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Academy 1/32 F16i SUFA

Thread owner
I am getting close to the painting stage.

The canopy has come up well
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all parts are now off the sprues, those being used anyway. Below are the undercarriage parts all painted and wash applied along with a few other painted parts awaiting attachment.
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These are ready for priming
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These stores are cleaned up and i am wating for the cement to fully harden so the joins can be sanded.
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The main airframe with pylons attached ready for masking up
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Just a look at the sprues, there are a lot of surplus parts left over.....
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Thread owner
The Port stab broke off. The solution was to drill a hole to use a metal pin. Easy enough solution 20250316_115211925_iOS 1.jpg
Above, the pin inserted and glued in with c.a. and below, the stab fitted back and its stronger than before.
20250316_133923250_iOS.jpg .

More lumps and bumps fitted. I also decided to fit the nose cone at this stage having checked first to make sure it wont be a tail sitter.
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The stores are added to the 'ready for primer' pile.
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Before I prime the mainframe I will have some small attachments to add to the rear of the wing, fin and stabs. Before that though I will paint the metal areas, specifically the exhaust.

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They are small and venerable to be broken off but if I leave them to final fittings they will mess up the paint job. I will just need to be very careful.....

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Thread owner
Below the stores and a few other bits with the paints I sprayed them with.
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Here is the airframe now with the tail-pipe painted and masked
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I will also paint the nose cone next, before the main camo scheme starting with the underside.

That's when I will attach those pesky small vulnerable parts. Incidentally, Academy provide some spares.....
 
Definitely following on with this, I wanted to add this to 1/32 single seater but with an impending house move its had to go on hold. I don't know if you'll need any picture help but I have an excellent book which shows these aircraft in amazing detail.
 
Thread owner
Definitely following on with this, I wanted to add this to 1/32 single seater but with an impending house move its had to go on hold. I don't know if you'll need any picture help but I have an excellent book which shows these aircraft in amazing detail.

Thanks for the offer but right now i am in the final painting stages. For single seaters the Academy is certainly a good kit but on balance I would recommend the Tamiya block 50 kit.
 
Thread owner
I have airbrushed the underside. I will spray a little detail on the underside before masking up to do the topside.
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MRP038 was used, Light Ghost Grey.

Incidentally, before this I sprayed the nose cone Dark Ghost Grey before masking it up.
 
Thanks for the offer but right now i am in the final painting stages. For single seaters the Academy is certainly a good kit but on balance I would recommend the Tamiya block 50 kit.

No problem, it was the Tamiya I built and it is a lovely kit but I certainly added quite a bit to it.
 
Thread owner
Now for the three colour camo scheme

Below the sand coat
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Then some of the most complex masking I have ever done. I expect there to be some touching up after. A mix of Tamya curved tape and Kabuki tape in va


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Thread owner
Pigtech. I don’t know what’s going on with the forum but I find I cannot do a quote, the forum asks me to log in again which I do and, no change, I have to log in again. I keep going around in circles. I am posting this in the hope it will work!!!

No, Panzer Putty just lifts off with ease.
 
Pigtech. I don’t know what’s going on with the forum but I find I cannot do a quote, the forum asks me to log in again which I do and, no change, I have to log in again. I keep going around in circles. I am posting this in the hope it will work!!!

No, Panzer Putty just lifts off with ease.

What, like this Barry ? Kids magic/science putty and physiotherapy hand exercise putty are the same stuff as Panzer putty, but are cheaper, by the way…..
 
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Lovely work Barry. Using the PP to mask for touch ups is a good idea. I find you have to work pretty quickly when using it as it tends to "flow" away from where it was put.
 
Thread owner
Lovely work Barry. Using the PP to mask for touch ups is a good idea. I find you have to work pretty quickly when using it as it tends to "flow" away from where it was put.

oooh my ‘quoting’ is back working…

I have left it overnight before now and, you are right, it does flow and droop. But I found that it is quick to adjust it, pushing it back into position.
 
Thread owner
Yes but there is no problem, on the contrary it’s one of the advantages as it prevents leakage into detail, keeping the paint where you want it. Removing it is not an issue at all, far easier than an other type of masking.
 
Thread owner
Masking is off and decals done.

The decals are Cartograph so as you would expect they are well printed and lay down well. There are however a lot of them and they are closely printed on two sheets, some almost touch each other and this provides a few issues. When I say lot, I do mean a lot, many are very tiny indeed. I don't have the patience and I don't enjoy decaling so I am not bothering with the very smallest that can hardly be seen and focus on the more striking and colourful. Putting decals on the stores reminds me why I prefer WW2 aircraft!!! Some, the Python missiles in particular, have a lot of decals and there is a lot of detail. I found applying all the decals to the Pythons a massive challenge and in the end only put a few on these.

Here is a view of the cockpit, without the instrument panels. I will add those a bit later.
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A view of the model with decals applied.
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I have a new tool for panel line accentuation, I got it from John's shop its made by DSPAE so its good quality. Its like an old fashioned very fine fountain pen nib that you dip into the wash then touch it to the panel line and press allowing the wash to flow. It is very precise and leaves less surplus wash on the model than a brush. DSPAE also provide a wash eraser and I tried this too. It is less prone to dig the dried wash out from a panel line in the way a cotton bud or brush can do. This is my first use of these and I am very pleased, the applicator is best used with enamel washes or an oil wash, I used a Mig enamel wash myself. A couple of recommendations though:
1/ make sure the wash is dry but don't leave it too long.
2/ wipe always in the direction of airflow
3/ keep a cotton bud handy, sometimes it can be useful to soak up and spills and I found it useful to do an overall wipe at the end.

Below a picture of the model on which I have done the panel lines on the right hand side (as you look at the picture). As you can see even with much less overspill there is enough to provide a patina over the fresh paint that takes away the newness appearance.
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The panel lining tools. The eraser can be cleaned up and there are spare rubber ends and nibs.
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