Code One Magazine: The Model F-16

Model F-16 photo Editor's Note: It's October. With department stores worldwide gearing up for the holiday season, a two-part series on F-16 model kits seems appropriate-a perfect gift for the Code One reader who has everything, including a 9-g sled parked in his or her hangar. This first part covers the F-16 model kit market. The second part, in the next issue, will include some expert step-by-step F-16 construction tips.

Before the US Air Force began taking deliveries of the first production models of the F-16, a Japanese firm was already pumping out Fighting Falcons for the masses-in model kit form, that is. Hasegawa's 1/72nd-scale YF-l6 prototype was the first F-16 model to hit the US market (in June 1976). Modeling enthusiasts applauded the kit for its attention to detail and its clean, crisp mold. Even though other manufacturers followed with their own YF-16 models, Hasegawa's initial effort is still considered to be the most accurate YF-16.

As F-16s began rolling off production lines, more and more companies soared into the F-16 model market. The F-16 swiftly became one of the most (re)produced aircraft in the history of modeling, joining such perennial favorites like the Me-109 Messerschmitt, P-51 Mustang, and F-4 Phantom. The list of manufacturers of plastic F-16s includes AMT/Ertl (US), ARII (Japan), Academy/Minicraft (Korea), Ace (Korea), Airfix (UK), Crown (Japan), DML (Korea), Eidai (Japan), Entex (Japan), ESCI (Italy), Fujimi (Japan), Italeri (Italy), LS (Japan), Linberg (US), Lo (Taiwan), Matchbox (UK), Monogram (US), Otaki (Japan), Revell (US), Tamiya (Japan), and Testor (US).

The preceding list is a little misleading since many kits have been repackaged under more than one company name through the years as companies mixed, merged, and consolidated. Revell and Monogram, for example, combined forces in 1985. Minicraft, the original US importer for Japan's Hasegawa models, joined Korea's Academy Models in 1985 and now markets its own line of Korean-produced F-16 kits. ARII became an F-16 manufacturer when it acquired Otaki's F-16 molds after Otaki went out of business in the late 1980s. Testor's current 1/48th-scale F-16 Night Falcon is manufactured by Italeri, which markets the same model under its own name. Revell of Germany sells a 1/32nd-scale F-16XL produced from an Ace mold.

Today, F-16 model kits are still manufactured in a variety of scales and types by about a dozen companies. Many of the latest kits reflect various upgrades, versions, and derivatives of the F-16 as well as of the various USAF (and Navy) units and foreign air forces that fly the aircraft. Model companies account for these varieties of the F-16 in different ways. Some go to the trouble of addressing structural and payload changes by modifying or adding to their molds. Other manufacturers take more minimal, and less expensive, approaches by simply updating the box art and throwing in some new decals. What may look like a newly released model may in fact be an old kit wrapped in new box art. Builders, beware!

The first thing you'll notice upon opening a kit is packaging. Some companies go to great lengths to protect their product from scratches, wrapping individual trees (or sprues) in cellophane and packing clear plastic canopies separately. Care in packaging is a good indicator for overall quality.

Quality of the plastic itself can vary. It should be relatively dense and not too brittle, thin, or pliable. Look for clean molds and good fit between parts. Engraved or recessed panel lines are preferred over less realistic raised panel lines. These lines should be delicate and to scale. Look for detail and accuracy, especially in the cockpit controls, ejection seat, and landing gear mechanisms. Instructions should be clear and decals complete (and to your liking). Many kits offer a selection of decals. Two-part transparencies allow you to display the model with canopy open and cockpit exposed. Some kits offer canopies for both one- and two-seat models. Ordnance, fuel tanks, pods, and optional dragchute packs are other items you may want to look for.

The most popular aircraft model scale in the United States is 1/48th. Europeans and Japanese tend to favor the smaller 1/72nd scale. You can readily find F-16 models in 1/144th (tie tack) scale and in 1/32nd (foot stool) scale. (1/72nd scale was popularized in the United States in 1942 when the US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics sponsored a program that encouraged school-aged children to build solid wood models of a variety of World War II aircraft in that scale. The models were used in the war effort to train soldiers and civilians in aircraft recognition.)

Aircraft model kits from Revell/Monogram and Testor are the most widely available in the United States. They're common at major discount stores with toy sections that still carry models. Revell/Monogram markets four F-16 kits, all in 1/48th scale: YF-16, F-16A with Hill AFB decals, snap-together F-16C with decals for Ramstein's 512th Fighter Squadron, and a newly released air-defense F-16. (The company discontinued its 1/32nd-scale F-16, though you can still find it.)

Raised panel lines make the YF-16 and F-16A kits less appealing to detail-conscious modelers. Both of these kits are made from the same mold. The YF version is molded in white plastic; the F-16A, in gray. Because the models are produced from a common mold, the F-16A has split front gear doors and a Y-shaped pitot tube (details accurate for the YF, not for operational F-16s). Both models contain two-piece canopies and good instructions. The peel-and-stick decals and snap-together construction of the F-16C make it better suited for the beginning modeler. The snap-together model also has a one-piece canopy and recessed panel lines that are a bit thick. (The ADF F-16 was not reviewed.)

Testor markets only one F-16 kit, an F-16C Night Falcon in 1/72nd scale. The kit has recessed panel lines, Spangdahlem decals (with tigershark teeth), and canopies to build a one- or two-seat version. Italeri produces the model from an older F-16A mold and adds the larger F-16C tail and some additional weapons on a new sprue. The pilotless kit contains one-piece canopies and good instructions.

Several Japanese model manufacturers are known for their accuracy and super-clean molds. Import tariffs and exchange rates, however, make these kits more expensive. And finding them will require a trip to a hobby shop. Of the Japanese manufacturers, Hasegawa maintains the largest selection of F-16 models. Their product line comprises at least twenty kits. These include four 1/32nd scale, nine 1/48th scale, and seven 1/72nd scale kits. All of Hasegawa's F-16 kits are top-notch with excellent detail, premium plastic, a selection of decals, good instructions, and exceptionally clean molds. Japan's Fujimi markets nine kits: Thunderbirds, F-16C, F-16C/D, F-16A with Wolfpack decals (8th Fighter Wing, Kunsan), F-16B Wolfpack, F-16A with Norway decals, ADF F-16 with Puerto Rico decals, F-16N Top Gun School, and a Belgian F-16 with Tiger Meet 1991 decals. Fujimi's kits, all in 1/72nd scale, are of high quality with recessed panel lines. The F-16N Top Gun model contains decals for three Navy adversary units, a smoked one-piece canopy, and good, though generic, instructions.

Academy/Minicraft markets three F-16 models: a Thunderbird, a YF-16, and an F-16A/C. The quality of these 1/48th-scale kits is on a level with Japanese models, and they tend to be less expensive because they are manufactured in Korea. The Thunderbird and F-16A/C models are produced from the same mold (the Thunderbird is in white plastic; the F-16A/C, in a greenish gray). The Thunderbird model includes an excellent decal set. The F-16A/C contains a generous selection of ordnance. Both are single-seat only. The three-piece pilot is similar to the one found in Hasegawa models-body, head, right arm. (The YF model was not reviewed.)

DML, another Korean manufacturer, specializes in 1/144th-scale kits. The company markets six F-16s: a Thunderbird, F-16A, F-16C, F-16A NATO with a variety of decals, and a Belgian F-16 with 1991 Tiger Meet decals. The remaining two kits are multiple-aircraft kits: an Israeli F-16B vs a Syrian MiG-23 (Bekaa Valley) and a USAF F-16C vs a Soviet Su-27. DML kits are relatively simple to build, of high quality, and ideal for someone with limited desk space and small fingers.

For a modeler with an eye for detail and accuracy, no F-16 kit is perfect. Early kits often sacrificed precision and completeness for time. Manufacturers wanted to get their models to market fast when demand was high and competition low. Planform inaccuracies, misshapen drop tanks, missing panel lines, and oddball cockpits were often the result. (Even the highly acclaimed Hasegawa YF-16 kit contains a centerline fuel tank with a tail, misshapen wing tanks, some missing lines for inspection panels, and a peculiarly abbreviated countermeasures pod.) Once a mold for a particular model is cast, it tends to stay on the market for years. Mistakes are rarely, if ever, corrected.

Compensating for deficiencies and deformities, however, presents its own challenge to the modeler and creates opportunities for a thriving aftermarket business. Companies like Verlinden, True Details, and Reheat produce extremely accurate representations of ACES II ejection seats and detailed cockpit inserts for a variety of scales for company-specific model kits. Whereas mass-marketed model kits are created from injected thermoplastics, aftermarket parts are usually made from resins and etched metals-materials more amenable to smaller production runs. Other common items available as aftermarket parts include canopy kits for two-seat F-16s, conversion kits for Israeli (Peace Marble) F-16s, highly detailed afterburners, wide-mouth and seamless intakes, and a variety of weapons, pods, and tanks. Verlinden also makes detailed contents for avionic and weapon bays.

Some aftermarket kits can cost more than the model itself. A Peace Marble 1/48th-scale conversion kit by Airwaves costs about forty dollars in the United States. An accurate ACES II seat in 1/48th scale will set you back about five dollars. A seamless wide-mouth intake, ten dollars. Add the cost for replacing the tablecloth you just sliced with the hobby knife and you're talking major money.

Specialized decal sets are the most popular aftermarket item. Aeromaster, Expert's Choice, Repli-Scale, and Superscale International all market decals for the F-16. With over twenty sheets for a variety of scales of the Fighting Falcon, Superscale offers the biggest selection. Decals cost about five dollars per sheet. Each sheet may contain decals to cover markings for two or three different units.

Several companies have offered specialty models related to the F-16 through the years. Trophy Models of Belgium marketed a full-scale sidestick controller (older style). ESCI made a very nice 1/12th-scale F-16A cockpit. Hasegawa sold one of the more unusual F-16 models-an egg-shaped "Midnight Falcon" F-16. The amusing model, often referred to as an Egg-16, is one of a series of egg-shaped aircraft. The series traces its roots to a modeling fad started in Japan in the mid-1980s. Japanese modelers used egg-shaped hosiery containers for the fuselages for a wide variety of aircraft models. The Midnight Falcon is no longer produced by Hasegawa and, like other specialty models, very hard to find.

F-16XL models are also rare. LS, which recently went out of business, made an accurate 1/144th version. Monogram produced a 1/72nd-scale F-16XL. And Ace had a 1/32nd version, which has been picked up by Revell of Germany. The Monogram and Ace models require some extensive modifications to make them accurate representations of the XL.

The F-16 model market probably peaked in the mid- to late 1980s. Today's aircraft modeling industry is focused on World War II, applying the latest production techniques to long popular propeller-driven aircraft. Few companies have released any jet aircraft models in the last three years; most are new releases of previously classified Soviet (now Russian) aircraft.

Still, no need to worry. A big and steady supply of quality F-16 model kits can be found at your local hobby shop. They're just waiting to be built and ready to fill the vast expanses of shelf space worldwide.