1/32 Tamiya F-16CJ

by Bert Legaspi

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A few of us modelers like to stick with one scale.  For me 1/48 scale has always been my choice for detail and I am fortunate enough to have some space.  But every now and then your eye catches a model from a different scale.  My wife had bought me a 1/32 scale Tamiya F-16CJ.  I was tempted to return it like she does with some of the gifts I have given her.  But since this model had a lot of “hype” among the plastic model world I decided to take a crack at it.  I do agree that the price is steep!

 

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With a lot of parts the model seemed a daunting task but as I began the process of spending at least 5 minutes a day working on it I found that the parts went together really well.  Although I don’t plan on displaying the engine I did build it.  There were a couple problems with some fittings but not hard enough that even the novice modeler can fix with some super glue.  I used both Testors and Tamiya brand to paint the model.  Final assembly was straightforward except for the tedious task of decaling all the weapons and ECM jamming pod and  weathering  One of the only things I didn’t do with this model is having the radar installed.  The female pilot came from Legends Productions, she is 1/35 scale but it looks appropriate.

I chose the 14th Fighter Squadron from the 35th Fighter Wing and based out of Misawa Airbase, Japan.  The Samurais have a rich heritage and have been flying F-16s out of Misawa since 1985.  Operation Iraqi Freedom “A” day began on March 21st  2003 with the 14th Fighter Squadron Samurais leading the first non-stealthy strike package over Baghdad and fired the first AGM-88 Harm of OIF.  Restrictions on types of weapons flown from Saudi Arabia were adhered to but as coalition forces proceeded toward Baghdad at a faster pace the F-16CJ Wild Weasel pilots found themselves employing bombs on their jets within a couple days of the air war.  The smarter weapons like JDAMs and Mavericks were uploaded at Al Jabar Airbase in Kuwait. Pilots of the 14th had flown several tough missions and a lot of them in support of Navy F-14 and F/A-18 strike packages.  Although no Iraqi fighters got airborne during OIF an F-16 from the 14th destroyed a MiG-21 on the ground.  Three 14th pilots including one female aviator were awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses. The 14th Fighter Squadron expended about seventy HARMs about eighty CBU-103s, more than twenty JDAMs, about ten AGM-65s, and nearly 2,000 bullets while flying 3,700 hours and some 750 combat missions.  I really enjoyed working on this kit and feel good with the results.  I also enjoyed doing some research and finding out the history behind what I am building and also pay a little tribute to my buddies in the Air Force.

Bert

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Photos and text © by Bert Legaspi