I finally had time to sit down and write up this article. I finished this beauty just days before I deployed to Iraq last summer. 

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I used the Aires cockpit and wheel wells for this one. The decals are from Aeromaster.  She is armed with 2 live AIM-9 Sidewinders, 2 live AIM-7 Sparrows, 2 Inert AIM-7 Sparrows, and a TARPS pod.

The Aires cockpit really adds a lot to the finished product. With the combination of resin, photo-etch, and film instruments it produces a better looking pit than BlackBox. The ejection seats have photo-etched seat belts and ejection handles. I personally think this pit is easier to install than the Black Box pit. I also used several pieces from the Eduard Photo-etched set to add more detail like the canopy lever. The pit was painted overall FS36231 dark gull gray. The instruments were painted FS37038 flat black then dry bushed with FS36231 dark gull gray. The instrument panel coamings, rear deck, and canopy framing was painted FS37031 aircraft interior black and dry brushed with silver.

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The ejection seats were painted overall FS37031 aircraft interior black and dry brushed silver. The survival pack was painted FS34258 green. The seat cushions were painted khaki and the seatbelts were painted light gray. After painting was complete I gave it a coat of Future and a wash of gloss black. Then I finished it off with dull coat.

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The Aires wheel wells are excellently detailed. The only thing added to them was a piece from the Eduard set. They were painted FS17875 insignia white and weathered with a gloss black wash. The landing gear was detailed with copper wire and Eduard photo-etch.

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She was painted in the standard TPS paint scheme. FS35237 medium gray upper surfaces, FS36320 dark ghost gray forward fuselage sides, and FS36375 light ghost gray under surfaces. 

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The skunk stripe, vert. stabs, and ventral fins were painted FS37038 flat black. The after burner cans were painted flat white and weathered with pastels. She was weathered overall with an enamel gloss black wash.

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