I was just wondering if anyone knows how this ‘about to be launched’ kit compares to the ‘just launched’ Tamiya kit?
Haven’t heard about it, but Im looking forward to hearing more. As an F-16 mechanic I don’t think we can ever get enough F-16 kits.
I’ve been to the Academy website. It describes it as a block 40/50 CG/CJ. It is due to be launched in February, with sales in the spring. I hope the canopy does not need sanding and polishing like the Tamiya one
This one snuck up on us! I heard about it the day after I bought the Tamiya one. Only room for one that size on my shelf, I’m afraid.
Don’t know, been wondering about that myself
I also see where Hobbycraft has released a 1/32 scale F-105D. Is this a rebox of the Trumpeter kit? Has any one seen it?
thanks for bringing this up. looking forward to the academy kit. given the quality of their F/A-18, this one can’t be bad.
I’d bet it is, considering that Hobby Craft releases a lot of Trump’s armor.
Academy said they were going to do a 1/32 F-16 a year and a half ago. then Tamiya made a sneak attack and announced they were doing one only 2 months before it was released! To bad Academy did not know this as they might have done another subject or different version of the F-16 like one with a long para brake tail or a ADV. The Academy price will be much lower. $106 as to $167 for tamiya. To bad some of the manufactures are top secret with their releases. But thats bizness I guess.
I stopped in at my LHS and they had the new Tamiya F-16C on the shelf. After looking through my latest FSM with the add for the same kit, I’m wondering…is this kit already pre-built? From the way it’s advertised (in magazine and on the box) it looks like it is. Can someone confirm?
Hiya Dragonfire,
Unfortunately the kit has to be assembled, painted and all the other headaches that come with modelling…LMAO[;)]. Once built though, you can store it in its original box. Go figure…[:p]
Flaps up, Mike
Mike,
Thanks for the clarification. [:)] What would be the fun of having a pre-built kit?! Just needed a sanity check to make sure I wasn’t seeing things.
Carl
Another F16, just what the world needs!
HOW ABOUT A 1/32nd F8 .
EVEN A DECENT 48 A6 WOULD BE A GODSEND, BUT OH NO LETS DO ANOTHER FALCON!!!
Rant over, at least the vigi’s are coming and the TSR2
you can pre-order the 1/32 Academy F-16C from the www.greatmodels.com
also has a pic of the box to see and judge for yourself…
I believe Tamiya has set the bar high for Academy on the F-16, and since I paid $110 at Sprue Brothers (pre-release price) the price might even be more than competitive.
I may be a dissenting voice on their F/A-18, but was disappointed with the kit’s ejector pin marks and sink holes in locations that were both very visible and tricky to repair, and MRC’s customer service. When I contacted MRC about those issues I was told that both were “unavoidable” in large moldings. I pointed out the quality of Tamiya’s 1/32 F-4s moldings, including the large upper fuselage, and they reluctantly sent me replacement parts (with exactly the same defects).
I’ll watch with interest once Academy’s Viper comes out, but believe they may find themselves playing catch-up… not an enviable position in injection molding.
Errhm as far as I know the Tamiya kit is the first release of a 1/32nd scale F-16 in over 10 years, and before that we only had the Hasegawa kit. The Hasegawa as far as I know is not in production anymore so with the Academy kit we now have 2 kits of the most produced and most widely used fighter ever built since the end of WWII, they are not exactly overflowing the market.
Apart from that, yes there are many subjects that would be nice to see as a model kit, but somehow the manufactures don’t think they would be profitable to make.
Its the same with armor, a huge amount of Tigers and Shermans available when there is still a lot of interesting vehicles that have never been produced as a kit.
It is indeed a rebox of the Trumpeter kit, per my LHS.
Regards, Rick
Oh, and Oggy4624? Right on regarding a 1/32 F-8! And since the size barrier has been broken by Trumpeter’s A-10, how about a 1/32 Skyraider?
If you can find it, Revell released a Skyraider in 1/30-something scale about 35 years ago. And it has recessed panel lines and access plates, as I recall from the rerelease in that ridiculously priced “History Maker” series of their old kits they did twenty years ago. And, the A-1, in Air Force markings, had a working everything on it. (Um, I’m not really serious about finding and building it, but it is an interesting kit just as a relic because some things about were ahead of their time, some things were behind, like the working everythings.) Does anyone remember the scale or anything else about that mysterious kit?
Oh, and Oggy, I’m with you. I don’t build in 1/32 generally, but if I didn’t read you wrong, I think you meant F-16 kits in general. When I get to pick what I’m building, I lean toward less common types, or weird variations on common types. I’d rather do an NF-104A than an F-104C (though I can always get up for a Starfighter). And if we have to have another F-16, why not the F-16XL or whatever they called the attack version with the cranked-arrow delta wing (whose prototype still flies with NASA). People used to say “Oh, no, not another F-4.” One day, when I’m old and grayer, we will be saying “Oh, no, not another &*@# F-23!” Let’s face it, models are market driven like everything else. There will never be a huge market for Pitcairn Autogyros (god, I hope I can find one or two of them before they all disappear. Poor, poor Williams Bros.)
TOM
There’s nothing wrong with that philosophy, as long each new iteration is improved over the forerunners. I think Airfix came out with their “everymodel” version of the Phantom back in the early 70s and it was snapped up. It had/has numerous fidelity issues, but still sold quite a few. My LHS, (The Base Exchange at Beale AFB, CA) had a sale on them at 10 kits for $10. I bought my ten and built most of them. The quality of my building at that time about matched the quality of the kit, so I was happy. The Red, Blue,Black & center USAF F-4 in my sig block are Airfix. The kits released over the last few years are a zillion percent better. [alien]