Hasegawa

1/32 F-16C Fighting Falcon 122nd FW 'Special Markings'

Kit Number: 08193

Reviewed by  Rich Marchiafava, IPMS# 39230

MSRP: $132.99 US Distributor - Hobbico: Website: www.hobbico.com In the world of modern combat aviation, one of the most widely used and recognized aircraft is the F-16. Introduced in the 70's, this multi-role aircraft was designed as a fighter and attack platform. The U.S. Air Force wanted it as the replacement for the F-4 Phantom and it was a smaller and less expensive supplement to the F-15 Eagle. It has been a favorite around the globe and in the hands of the right pilot it can out fly almost anything in the sky. Hasegawa has given us another 1/32 F-16 offering. This time it comes in the livery of the 122nd FW Indiana ANG.

Upon receiving the box I noted that it was adorned with a beautiful box art picture in typical Hasegawa fashion. Inside were eight sprues of light grey plastic with raised and recessed panel lines with moderate amount of flash that is easily cleaned up. Also included is one sprue of clear plastic, and a bag of white metal parts which make up an Aces II Ejection seat. There is also a huge decal sheet of markings for 4 aircraft. 84-264 122 FW Indiana ANG, 85-415 "Texans since 1917",84-274 "Ace in the Hole" and 83-147 "Don't Mess With Texas" of the Texas ANG. The large invasion stripes are a little bulky to work with and I would recommend either cutting them down to a more manageable size or painting the stripes instead, as they give you extra national insignias for this on the sheet.

One interesting little item was the small sheet of self adhesive metal parts to be used as reinforcement plates around the aircraft, the chaff dispensers on the bottom of the bird, and the splines on the nose cone. It also doubles as a scribing template for the access panels on the back of the aircraft as well as an alignment tool to line up the other panels and splines. This is a very cool addition.. Be careful when handling the sheet; once a part is peeled away from its backing as it will lose its tackiness and need to be glued down. Also pay close attention to the scribing directions; they can be hard to follow.

The cockpit is molded very well in relief with a choice of a plastic seat or the white metal seat. I opted to use an aftermarket set. However the rest of the aircraft is the same F-16 from years ago. You have a choice of open or closed nosecone to display the radar and the canopy can be displayed up or down. You also have a choice of raised or lowered landing gear, and the refueling receptacle can be opened up or left closed. They also give you an option of showing off the M 61A1 cannon or closing it up. Included in the kit are parts to back date it to an "A" model Falcon, a choice of F-100 or F-110 afterburner cans, a full set of armament, and a F.O.D. cover.

All in all I'm very happy with my effort as it's colorful and looks good in my F-16 collection. I would like to thank Hasegawa/Hobbico and IPMS/USA for the review opportunity.