F-16A MLU Block 20 Tiger Meet 2009

[Mike]

F-16A MLU Block 20 Tiger Meet 2009

1:48 Kinetic

In association with

The F-16 needs little introduction to most modellers, having been part of aviation since 1976, with over 4,400 aircraft of different variants built since then. The AM variant was part of the Mid Life Upgrade (MLU) plan to bring the cockpit and avionics on the earlier aircraft up to the standard of the later Block 50 C/D models. Belgium bought a number of these kits for their A/B models, and the kit portrays one of these airframes in the striking 31st Tiger squadron scheme for the Tigermeet in 2009.

This kit is the latest of Kinetic's long line of F-16 kits, and as such the sprues will be broadly familiar to anyone that has built one of this type before. The kit arrives in their standard top opening box, and is absolutely jammed with sprues as per usual. There are thirteen sprues of parts in grey styrene, plus the lower fuselage and nose cone as separate parts. The two sprues of clear parts are bagged separately, and the package is completed by a small fret of Photo-Etched (PE) brass, a turned brass probe for the nose, three sheets of decals and the instruction booklet.

The parts breakdown is similar to every other F-16 kit due to the structure of the aircraft, and work begins with the cockpit, which has drop-in panels for the side consoles and instrument panels. The large intake is made up from four parts, and installed in two sections that join together approximately half way. Whilst it's good practice to hide the seams on both the front and rear section where they join horizontally, there is little point in trying to hide the seam between the front and rear sections because they simply can't be seen by the mortal eye once installed.

The front section has a few large raised ejector pin marks that will need removing, but there's nothing spectacularly taxing there. Take care when fitting the splitter in the mouth of the intake however, as I managed to break mine on a previous kit due to insufficient care when test fitting the part. The outer skin of the intake has been moulded using slide-moulds, to reduce the part count & give good detail, which is good news and a standard feature on Kinetic F-16s.

The rest of the kit has good detail, and a great many sprues will be left with parts on them after the build, as kinetic have engineered the sprues to be used in many variants. The delicate static wicks on the trailing edges of the flying surfaces are far too easy to knock off, and the instructions warn you to be careful - I took the coward's way out and removed them all, replacing them with tooth brush bristles once the build was almost completed. There are also a few panel lines that will need filling to increase accuracy, so careful attention to the instruction booklet will be rewarded.

The ejector seat is provided as 6 parts, which builds up into a decent rendition of the ACES II zero/zero ejection seat, although some think that it is underscale. I've compared it to a resin replacement, and either that one was underscale by the same degree, or the seat is the correct size. I'll leave the modeller to draw his or her own conclusion there. Different parts allow the canopy to be modelled open or closed, and here the joint is nice and sturdy.

The PE parts give you the various reinforcement plates that are found on the nose, upper wing, and upper fuselage. These parts are very finely etched from thin brass, so quite delicate. I managed to bend the sheet picking it out of the bottom of the box, so care is needed here. Thinned PVA glue or a little drop of Klear/Future floor polish would be my choice for attaching these parts, to give a little time to adjust their location on the airframe. Once under a coat of primer they shouldn't work loose, as they aren't load bearing, and are located in the middle of large flat(ish) areas.

As usual with Kinetic F-16s, there are a host of weapons provided on extra sprues, although the instructions only refer to the fitting of two Sidewinders and a pair of wing-mounted fuel tanks emblazoned with "31 tigers" decals.

The full list is as follows:

4 x AIM-120

AMRAAM

2 x AIM-9M Sidewinder

2 x AIM-9X Sidewinder

2 x

AGM

-65 Maverick

2 x Mk.82 iron bomb

2 x

GBU

-38 2,000lb JDAM

2 x

GBU

-31 500lb JDAM

2 x

CBU

-87 Combined Effects Munition (Cluster Bomb)

2 x

GBU

-12 1,000lb Paveway II laser guided bomb

2 x

GBU

-24 2,000lb Paveway III laser guided bomb

Pretty generous by anyone's standards! The AIM-9Ms and AIM-120s all have slide-moulded exhausts, giving them hollow rears, which is accurate for the type. The large fins on the big Paveway IIIs are also slide-moulded, giving them a near-scale thickness.

The decal sheet is a monster, and you will end up covering almost the whole airframe with decal on both top and bottom by the time you are finished. If decaling scares you to death, it may be wise to give the painted aircraft to a friend that's not so worried! The decals are designed by Daco, and printed by Cartograf, which is a good indication of their quality.

The airbrushed fading of the tiger stripes is very well printed, and the decal placement guide gives you all the information you will need to complete the process, even reminding you to take your time and use plenty of water on the main sheet. A grey decal is also provided for the upper side of the intake lip, which you are advised to paint the same color as the fuselage before installing, wrapping the thin strip around the inside of the intake. The sharp edges of the decals have very little excess carrier film, and the faded edges have a lot, so there should be little trimming needed, and once done, your F-16 should look stunning.

The second sheet provides lots of smaller decals that wouldn't fit on the main sheet, and the smaller third sheet includes all of the stencils, even down to the credits that are stencilled on the large nose gear door. It's a masterpiece of a decal sheet, and the tiger on the tail is incredibly well rendered to an almost photo-realistic standard.

Of course, from this sheet you can build only the Tigermeet bird, but if you source aftermarket decals, you can build any of the Belgian birds using some of the spare munitions that are thoughtfully provided.

A nice little addition to this kit is the finely turned brass probe on the nose,

which is salted away in a protective cardboard triangle stapled to the inside corner of the box

Conclusion

Kinetic have added a very enticingly painted MLU Viper to their ever widening range, and this kit should keep the builder occupied for many a happy hour. Detractors will pronounce this range of kits "unbuildable" due to a perceived droop to the nose, but as I've said previously, it really isn't that noticeable once built up, even when you're looking for it! You can see a finished Kinetic Block 60 Viper of the UAE here, built up by your reviewer in 2010.

As usual with kits of this complexity, test fitting is a sensible approach, and ensure that when you get to the decaling, you have plenty of time and no distractions.

Review sample courtesy of

[Basosz]

Nice review Mike. That decal sheet looks very similar to the 1:72 sheet that Revell uses for their Tiger Viper down to the warning to use plenty of time and water. Not too surprising probably as they're both Cartograf. The 72nd kit is great but this one looks even better. Any idea on the price ?

[Mike]

I've a sneaking suspicion that Daco were involved with the 1:72 kit decals too

The RRP from Luckymodel is $25.99 (£17.88), which equates to £27.12 once you've shipped it to the UK

[Jens]

Why is it that kit manufacturers can't get the aircraft type right?

An MLU F-16A/B is either block 1, 5, 10 or 15. Usually block 1 and 5 aircraft have been brought up to block 10 standard. In the mid-late 1990s the EPAF F-16A/Bs were Mid-Lift Updated (MLU), but they were still block 1, 5 , 10 or 15 aircraft.

F-16A/B block 20 were new-built aircraft for Taiwan.

Jens

[Gerard]

Mike,

I spotted one little mistake in the review...

2 x GBU-38 2,000lb JDAM

2 x GBU-31 500lb JDAM

should have the numbers or weights swapped round.

Thanks for an informative review. I am thinking about a single seater NATO F-16 MLU version.

Regards,

Gerard

[Mike]

Thanks Gerard, updated

[splinter]

I've a sneaking suspicion that Daco were involved with the 1:72 kit decals too

It is DACO from Day 1.