Aires

1/48 F-16 Falcon Block 25/32 Exhaust Nozzle For the Tamiya

Stock Number: 4387

Reviewed By  Charles Landrum, IPMS# 26328

MSRP: $35.00 Website: www.aires.cz Tamiya, with the release of its family of F-16 fighters, has really increased the level of detail offered in an F-16 model; this is especially true of the Pratt and Whitney exhaust nozzle. However, as nice as the kit nozzle is compared to the Hasegawa kits, the nozzle is still a simplification of the complex P&W F100-PW-200. Aires has released replacement P&W exhaust nozzle for the Tamiya F-16 Block 25/32 that will allow the modeler to significantly increase the eye appeal of a model F-16. The Aires offering, as with most of their products, is a multi-media kit with resin and photoetched components. The resin detail in extremely nice, creating a much more realistic nozzle that looks like it could operate. They achieve this in just five resin components, superbly cast in a durable grey resin. There are no flaws in the castings and the durability of the components mean that they can withstand some handling, unlike the older cream colored resin used in the past. The parts break down is simple and consists of the burner can, the turbine blades, the engine petals, the actuating mechanism and aft end of the fuselage. They have thin attachments points to make removal easy and the location will not be visible after assembly. The one fret of PE details is the afterburner ring, which is double-relief etched with fine attachment points as well.

Assembly was straightforward. I pre-painted the resin components using Model Master enamel paints including buffable metalizers and only had problems with paint adherence on the turbine (I did not prep any of the resin parts). I did separate the burner can and engine petals from the pour blocks. With Aires engineering of thin attachment points, this was an easy task. Colors used: Turbine fan – Metalizer Exhaust. Engine petals – Metalizer Dark Anodonic Gray (with overlap areas in Metalizer Magnesium). Exterior of actuator – Metalizer Magnesium. Engine Ring – Stainless Steel, blued with Testors Dark Blue. Interior of burner tube and engine petals – Camouflage Gray (FS 36622) washed with dark gray. I shaded the petal overlap over to better replicate the appearance of the prototype. I also added Testors gloss dark blue (small bottle) to the stainless steel Metalizer to achieve the blue tint of heated metal. I did not paint the PE burner ring but used a candle flame to discolor it to realistic burnt metal. With the painting done, I separated the rest of the resin components. The fit of the components was perfect, with good mating surfaces and overlaps. The burner ring is slightly oversized and I pressed it into place with a handle of a model knife, applying CA from behind. The final assembly is easy to handle and durable and can withstand some punishment. This is a very nice detail set that is a significant enhancement to the Tamiya F-16. The retail price is a bit expensive, but hopefully the strengthening dollar will bring the price down. Highly recommended.