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Hasegawa F-16A -first production aircraft


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Pulled this old Minicraft Hasegawa kit out of the stash and started it earlier this week.  Just something about this old kit I’ve always wanted to build, and considering it’s been around for 44 years and probably half that time in my stash, it was time. 
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No real action shots to post yet of things getting glued up since it’s kind of a typical boring F-16 build.  But I have run into a conundrum I could use some help on.   The colors called for. 
The instructions have FS 15056 which somehow doing my Google sleuthing I came up with MRP-316 or colore 11-azzurro. Italian AF 1916-1943. So I ordered it.  Thought it looked a little too light in the pic.  
So of course I’ve been back to Google for hours searching images and came up with this pic. And thought for a second that when they kitted the model they simply used the wrong color.

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But something just didn’t look right. Found out the above pic as a tribute paint job by the Belgian AF for a show sometime back.  
Could Hasegawa possibly found this aircraft and listed the wrong FS number?  
 

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But wait!  There’s more!  Now I’m off searching for the correct red.  Instructions call for FS11105.  The only lacquer I could find with those numbers was SMS out of Australia and imported by USA Gundam store.  It’s listed as RAAF Red with FS11105 on the bottle.  What the heck, ordered 2 bottles. Of course now I’m getting radio silence and no email replies.  I look up their address.  Yep, Daytona Beach, FL.  Not sure if I’ll ever see this order or not.  
 

I currently have the red and blue for Thunderbirds planes in stock.  But these colors are lighter by a shade or two.  
Oh, here’s a few pics of the actual plane. 
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5UTNa7.png

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Little bit of progress today.  Got the horizontal stabs, engine and nose glued on in my few minutes I had.  
Oh yea.  Also glued on its legs. 

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vertical is just sitting there.  
 

Also made a thing to replace the fragile thing. Used an 18 gauge needle and some music wire that fit inside.

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I will add, as the same with the old Revell kits, I’m having a hell of a time blending the wing to fuselage joint.  And I think I’ve gotten a little more anal retentive since I built all 7 of those years ago. 

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Shot the red on the tail this afternoon to try out the SMS line of lacquers from Australia.  Seems to shoot a bit on the thick side.  When I shoot the wings I’ll add a little Mr. Color leveling thinner.  I actually had to wet it pretty good with almost straight thinner to get it to smooth out.  Basically emptied the airbrush and filled the cup halfway with leveling thinner and used a brush to mix the old paint in the cup with the thinner then hosed it on. 
Also started taping off the wings so I can shoot the red tomorrow. 
 

WZXYc8.jpg

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I started out with Tamiya white primer and let it dry a day or two.  Then lightly scuffed out any dust spots are dry areas with 800 grit wet.  
Laid down many coats of white MRP. That stuff dries flat or semi-flat.  I wanted some gloss so the tape would stick better for the other colors so I sprayed on a couple coats of Mr. Color white with leveling thinner.  Had a good enough gloss for the tape to stick to better.  White is tough.  Sometimes you can’t tell if the paint is thin or if your trying to fill a shadow.  
Hardest color to spray.  Gotta watch the paint as it hits the surface and not where you’re going as much.  I learned that painting cars.  Trust your instincts.  
 

Son called me last week telling me they were about to paint a car.  Not sure if they wanted to go white or gray.  Told them the same thing as above and recommended gray for their first paint job. 

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Cold front coming in. We’ve got 25 mph hour winds blowing in across the lake.   Hard to rake leaves in that wind!  Besides, my old truck has been in the transmission shop for three weeks now waiting on parts.  I’m missing out on the best weather to get anything done around here. 
 

My biggest dilemma now is do I wear shorts with a high of 61 (16.1 C) or do I put on pants for the first time this year? 

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1 hour ago, ScottsGT said:

des, my old truck has been in the transmission shop for three weeks now waiting on parts.  

Scott not a big jet guy but she is looking pretty good thus far.I did a build of my son's plane he was crew chief to in Misawa Japan with the 35th FW made the decal numbers the pilot was Capt.Mogen(me) and I promoted him the TSgt on the other side of the canopy.I still got the kid working for me :DAs to your truck I work at a parts house after doing seven years of auto machinist back in the 80's I order two tranny's was told a month wait!I finally gave up got a local guy to go through the 5sp had it done in in under a week.The first tranny came in at 6 weeks!!;)

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Taped!

eC5cps.jpg

sprayed…

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And untaped 

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For some reason she’s sitting tail heavy. Hat to lay the tweezers on it to sit.  Never had an F-16 build do this.  
Got a few fuzzy edges on the paint lines I need to correct before moving on to the blue. 

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2 hours ago, KevinM said:As to your truck I work at a parts house after doing seven years of auto machinist back in the 80's I order two tranny's was told a month wait!I finally gave up got a local guy to go through the 5sp had it done in in under a week.The first tranny came in at 6 weeks!!;)

Supposedly it’s the torque converter they’re waiting on.  He said they have them for the diesel powered trucks like mine, but not a big demand for the 351W motors in a 1990 F-250 these days.  They are having to make it. 

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Scott

Terrific paint work - looking smooth and glossy.

I've found when I need a gloss finish, I go to the champ: Mr Color thinned 50/50 with their Self Leveling Thinners. Comes out smooth as silk. When I built my Embraer 190 for the last GB, I used Mr Color Gloss White and decaled right on top - super smooth and no wet sanding or polishing needed,

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