Guys i just got the kit, all i can say, it was worth it. Will put up photos soon.

eerie, please post some picture of your build.
I am learning how to build plane, it quite different from AFV.
I can't wait to see more of your build log.

its not going to be so soon. its a monday dude, i got a full week of work to pull me down. nevertheless i ll put some photos up of the kit itself

I just got Academy's 72nd F-16CG/CJ kit last Thursday, though I have a totally different impression.

It's basically a blind scale down of their 32nd F-16CG/CJ kit, carrying over all the major inaccuracies and adding a few more on top of that. Shape and accuracy errors still exist with the intake, forward fuselage profile, vertical tail dorsal, wheels, MLG doors, GE exhaust, etc... There are also some new problems that arise in the 72nd scale kit over the 32nd F-16CG/CJ I’ve identified in this review.

See my LSP review compared to the Tamiya 32nd F-16CJ:
http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=6792&st=0

One of the first deficiencies I noticed was the tooling quality. All the surfaces have a grainy texture to them. It’s like the whole kit as acid etched, giving a somewhat rough feel to some of the parts. This is not a good painting surface for a kit in this scale! Some of the parts are worse than others, like the wings, tanks, and AIFF panel.

The cockpit detail is nice, but the instrament panel is squashed due to the inaccurate flat profile of the glare shield. This is not the scale as the 32nd glare shield, which was grossly inaccurate. The 72nd scale version is better defined, but still off. The side walls are flat panes with somewhat erroneous detail and they do not match the forward console side contours what so ever! You will be left with major gaps in this area.

I like the canopy, as it is nicely done and the only F-16 canopy in 72nd scale that has the proper "bubble" cross section! This is most evident by the seam running down the middle of the canopy.

The MCID intake (no NSI or Pratt exhaust included in the 72nd scale kit) mouth profile is still off. The side profile totally wrong, as it's too thick in cross section and there's nearly no clearance for the wedge splitter, much less the side RAM ducts which are pretty much not represented at all.

The MLG wheel wells are nicely detailed, near equivalent to the Revell kit and superior to the Hasegawa F-16. This also the only kit in this scale that has the heavy weight gear!


The radome is molded with the upper and lower fuselage halves. There are diamond raised plats where the AOA probes are. These do not exist on the real jet and should be removed. The over narrowing of the fore fuselage (avionics bays) prior to the radome, gives the nose a pointed look about it. Both Revell and Hasegawa correctly depicted this area, as I have no idea how Academy got this wrong.

The gun muzzle is a strange affair. First off, fit is poor and the gun muzzle port sides are way too thick. This could be corrected but thinning the sides down, but I have yet to try this.

Another major error is the aft fuselage side strakes, where the stabs mount. On the real jet, from the flaperons the strakes gradually slope down to 10 degrees. The stabs set position is at 10 degrees anhedral; similar to the F-4. Instead of properly angling the aft fuselage strakes down, Academy used the same short cut as they did in their 48th scale kit. They tooled the aft strake flat with non angle and just beveled in the angle on the inside mating surfaces of the stabs. What a Cop-Out!

You get a nice choice of ordinance; Aim-120Bs, AIM-9s, JDAMs, HARMS, a good selection for use on both the Block 40 and 50 F-16s and their respective missions load requirements.

The decals are one of the best aspects of the kit. Well printed by Cartograf, you get marking for 4 units; Misawa, Shaw, Osan, and

Overall it’s a decent kit, nothing outstanding or impressive overall, just decent. Its' a shame Academy did not correct their obvious errors in from their 32nd scale kit, as Academy just settled on scaling down the 32nd scale kit and then added a few more problems on top of that, when they could have made this kit so much better and accurate. This is unfortunate since the surface detailing is more complete than the Revell and Hasegawa F-16s.

Considering the major shape and accuracy errors in the Academy F-16 and rough/grainy surface detail, this kit does not take the place of "best F-16” in 72nd scale. The ROG F-16 kit still retains that title, with Hasegawa second. However, Academy does score well with the Blown canopy, heavy weight gear, great stores selection, and quality decals OOTB. With most of the major errors addressed like the intake, forward fuselage, aft side strakes and the exhaust, this kit can be made into quite an accurate late Block F-16.


Mike V

Mike V,

I've been looking for a 1/72 option to build an Israeli F-16C Block 40. I've got the coolest decals from IsraDecals, but I have not found a kit to match. My knowledge of the different F-16 variants (blocks etc) is limited, albeit on the rise. I was hoping that maybe the Academy kit would be a suitable choice. What's your suggestion?

Mind, you - I'm in no rush! I've got at least five planned builds ahead of the F.16. I've also got the Revell F-16B and the IsraCast "Sufa" conversion", so I hope to keep busy for a while.

Cheers! // PolarBear

Bjorn,

Two good resources for F-16 builds can be found here and, if you're looking at 1:72 scale kits, here.

It's also good to poke around here to see what other goodies you can find.

The folks over at idf-in-scale.com have a forum that you might find helpful. There is a separate section for the Hel Ha'avir / IAF.

HTH.

-YL

Seriously, you can go with Hasegawa F-16CJ, Revell/ROG F-16C, or the new Academy F-16CG/CJ kit will work for a IAF Block 40. As far as accurate "Block 40/50" Structure and part (not shape and other profile issues), the Academy kit would be the best option as it's the only one to have the heavy weight get. Besides Hasegawa, Academy is also the only other 72nd F-16C kit to have the bulged MLG doors. Both the Academy and Revell kits have the parabrake tail you'll need for the IAF Block 40

If not swayed by the major shape and profile errors in the Academy kit, then I would suggest it for your IAF Block 40. As far as the decals go, most of all the markings should fit, except for the stencils for the JFS inlet/exhaust, and IFR door stenciling.

Now, once you choose your kit, you'll be needing an IAF update set. This will include;
-RAPORT intake antennas (NAV Light base)
-RW/EW antennas throughout
-EM Antennas on the doughnut panel (Early IAF Block 40)
-Block 40 wheels
-Pre cooler duct (Port side engine bay)

Not sure if there's a set out in 72nd , so you may have to source these items out. Check ISRA.

Mike V

Thanks Yoni and Mike!

Cheers! // PolarBear

I m starting on the kit now.

My completed model

Looks great, well done