F-16E United Arab Emirates Air Force

[Mike]

F-16E United Arab Emirates Air Force

1:48

The UAE are a sizeable customer for the F-16, having taken 80 E/F variants in 1998, and as such it was only a matter of time before these aircraft were modelled as kits in their own right by mainstream model companies.

Kinetic have been releasing more and more variants of their F-16 kit since its debut, and truly making full use of their modular moulding of this impressive fighter. This latest version is a Block 60 airframe, and features conformal fuel tanks for extended range, modern glass cockpit, an uprated F110 GE 132 engine, plus numerous internal updates to radar, countermeasures and targeting systems.

The kit is typical of their F-16 boxing, being stuffed full of sprues of various sizes due to the modular nature of their mould. Anyone who has handled one of their F-16 kits will known that the surface detail is crisp and the surface has a semi-matt patina to it. The initial release received some criticism in parts due to the slightly over-pronounced droop to the nose area, but on inspection, this doesn't seem to be as noticeable as one would expect.

There are 16 sprues of mid-grey styrene, plus the underside of the fuselage, plus one sprue of clear parts, with the canopy loose in the separate clear parts bag. If you're planning on transporting the kit at any point, it might be worthwhile securing this to prevent chaffing. The final component to the kit is a 2-part decal sheet, and Kinetic's usual A5 stapled instruction booklet.

The cockpit is simple in terms of the number of parts, but each console is a separate part, allowing plenty of detail to be moulded, and the Instrument Panel similarly so, with the MFDs well represented. My only concern is that the floor of the cockpit tub has some noticeable moulding marks, which could well be visible if you choose not to put a pilot in the cockpit (not supplied). Coaming detail is nicely rendered on the forward fuselage, and the cockpit sidewalls are represented by raised ribbing on the inside of this part too.

Interestingly, the seat isn't mentioned in the instructions until step 16, and comprises 6 parts for detail. The rear of the seat is devoid of any detail however, but once installed this won't notice, and will provide a large mating surface.

The prominent intake of the F-16 necessitates an unusual construction technique if you're not used to modelling these birds, as not only is the intake trunking long, but it is almost external to the airframe for a portion of its length and has the nose gear and main gear bays built into it. The aft portion is built and sandwiched between the fuselage halves, to be joined by the forward part later in the build, which if you follow instructions will have the nose wheel hanging from the nose gear bay. It is simplicity to omit this from the build at this point, which should save a lot of profanity when the inevitable happens. The intake lip is separate from the trunking, allowing you to paint this separately for a neat demarcation.

The instructions point out two vents on the starboard side of the cockpit aperture that will need filling as they are not present on this version. Care will be needed here, as there is some nice detail that could be lost by careless sanding.

Modelling the airbrakes open requires these parts to be cut from the upper and lower fuselage halves, so making your choice early in the build would be sensible. Their angle is set by small parts that join the two halves together for attachment to the fuselage - a nice touch.

The afterburner and exhaust unit slip inside the rear of the fuselage later in the build, along with a small part of the rear fuselage to secure it. The detail on this area is good, with the exhaust petals made from four parts that attach to a one-part internal ring, which in turn mates with a ribbed trunk with the afterburner at the end. Eliminating the seam on this ribbed part could prove interesting, so careful mating is advised to minimise the work needed here.

The wings are moulded attached to the fuselage through necessity, but have separate flaps and leading edges, with recessed rivet and panel detail. The tail is similarly constructed, again for maximum mileage from the parts. The static wicking wires on the rear of these parts are perhaps a little thick for the scale, so replacement with a toothbrush fibre may be advisable, particularly if you manage to knock some off during construction, as I expect to.

The canopy provided is nice and clear, but my example was slightly scuffed. This doesn't really matter however, as you will have to sand back the mould seam on the outside of the canopy, which is a necessity due to the shape of these modern "goldfish bowl" canopies. Take your time with finer and finer grits, then a dip in Klear (Future), and this should be rendered invisible with some effort.

The weapons options are numerous and fill 4 sprues, with further tanks and munitions taking up the majority of another two sprues. The exhausts of the Sidewinders and AIM-120s are recessed due to some neat slide moulding, adding a little extra realism to the loadout.

The full list of stores is as follows:

2 x 370 gal wing tank

1 x 300 gal centreline tank

4 x AIM-9M Sidewinder

4 x AIM-9X Sidewinder

2 x AGM-65 Maverick

4 x Mk.82 500lb dumb bomb

4 x GBU-38 2,000lb JDAM

2 x GBU-31 500lb JDAM

2 x CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition (Cluster Bomb)

4 x GBU-12 1,000lb Paveway II laser guided bomb

2 x GBU-24 2,000lb Paveway III laser guided bomb

Those not used in the build will doubtless be of help with those kits that seem a little frugal with providing loadouts. A painting & decaling diagram is provided for these weapons, plus a table showing possible loadouts for each station. You'll need to check your references for the correct, or feasible combinations however.

The decal sheet is split between stencils for the munitions and unit/national markings, and from this you can model one of the following two schemes:

• Tail number 3026 United Arab Emirates Air Force
  
• Tail number 3028 United Arab Emirates Air Force with additional Arizona tail codes used while training.
  

Decals are crisp and in register, however the central black dot on the national markings seem slightly off-center, which might be difficult to remedy without resorting to some larger punched circles of black decal to hide the originals.

Conclusion

The kit is a nice addition to the range, and is nicely moulded. A little flash is evident around some parts, but this can be removed easily enough, and construction should proceed easily if careful attention to the instructions is paid and test fitting is the name of the game to ensure you understand the order and location of the parts.

The addition of the conformal fuel tanks and the desert camouflage scheme will make for an aggressive looking and interesting subject for your display cabinet.

This kit is now a build review thread, and can be found here.

Review sample courtesy of

[Gary C]

McDonnell Douglas? Are they back now? And making F-16's?

[Tedfellows]

McDonnell Douglas? Are they back now? And making F-16's?

I thought it was Boeing who make em now?

Adam

[Mike]

You're right.. I had a flashback!

[Gary C]

I thought it was Boeing who make em now?

Adam

Nope. General Dynamics made the F-16. That section of the company was sold off to Lockheed in the early 90's who then merged with Martin Marietta to become Lockheed Martin, who now make the F-16. GD still exists but has nothing to do with F-16's any more.

The McDonnell Douglas name disappeared when they merged with Boeing in the late 90's, they made F-4's and the F-15, not F-16's.

Edited April 17, 2010 by Gary C

[Mike]

General Dynamics made the F-16. That section of the company was sold off to Lockheed in the early 90's who then merged with Martin Marietta to become Lockheed Martin, who now make the F-16. GD still exists but has nothing to do with F-16's any more.

The McDonnell Douglas name disappeared when they merged with Boeing in the late 90's, they made F-4's and the F-15, not F-16's.

Jeez... and I thought tracing the names of insurance companies was hard work!

[Mike]

Did anyone notice that the boxtop pic can't be modelled from the box? The artwork shows 3029, while the decals show 3028 and 3008.

[Gary C]

Did anyone notice that the boxtop pic can't be modelled from the box? The artwork shows 3029, while the decals show 3028 and 3008.

Block 60 stickers are available as aftermarket, Zotz did them on one of the Vivacious Vipers sheets, if you really have to do 3029

[Mike]

Block 60 stickers are available as aftermarket, Zotz did them on one of the Vivacious Vipers sheets, if you really have to do 3029

I'd have been more surprised if they weren't!

[Tedfellows]

Nope. General Dynamics made the F-16. That section of the company was sold off to Lockheed in the early 90's who then merged with Martin Marietta to become Lockheed Martin, who now make the F-16. GD still exists but has nothing to do with F-16's any more.

The McDonnell Douglas name disappeared when they merged with Boeing in the late 90's, they made F-4's and the F-15, not F-16's.

I stand corrected, should have known that! I suppose Lockheed Martin F16 sounds better than Boeing F15 doesnt it?

Adam

Did anyone notice that the boxtop pic can't be modelled from the box? The artwork shows 3029, while the decals show 3028 and 3008.

Maybe 3028 and 3008 were unavailable for a photo as they were taking a nap.

Adam

[Mike]

Maybe 3028 and 3008 were unavailable for a photo as they were taking a nap.

Adam

Ummmm...maybe?

[wingslinger]

Trace General Dynamics back even further and it's origins lie in a company that made submarines... Holland Torpedo Boat Company.

[Mr. Pocketwatch]

Is this kit better than Tamiya's 1:48 F-16CJ Block 50?

[F111Fan]

One thing I noticed in the Hellenic Block 52+ boxing was that it mentions a PE part, yet there isn't a PE fret?!

[Bobski]

Is this kit better than Tamiya's 1:48 F-16CJ Block 50?

It's a copy of the Tamiya kit, so they are very similar although the fit of the Kinetic kit isn't quite as good. I still think they're good value, seeing as their almost half the price of the Tamiya kit and come with a large amount of ordnance.