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Playing in the Sandbox Group Build Sept 1, 2024 - Jn 1, 2025

F-16 SUFA converted to SCANG bird - DONE!!


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Been wanting to build a SCANG Swampfox D model for over 20 years when I got back into plastic from RC.  One of my flying buddies was a crew chief on the units D models. I had decals custom made, but waited for a two seater to come out.  Unfortunately around 2004 my friend lost his life in a T-6 Texan crash at a community carnival where they were giving free rides.  Pilot didn’t know his fuel gauge decided to go bad that day.  Stalled on takeoff and slammed flat into the ground.  

This past fall I discovered my MD is the Flight Surgeon for the same unit.  The things you learn after 26 years of singing Moon River to him.....

Found out he has to get flight time in the back seat of an F-16 after poking and prodding everyone in the unit.  So the build is back on!   This weekend the SUFA got opened up!  Started with the cockpit and now I’m jumping around to fitting the Zacto intake, gluing up assemblies and moving on to modding the engine since I’m planning on building in takeoff attitude with a base connected to an acrylic rod,  Gear will be starting to retract.  Base is going to be special, and not disclosing that tidbit yet since I want it to be a surprise.  And if I screw it up, you’ll never know!  

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Drilled out engine 

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cardboard receiver tube

Hcd2X9.jpg

 

More to follow!

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After the wife went to bed, I went down to the workshop to get a little build time in.  As long as I accomplish something, I can sleep better it seems!

Last night I reinforced the engine structure inside the fuse, and I added the extra tail cone for the GE engine to use as a support for the cardboard receiver tube for the base.  An Acrylic rod will go inside this.  You can see where I had to add Evergreen stock as a spacer.  Getting this aligned so the acrylic rod is centered is a real booger!

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Shims my not be pretty, but they are never to be seen again once I button up the fuselage halves.

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Due to my other post asking about drop tank size and the perfect image of the bird I'm building in take off, I've made a few changes.  One, I had to add the bird splitters in front of the canopy.  My image above is the old paint job without the updates.   And since I'm building this on a stand with it taking off, I had to cut the leading edge flaps loose from the wing and droop them. 

Here they are cut loose and some shims holding them in the down position.  Took about an hour last night gently sawing on the panel line to get this accomplished.  So far I'm very happy with my outcome.

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We have drooping leading edge flaps!  

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white lines on to at flap edge is Evergreen stock and wing root is Tamiya putty. 

Heres my fancy F-16 rotisserie I cobbled together last night. 

CCL3hB.jpg

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6 hours ago, Ivan Ivanovich said:

Good progress!

What timeframe is your Block 52 D-model going to depict? Before or after 2005?

I was going for the pre ‘05 until Martin posted this photo in another thread. 

 

0CCDB369-2A8F-4845-B063-DCAB572540B7.jpeg

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14 hours ago, ScottsGT said:

(...) I was going for the pre ‘05 until Martin posted this photo in another thread. 

Good news.
The "Bird Slicers" right in front of the canopy were retrofitted around 2005. Before 2005 - no IFF aerials.

F-16D Esoterics - Vertical Tail Scoops and Vents:

fdTsIIr.png


Sufa boxing - typical F-16C tail (single-seater):

UeCi2ET.jpg

The scoop as well as the rearward facing vents at the tail base aren't present on F-16Ds and faired over accordingly. 
A thin bit of strip styrene will do the job...

HTH


Purely motivational:
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1998:
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This is looking great!   Ivan and Martin are priceless treasures when it comes to super secret spy pics of jets.

Sorry for your loss, Scott, a T-6 will kill you dead faster than you can blink if you allow it to.    Regarding Moon River, I'll leave that one to Andy Williams. I tried it once many years ago at a gig, and, well, just put it this way; Moon River doesn't go well with someone who's been singing Blues and DooWop all night long!  LOL.   I rest my case.

But keep up the work here, man. Everyone needs another good MuG Killer.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Back from out cruise to Mexico and Belize and finally got some bench time in yesterday and today.  Of course I spent several hours hunting down the rear cockpit instrument panel and one of the ejection seats after my cat decided someone needed to work on my model while I was away. 

I had given up on the seat, and as luck would have it, it mysteriously fell to the floor under the table as I was robbing one from another kit! 

 

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