Got this for Christmas and thought it would make a quick build. It’s simple enough; put it together in no time. Putty throwin and pylon hole fillin is a whole other matter. Not sure how the decals will play out; if anyone has had any success with that, please share.
I’ve done the F/A-18A. Like you said a little simple. Oversize attachments. I had no issue with decals. Best part is it looks like a Hornet
Yeah, I was worried about the nose profile, but it looks ok now. I’m still going to have nightmares over those nose decals [bnghead]
…and the gear door decals, tail decals, wing decals[8-)]. Nothing fits yet except for the strakes underneath.
Only HobbyBoss kit I’ve built is the Rafale in Tiger Meet markings, the whole plane is pretty much one giant decal. I’ve never been great with decals and this was no exception. It didn’t seem to fit quite right and tore in a couple spots. I’m not too happy with the results but my fiancé thinks it looks “pretty” so its good enough I suppose.
I built the Academy Thunderbird F-16 a few years back. The decals on any Thunderbird F-16 will be a challenge due to the contours. Lots of little touch ups with Insignia Blue and Insignia Red.
I recently saw the Thunderbirds at the Daytona 500 race and got inspired to build one after talking to the pilots. I had a 1/72 Hsg. in the stash and I’m doing it oob but the decals are trash. I found a set of Microscale decals on Ebay to use . I hope i did the right thing because the decals where 3x the cost of the kit.
Question; what colors are the interior parts like the gear bays and doors etc. I haven’t found any pics online that show these areas clearly ?
Here’s one I shot a few years ago. It looks like white to answer your question. I also looked at my Academy F-16C which is also white.
Max
Yes, wheel wells, struts, etc. remain white on Thunderbird F-16s. The same color as when built and in standard service.
Hey, and build bird number 5. The number is inverted on the intake.
Okie Doakie then, white it is. TY for the info.[:)]
I have her near the finish line. The photos show how the decals set up so you can see how much touch up will occur. It’s especially noticeable on the tail and red nose markings, along with the wing and stabilizers. The one nice thing is that they will snuggle down as they dry. The top blue nose band had huge wrinkles from the nose shape and two bumps to snuggle down on. I came back the next day and there was nary a wrinkle. The bottom of the red nose marking isn’t correct in profile, but, oh well. I’ve had it on a hanger and liked how it looked there as it looks like a dirty roll on takeoff, I might keep that.
I like it. 
Beautiful job. I hope mine comes out like this…if I ever can get back to it that is…working a lot lately.
That looks incredible. Very good looking build.
BK
Wow !
Very nice job - glad to hear that the decals snuggled down. Those are some big decals - it would have been a royal pain if they didn’t behave.
Chris
Thanks, y’all. I’m calling it done now. Got the touch up painting done. The canopy was cloudy, so I dipped it. One and done…
Looks really good. If I may make one comment; however, you forgot to paint the canopy bracing for the two-seater.
Ha! Never even noticed it! [:(DD]There’s not even a rib on the kit glass. A white decal strip will take care of her. Thanks for the heads up, man!
Neat model! I’ve seen the Thunderbirds perform at Luke AFB several times.