Black Box

1/32 F-16C Viper cockpit set

Product # 32004 for Hasegawa kit

Product Article by Steve Bamford

 

Technical assistance from Tom Takai ANG F-16 pilot/avid modeler

Here is a special treat....a 1/32 cockpit set. Master modeler Michael Kirchoff created the masters for this well detailed cockpit detail set. This most recent set contains 23 perfectly cast resin pieces. This set does come with an instrument panel. Below you'll see the major components of the detail set in close-up detail photos...the detail on this set is very crisp and almost flawless with the exception of a few air minor bubbles in places that are easy to fill. The seat is particularly nice with delicate belts and buckles and marvelous creases in the seat cushion...giving it a very natural realistic broken-in look (see photo below of seat). 

 

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The seat does fit well into the cockpit tub with a total of .4mm of freeplay.......not much freeplay, but more than enough to easily fit the seat. The cockpit tub is Mike Kirchoff's typical high quality workmanship with lots of buttons, switches and panels all meticulously recreated in 1/32 detail. One particularly nice item in the cockpit tub is the oxygen hose on the right rear of the tub......going up this hose is a thin wire which is amazing held on with tiny "Zip ties". This thin wire that is zip-stripped to the O2 hose is the com cord to hook the pilot's helmet into the radios and intercom system. How Michael Kirchoff does detail like this I'll never know (you can see this detail in the picture below of the cockpit tub). 

The instructions are quite complete and include some good basic painting instructions. Further cockpit painting ideas can be found in some of the ARC F-16C walkarounds. Some resin will have to be removed from the bottom of the cockpit tub to make it fit....so careful double checking of fit is required. All in all...this is a very well done set that will add a further level of realism to the very fine Hasegawa model.   

Steve Bamford

 

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Photos and text © by Steve Bamford