F16 at 50 group build: F-16A 311 Squadron airbase Volkel, Hasegawa 1/72
My first finished model in 2024. First modern aircraft in years as is valid for a RNLAF aircraft.
When Erik @airbum created this group build for the Falcon at 50 years, I could not resist to build one in RNLAF scheme of 311 squadron stationed at Volkel airbase. It was my favorite squadron and did visit the base many times during my childhood since it is close to my hometown. I do remember going there by bike, just 15 minutes, and spending lots of hours watching the F104s and F5s and F16s landing and taking off. I'm pretty sure I have seen aircraft J-636 in real but I do have no evidence of that. This build is therefore a nice remembrance of my childhood, many years ago 😀.
This build was a bit out of the ordinary for me, a modern aircraft, a Dutch scheme and 1/72 are not my usual builds. Nevertheless I really enjoyed building this aircraft. At first I was a bit affraid for this Hasegawa kit regarding fit issues, but I was positively surprised how this one went together. The cockpit is a bit spartanic but acceptable. The only thing added was the green oxygen bottle. I used the three color scheme and tried to give the panels a bit of shading. Some soot added to the gun exit as well to make it look like it just returned from a shooting practice. The aircraft is shown in its early years where the tail parachute was not applied yet.
Overall I really enjoyed this built and I would like to thank all of you who participated in the building thread giving great advises and background information.
The build thread can be found here:
https://imodeler.com/groups/f-16-at-50/forum/topic/f-16a-311-squadron-airbase-volkel-hasegawa-1-72/
edit: Just noticed I forgot to paint the red/green lights 😱 Easy to correct.
Wow, that is some gorgeous airbrushing, John @johnb! Very, very nice color variations!
@fxrob, thank you, Rob.
That came out really well @johnb, even though it’s a little out of your usual sphere of aircraft modelling. Great childhood memories rekindled for you.
@chinesegeorge, thanks a lot, George.
Great looking Falcon John @johnb.
@greenterrorz, thank you, Keith. Glad you like it.
Excellent result, John. It’s nice to see an early F-16 built without all of the lumps and bumps added over the years.
@j-healy, thanks a lot, John. I fully agree, just the plain Falcon looks very smooth. That's the reason why I only armed it with sidewinders.
Excellent job, John and ditto build thread!
Congratulations!
@fiveten, thanks a lot, Spiros. It was a pleasure to have you following the thread.
Nicely done Falcon, John.
@blackmopane, thanks a lot, Rafi.
John vd Biggelaar (@johnb)
You have done a magnificent job with this one. It's good to go back and remember some of our child hood memories, especially the good ones. I am very impressed with your model. It looks just like the real ones I have seen over the years, only in miniature.
Well done ! I'm definitely clicking on several of the various "like" buttons. Thank you for sharing this with us, and for posting the detailed build journal.
@lgardner, thank you very much, Louis. I'm glad I impressed you with this one. It was nice to work on this aircraft and thinking back about those moments at the airfield.
Congratulations with this gorgeous Viper, John.
Nice photoshoot too!
@alfred, thanks a lot, Alfred. I'm glad I participated in this group build and do have a modern RNLAF aircraft added to the shelf now. Definitely not the last one.
👍
What a fine looking F-16 at 50 entry, John @johnb. Nice to see a more modern build from you.
@eb801, thank you, Eric. Glad you followed the build with interest.
Nice work on this, John. A solid F-16.
@bapowellphys, thanks a lot, Brian
Great looking Viper John @johnb, and an awesome addition to the GB.
It was nice to see the progress work posted, and see the great result.
@georgeswork, thank you, George. An enjoyable build even when it was different than usual.
Well done Jojn, it was fun following you on your WIP getting this Viper together. Though not your typical subject, you did well on your change of pace and built an excellent F-16 in this scale. Hasegawa does give a great kit to start with and add you can add some bits to make it even better. Well done, and thanks for sharing.
@uscusn, thank you, Chuck. This Hasegawa kit provides indeed a great basic kit which can be enhanced a lot. Currently not done by me, but for a next build I do have my ideas.
Nice job, John!
@gwskat, thanks for liking it, Gary.
Beautiful bird John. Very nicely done, this small scale. The finish is flawless.
@milantesar, thanks a lot, Milan. Not a perfect finish I must admit but enjoyable for sure.
Looks good - well done!
@gkittinger, thank you, Greg.
Very nice build, John. @johnb
@jdtruby, thanks a lot, John
Good work John (@johnb) - looks fantastic 😀
@scottiya, thank you, Scott.
Splendid work sir 'tis a beauty
@markh, thank you, Mark
Very nice painting!
@lis, thanks a lot, Bernard.