Academy's new Fighting Falcon features beautiful recessed panel lines and fasteners, accurate contours, fine detail, and multiple options.
The "wide-mouth" intake and General Electric engine exhaust parts are all molded on the "B" sprue, suggesting that an alternate sprue with the Pratt & Whitney engine and intake may be substituted in future issues. A two-seat D model is not out of the question but would require new fuselage moldings.
Perhaps the best thing about this kit is its assortment of ordnance and sensors. Either a CG bomber or the dedicated anti-SAM CJ model can be built out of the box. Pay attention to the sensor and weapons that belong with each of the five choices presented on the decal sheet. Ordnance includes a pair each of AIM-9L/M and -9X Sidewinders, AIM-120 AMRAAMs, AGM-88 HARMs, and GBU-31(V)1 JDAM bombs. For sensors, you get the AN/ASQ-213 HTS pod to go along with the HARM missiles, and AN/AAQ-13 and AN/AAQ-14 LANTIRN pods for the CG bomber. All are well detailed with complete decal markings. You also get a pair of 370-gallon wing tanks, a 370-gallon centerline tank, or an AN/ALQ-184 ECM pod. Alternate parts for a pylon-mounted towed-decoy system and a tail-mounted drag-chute housing are provided.
The two-part canopy is slightly tinted and has a mold-parting seam down the middle. This method produces the more-than-hemispherical cross section of modern bubble canopies. Light sanding and polishing eliminates the seam.
Construction, while not simple, was nearly trouble-free. The six-part ejection seat is tricky to square up, and if you don't get it right it won't fit into the tight cockpit tub. There are three different panels to choose and install in front of the canopy. These feature "bird slicer" sensors (or not) for particular versions.
If you like fly-tying or performing brain surgery, you'll enjoy installing the main landing gear. This 22-part assembly includes tiny parts added to the struts and doors for super realism. The main gear covers, however, lack bulges for the enlarged, beefed-up wheels.
I painted the model with Testors Model Master enamels. All the airframes depicted on the decal sheet are in the current two-color scheme. Dark gull gray is indicated for radomes, but I'm not sure that's right. I stayed with the neutral gray and made it glossy with Pledge Future floor polish.
I chose the CG Block 40E commander's bird from the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. The Cartograf decal sheet is superb.
I suspect the decal designers were a step or two ahead of the kit designers, as they supplied markings not shown in the instructions. A couple of colorful squadron emblems are likely for exhaust plugs installed at air shows - but no plugs are included in the kit.
I spent a little more than 30 hours on my model, much of that applying decals to the airframe and ordnance. Academy's new "Viper" is clearly better detailed and equipped than the ubiquitous Hasegawa kit, and a shade better than the Revell Germany/Monogram example.
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