Kit: No. 848
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Italeri, distributed by Testor, 620 Buckbee St., Rockford, IL
61104-4891, phone 815-962-6654
Price: $22
Comments: Injection molded, 148 parts, decals.
Italeri has produced the first injection-molded F-16 kit featuring some of the unique equipment found on Israeli Vipers. The huge dorsal hump of the Israeli version is the most notable addition, along with an extended vertical tail island, and the standoff fairing for the inlet navigation lights. With the optional parts included, F-16Bs of the U.S. Air Force and the Norwegian air force also can be built.
The kit comes with center-line and wing drop tanks, outboard missile launchers with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for the tip launchers, and GBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs. Separate afterburners for Pratt & Whitney F100 and GE F110 engines are provided, but the enlarged intake typical of GE-engined F-16s is missing. I liked the afterburner arrangement: A separate cup includes the aft face of the turbine and flame holder.
The electronic-countermeasure gear found in the aft end of the extended fin fairing on Israeli F-16s is not provided, but modelers handy with styrene bits will be able to modify the drag-chute fairing included. To be accurate, enlarge the nose-mounted threat warning antenna fairings (parts 87C) for the Israeli jets.
Italeri's kit is crisply molded with good detail. The recessed panel lines are sharp enough to take a wash after painting. The cockpit and the landing-gear details are well done, too. The plastic is easy to work and has little flash. Depending on the version you build, a few parts will be left over.
The wings were slightly warped, and my canopy was scuffed. A few bubbles and pits marred the canopy, wings, tail, and fuselage, and many parts had a rough surface that needed to be sanded smooth.
Numerous ejector-pin marks had to be eliminated before painting, and some parts suffered from mold misalignment, notably the missiles. While a nice touch, the trailing-edge static dischargers are too thick for the scale and are easily broken off.
I had to use filler and sandpaper to improve the fit around the canopy, intake, drag-chute fairing, and gun muzzle. The way the kit's intake went together produced a lot of visible seams in its upper surface.
The drawings showing how the cockpit and landing gear are inserted in the fuselage are confusing, but modelers who have built previous F-16 kits should find their way through.
Since Israeli F-16Ds are specially equipped to carry electro-optically-guided weapons like the GBU-15, I left off the laser-guided GBU-24 bombs. While the box art and instructions show what appear to be AIM-9P Sidewinders, the kit's Sidewinders look more like early AIM-9Ds. I like the boarding ladder, but it lacks the arm to make it sit properly on the fuselage.
The camouflage pattern and colors shown in the instruction sheet for the Israeli aircraft is incorrect for the markings provided in the decals. I followed Yoav Efrati's International Color and Camouflage (December 1995 FSM) article for the proper pattern and colors. I used Testor Model Master enamels and overcoated with an acrylic clear gloss.
The decals went on perfectly. The bird pattern on the tail is provided in white, but it should be the same sand color as in the camouflage. I used the decal as a pattern for a mask and sprayed the correct color, then hand painted the black details.
When finished, the model wouldn't sit on its nose gear, so I added weight in the nose cone. The model still seems to sit too low at the tail -- something's wrong with the main gear. The model measures to scale.
I spent 45 hours building my two-hole Viper. I recommend it to modelers with experience dealing with fit and accuracy problems. It offers all modelers a chance to add one of the more highly modified modern jet fighters to their collections.
- Bill Norton