest of the F-16’s decal application. Two birds with one stone. I am hoping for a weekend finish here with the F-15. Maybe a Monday finish with the F-16?

Complete

After a full head of steam through my F-16CJ build, I was unlucky enough to get the terrible flu that has been circulating the Chicagoland area.
I am glad to say that I am better and finished with the build. Everything about this build was a joy. It did have some challenges, but not too difficult of ones. Academy really put a great kit on the market. The molds were superb. There was no flashing and minimal filling. This kit has the most complex landing gear I have ever put together. Finely detailed, I recommend to all that this kit will not disappoint.

Almost There.

With Christmas here, I thought I would be finished with my F-16C and have a decent start to my B-57 Canberra. Even with time delays, this has been a pleasurable build.

With painting complete except for some odds and ends, I am focusing on weathering and details next. I used Dutch Boy Semi-Gloss White latex paint for the wheel bays and the inside of the air intake. I plan on using pastels to dirty it up a bit. If the detailing goes as well as the build, I’ll be in good shape.

Smooth Build.

With the construction and research of my F-16C, I have become transfixed on this particular aircraft. Aside from the six kits I already have, I felt the need to buy two more. I have always thought the F-16I was a great looking plane so I purchased Hasegawa’s 1/72 scale kit. Out of left field came the desire for a 1/32 scale F-16CG by Academy.
I am sailing along with my F-16C build without any major issues. There have been hardly any minor issues as well. In fact, the only problem I have had was the bottom half of the fuselage being warped at the nose. Some extra glue and masking tape fixed it right up. So far there has been minimal filler and sanding needed. I am ready for my first coat of primer and we’ll see from there.

Book of Inspiration.

So I just finished reading Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat. Written by Dan Hampton, it tells of his career in the United States Air Force. Viper Pilot is one of those “can’t put it down” books. As an avid reader on all things military, it was a captivating glimpse into the life of an accomplished F-16CJ pilot.
After reading this book, I couldn’t help but to dig out one of my F-16’s and start building it. I am currently working on Academy’s 1/72 F-16C “Air National Guard” kit. I plan on building it straight from the box with the exception of photo etched seat belts. Also, I purchased a set of Two Bobs decals representing the Fighter Weapons School. I am about a third done with it and I must say it has been an easy build so far.