The HobbyBoss kit is something of a throwback. I know there have been complaints about it's accuracy, which I won't comment on (as I don't care enough), but it reminds me of the classic Monogram and Hasegawa kits of the 80s. It's a big, chunky model, well detailed in some places, a bit simplistic in others. It goes together quickly and easily, but not necessarily well
I chose to build mine as an in-service USAF "what might have been" of the 1st TFW, USAF. The decals were cobbled together from TwoBobs, the Academy Raptor, and a Japanese decal sheet (NBM).
I painted this as something of a test bed. I'm starting on a USAF F-16 in the Have Glass V paint scheme, and wanted to try Hataka lacquers version of this paint. It's maybe a touch too light out of the bottle, but after a coat with clear and then a dark dirt Flory wash, it darkened up a little bit and looks closer to the real thing.
Because it's a big ole kit in one colour - especially the wings - I tried to break it up a little bit with the wash, some oils, and also by painting a few panels in silver and grey. I probably painted the radome and leading edges in too pale a shade of grey, but that's a minor thing. They match the grey of the markings well enough.
I was also aiming to get the distinctive Have Glass V "is it gloss or is it matt?" look and I think I just about pulled it off. I gave it a single light coat of Hataka matt varnish, over a Klear gloss coar. When it catches the light it's glossy and metallic. When it doesn't catch the light it's dull and matt.
Due to it's enourmous size, long profile, and low down stance it's a very hard model to photograph. For the intake covers I used pieces of cardboard, coated in tissue paper soaked in thinned black paint, then some decals from the NBM sheet.
You know how I said it's a big model? Here she is alongside a 1/32 F-16 fuselage for scale......
Overall, very happy with this one. There's some things I'd do slightly differently with the paint scheme, but like I said, she was something of a test bed. Now she's another completed model, and a big, eye catching one at that.
