Academy 1/48 F-16C Falcon
Hi everyone!
This is my Academy 1/48 F-16C Falcon, finished as an early 90s HAF bird, wearing the beautiful Aegean Ghost scheme!
The Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter, originally developed by General Dynamics for the USAF.
Key features include a frameless bubble canopy for better visibility, side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, an ejection seat reclined 30 degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire flight control system that helps to make it an agile aircraft.
The Hellenic Air Force received 40 F-16 Block 30 in 1998, within the “Peace Xenia I” armament program.
The Academy kit, offered at a very low price, is a cloned copy of the venerable but still good Hasegawa kit. Did some small scratchbuilding, mainly formulating the fin-based drag chute housing, using the kit leftover A version smaller fin base...
Should you wish to read the full build review, pleas do so at my beloved site Modelingmadness:
https://modelingmadness.com/review/mod/us/usaf/fighter/pen16.htm
Build thread below, again, BIG thanks to all Followers!
https://imodeler.com/groups/work-in-progress-aircraft/forum/topic/hellenic-air-force/
Some in-progress shots are also attached below...
Happy modeling!
Lovely my friend @fiveten. Love the paint scheme and the effect on the canopy. This one is on my wish list as well on the BAF colors (just waiting the re-edition of the decals). Thanks for sharing.
Thanks my friend @yann! The BAF roundels look really cool on the Falcon!
Looking forward to it!
Looks great, Spiros! Nice job
Thanks my friend @gwskat!
That’s a beautiful jet @fiveten , great job !
Thanks my friend @ssgt!
Turned out great, Spiros. I love that scheme.
Thanks my friend @j-healy!
It is a charming scheme indeed, very effective, too!
paintwork look so good!
Thanks my friend @lis!
Great paint scheme Spiros!
The mods you added help bring it to life
Thanks my friend @davem
Beautiful work on this model Spiros! ? @fiveten, I agree that is a very attractive paint scheme and the F-16 wears it so well! Excellent modeling from Greece! ?
Ευχαριστώ πολύ (= thanks a lot) my friend @garybrantley!
? You are so welcome @fiveten!
You’ve done it again, Spiros @fiveten! Such a pretty plane.
Enjoyed your MM posting and your work in progress blog. Both well written. Thanks for the extra photos too Mr. Prolific.
Thanks my friend @eb801!
Glad you liked my article and thread!
A fantastic result, Spiros @fiveten
Besides the amazing scheme, also the tinted canopy is superb.
All those little add-ons are a great addition to this already great aircraft.
Thanks a lot for the building thread and the nice article on MM.
Thanks a lot, my friend @johnb!
Felling great that you liked my article and thread!
Great bird @fiveten I looked at the picture in the main feed and I knew it was a Spiros-build 😀 Take care my friend and congrats!
Thanks my friend @michel-verschuere!
Καληνύχτα! Gute Nacht!
Beautifully done! almost as good looking as your Phantoms,lol.@fiveten.
Thanks my friend @roofrat!
Nothing beats a Phantom!
Spiros, @fiveten
I knew right away this was one of your models, just by looking at the opening photo. This is a naturally good looking jet, and you have done a magnificent job of building it, and painting her up nicely. The color scheme you picked out looks wonderful ! I also thoroughly enjoyed reading your article over at MM.
Now normally I don't build too many jets, but I do have two of these F-16's planned sometime in the upcoming year. I have always wanted to build a model of the prototype YF-16 wearing the absolutely gorgeous red, white and blue scheme, and I still need to finish up my Hasegawa Block 50/52 bird that was a part of Chuck's Desert Storm group. The YF-16 is a model I built as a kid, using the then "brand new" 1/48 Monogram kit that was molded in white plastic. Josh Patterson was kind enough to send me a set of Caracal decals for this prototype aircraft, so it will happen one of these days, the Good Lord willing.
I don't know how you do it, (building as many models as you do), but I am certainly glad that you do. You my friend, are the most prolific and talented builder I have had the pleasure to know.
Please keep it up, and judging by your steady output of fine examples of model building, you will likely need to get more ice cream for QC1 and QC2. Your sons are putting in some overtime hours at the model building factory.
Thank you for sharing this beauty with us, and for the very good article. You can tell when a person has a strong bond with the subject he (or she) is building... and this one is close to your heart.
Take care and I definitely pressed the "like" button.
Thanks my friend @lgardner! Your words are really kind and utterly motivating! It is true that with the help and equal motivation of QC1 and QC2 a good pace is achievable. "Fun" part is when they see a new model started and ask "whose plane is this?" Well, if it is from one of your GBs, it wiil be "Mr Louis plane", if it is from, say our friend's Erik @airbum GB, it will be "Mr Erik's plane" and so on...
Looking forward to see your F-16s started!
Nice work on your build, the little extras done gave it a great overall look. And this is a great looking scheme for a very pretty looking fighter. ?
Thanks my friend @v1pro!
Nicely done Spiros! I like the Aegean Ghost scheme and plan to do my Phantom soon in that same scheme. I'm not a huge fan of F-16s in general due to their normal dull schemes, but I do like them in unusual schemes, and this is one of them. I have a Hellenic Viper on my radar screen, but it a bit more modern permutation (I'll PM you about it soon - have a few questions of my Hellenic specialist!).
Thanks my friend @gkittinger!
Indeed the Aegean Ghost camo adds interest to the Viper!
Really beautiful work Spiros and an awesome scheme - I'm going to be joining you in Mediterranean F-16s with my Italian version I hope to build soon. Will definitely take some inspiration from here.
Amazing work as always
Thanks for such kind words, my friend @anthonyricco!
Eagerly looking forward to your Italian version!
Beautiful version of the iconic F-16, Spiros, thank you very much for sharing it with us.
Thanks my friend @chinesegeorge!
Great build! Love the F-16. It's a little hot rod!
Thanks my friend @jboyla! It is indeed a hot rod, especially in its early "lighter" versions!