Hello All.

I just got some things I had ordered. After I saw this figurine from Hobby Fan I just had to get one and I was inspired to build a scene of a pilot running to her Viper.

I acquired the new Kinetic Gold F-16A MLU NATO and I realized that it was about perfect for a ROCAF Block 20, Kinetic has a real gem in this new tool MLU and I plan to get several more. I also got the older Kinetic F-16A/B ROCAF Flying Tigers Anniversary kit, party because I will do a -B in the Tigers markings, and partly because this kit has decals for all the ROCAF Viper squadrons.

I'm not fast at building, and I have a number of health issues that prevent making tight schedules, but I hope people will enjoy seeing the process. I do want a 3D decal upgrade for the -A, and I plan on getting some "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT" tags and other accessories appropriate to a scene of a jet being scrambled.

Thanks! I'm excited for it, I love F-16s and I always pull for women that serve in the military.

This photo is another inspiration for the project.

@fiveten

Thank you, my friend Spiros. I have the kind of health issues that don't get better, but I manage them. Learning history and building model kits is one of the ways I manage life.

The Hobby Fan figurine just arrived in today's post, it's superbly sculpted and cast, and has extra head and helmet for variety. It was definitely worth the purchase.

@johnb - Thank you!

Looking over the Kinetic Gold kit, it presents really nicely, the details are excellent. It has a lot of weapons. The boxtop has a notice about the "MAGFIRE" system, which is supposed to be a way to use Rare Earth Magnets to make the weapons interchangeable. The sprue map refers to "1/48 MAGFIRE US WEAPONS SPRUE X2", but there are no other leads as to how to use MAGFIRE or what size magnets to use. The instructions also refer one to the Kinetic site to download colour profiles of the decal schemes included, but right now (May 2023) these are not found.

Here is Sprue "E". I've begun working on eliminating the knock-out marks with sanding and Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer. I'd say that the Kinetic Gold Viper has fewer and lighter sprue ejection marks than the Tamiya F-16 series.

Here's a video I found at YouTube on how to attach magnets at models, hope you find it useful:

Also this one, my friend @tankgrrl...

Hey, guys. With this kit I think I'm just going to use AMRAAMs and AIM-9Ms - this Viper is scrambling to intercept - but I think the magnets would be great for bomb racks and such on other projects.

@kalamazoo - That is pretty cool, Allen. Thank you for showing your method, using the steel shims is a good idea.