Vermont Vipers

Howdy, all!

2023 is halfway over--time really flies, doesn't it?

Our annual South Carolina Scale Model Mega Show was held on the weekend of June 16th, and went quite well.  We've found a new venue for the show, and it looks like it will serve our purposes.  Attendance was good, and the models on the tables looked great, too.  We're looking at doing it again on 8 June 2024, so stay tuned to the website: https://scmegashow.com

If you're in the area, come on out and spend the day with us!
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Ask any scale modeler, and they will all tell you that, at one time or another, someone they know will make on of the following statements:

• “I’d really like to have a model of (insert subject here)…”

• “Could you help me finish a model? I have the kit and I started it, but I’m not sure I can finish it…”

• “Can you build a model for my (insert relationship here)?”

In the 50 years I’ve been hacking away on styrene, I can’t recall how many times I’ve heard it. And, most of the time, I’ll try to lend a hand. Sometimes I get paid to do so, other times I will only give advice. If the person asking is a friend, I try to help. Depending on how long I’ve known the person, I may do the project and ask for nothing in exchange—okay, maybe lunch, but that’s it…

In this case, I agreed to build some models for a friend who retired from the Vermont ANG, having been an F-16 technician his entire career. At the same time, I also decided to build one for myself.

The kits: A 1/32nd scale Hasegawa F-16C and a pair of 1/48th scale Tamiya F-16C’s. He initially started a Revell 1/48th scale F-16A-15-ADF, but as the Tamiya kit was much better, I opted to start over with the more modern kit. I could work with the Hasegawa 1/32nd scale kit as it was.

The decals: The 1/32nd scale decals appeared to be a laser- or ALPS-printed sheet, I have no idea where it came from—it was in the box with the Hasegawa kit (as was a Tamiya canopy). For the smaller models, I used the TwoBobs Aviation Graphics “F-16C 60^th Anniv. Green Mountain Boys” decals, sheet number 48-139.

The plan: The model I would keep—one of the 1/48th scale models—was built out of the box with some minor tweaks. I removed the locator pins on the inner end of leading edge flap part of the upper wing and, with some gentle persuasion, bent the leading edge flap to kinda sorta depict the usual +2 degree position of the flaps when the airplane is static. I built the kit from the Aggressor boxing, and built it with an air-to-air ordnance load.

The 1/32nd scale model was likewise built pretty much out of the box. I did do some additional work in the cockpit, as one of the big knocks on the Hasegawa kit is that the cockpit tub has some dimensional issues. I fixed them with some Evergreen sheet. I also rescribed the panel lines. I didn’t consult with any books to correct them, I merely engraved what Hasegawa had as raised lines. Some of the parts were detailed—the bombs, particularly, needed some help. I also wound up making replacements for some of the bits that had gone missing between the time Dave started the model and when he handed it over to me.  I waffled back and forth over whether I should reposition the flaps.  In the end, I did it.  I'm happy I did--it adds a little life to the model.

The second 1/48th scale model would need the most work. Dave was trying to build the earlier model—the Revell updated reissue of the ancient Monogram FSD Viper—with the landing gear in transit. With the Tamiya kit, that became somewhat easier, since the details were much sharper.

Let’s talk about research. The idea was to display the model as it was taking off from the runway with the landing gear about midway through the retraction cycle. Not only do we need to research the landing gear itself, but we also need to research the airplane itself.

On all airplanes, when the airplane is off the ground, the landing gear oleos extend. In the case of the F-16, the nose gear has a trunnion at the forward end of the well, and the lower unit (wheel and fork) rotate approximately 90 degrees when the gear retracts so that the wheel lies flat in the aft end of the wheel well—just like the P-40 and F4u Corsair’s main wheels did back in the day. The retraction piston is gets shorter, and the drag link hinges in the center.

The main gear oleos also extend. On the F-16, the main struts pivot forward, the retraction jack pistons retract, and the drag lings hinge in the middle. At the lower end of the strut, the torque links and lower units pivot forward about 90 degrees as the wheels enter the wheel well.

So, on the model, we will have to make those changes to the landing gear.

A good razor saw—one of the JLC or CMK saws, for instance—was used to cut the drag links so they could be posed. For the retraction cylinders, I cut the piston/lollipop end off the cylinder, then drilled the cylinder so the piston rod would slide into the cylinder. That way, I need not need to make any precise measurements when I assembled the landing gear.

The nose landing gear oleo was replaced with a length of hypodermic tubing that was slightly longer than the molded-in oleo.

As for the main gear, I looked at extending the oleos, and decided that the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. You can extend them if you want to—study photos and use them as your guide. To me, it was more hassle than it was worth, and wouldn’t be noticeable on the finished model...

Now, what about the flight controls?

I studied videos of F-16’s as they left the ground. The first thing to note is that the leading edge flaps transition from the +2 degrees up position to the 15 degree down position as soon as the airplane comes off the ground. Also, the trailing edge flaps are raised. The horizontal stabs will be in a nose-up position.

The trailing edge flaps on the Tamiya kits are separate, and could be posed at either the full up or full down position as they were molded—there are little tabs that fit into slots that will set the angle. If you chop off both sets of those tabs, you can position them at any position you wish. The stabs are retained by poly caps on the model, so they can be posed as you wish.

The leading edge flaps, however, are molded with the upper wing halves and need to be cut free. A razor saw and a sharp blade takes care of the task, and some styrene strip stock is used to build up the top leading edge to change the angle. Work slowly, and the job is not difficult at all.

Now we need to make the model “fly”. There are several ways to go about this, but to me, the easiest method was the one I used:

• I bored out the exhaust nozzle so that a length of brass tubing would fit (machinists would call it a “sliding fit”)

• I made two doublers from 40 thousandths Evergreen, and bonded them securely to the forward end of the nozzle

• I sourced a length of clear acrylic rod that would fit the brass tubing

• Once the assembly and paint operations were concluded, I installed the whole assembly by first applying epoxy to the forward end of the brass tube where it would meet the aft face of the engine compressor “bulkhead” that Tamiya used.

• While the epoxy was still workable, I installed the exhaust nozzle with tacks of CA, then an application of Tamiya Extra Thin to securely bond the nozzle to the airframe

• Once the epoxy and cement cured, the acrylic rod was installed into the brass tubing and a “proof test” showed that the engineering was solid.

Oh, and if you're going to build an in-flight model, you can't forget a pilot!  I used the kit pilot, but replaced the molded-in oxygen hose with a scratchbuilt replacement made from soft wire wrapped around a mandrel.

The finishing process was anticlimactic.  I mixed the camouflage colors with Tamiya Acrylics.  I found several color recipes online, did some mixing and test swatches on index cards, then compared them to my FS595 fan deck.  I chose the closest match, then lightened the color a bit to compensate for the scale effect.  I started with a base of Tamiya X-18 Semi-Gloss black, thinned roughly half and half with a 50-50 mixture of X-20A and Tamiya lacquer thinner.  I finally found my new favorite paint...

The laser printed decals presented some small issues, but I managed to get them all on the model to my satisfaction.  An Astra 1/32nd scale decal sheet provided all the insignia and stencils on the big plane.

The TwoBobs decals laid down nicely, too.  My only gripe is that the sheet only contains complete markings for one of the two aircraft--there were only two of the little squadron "flash" that lives on either side of the fuselage just aft of the cockpit.  Not a huge gripe, but still...

By this point, the models were all assembled and ready for display. For me, display means they need bases.

For the 1/32nd scale model, I used plywood—I normally make wooden bases for models that I build for other people, as they tend to add an extra finishing touch to the presentation. To hide the plies on the ends of the board, I used an iron-on veneer, available at most local big box home centers. A few coats of gel stain followed by a few coats of water-based poly were applied and allowed to dry thoroughly, after which I used a finishing pad to lightly buff the finished surface. I cut some 3/4”x3/4”X1/4” wood “chicklets”, glued them onto the underside of the base, then glued black felt to them to create “feet” for the base. Some mat board, cut to size, was used for the top of the base.

For my model, I made a simple base from balsa wood and foam core board, painted to resemble the ramp at Burlington ANGB in Vermont. I used a painted section of mat board to top the base. I’ll describe that process next...

For the in-flight airplane, some thought had to be given to the arrangement. I again used plywood, not only because it adds that finished look to the project, but also because it was durable enough to support the weight of a cantilevered model airplane!

Once I sketched out the basic layout, I bored a hole into the plywood, then installed a brass tube sleeve into the base using the same size tubing that was used to create the support system in the airplane. A generous amount of epoxy secured the sleeve in the wood. The same iron-on veneer was used to hide the plies, and I also “framed” the top surface edges with the same veneer. The same finishing process was used—gel stain and water-based poly, followed by a light buffing with a finishing pad.

For the runway, the difficult bit was cutting the oval hole where the sleeve was. Careful marking and cutting helped, but the initial effort was wonky. I took a small piece of mat board and tried again. I then placed the small piece of mat board on top of the “runway” and cut them both at the same time, making a patch that would precisely fit the cutout. Satisfied, it was time to make these bits of mat board look like an airport...

I consulted Google Maps to get an idea of what the runway, taxiways, and ramp at Burlington ANGB looked like. With the images in hand, I laid out the expansion joints lightly with a drafting pencil on the mat board I used to top the bases. Once I was satisfied, the mat board was painted various shades of gray to simulate concrete. The various markings were masked and painted, then the expansion joints were re-drawn, using a bit more force to make them more prominent. This will also leave a bit of graphite on the surface, which was used to our benefit—wipe along each line with a paper towel. This will smudge the graphite to some degree and create “shadows” along the lines. A coat of matt clear seals everything.

All that’s left to do are make placards. I used to make them in PowerPoint, print them onto card stock, then attach them with spray adhesive to mat board, trim them to shape, and attach them to the base with white glue. And that method is still sound, but over the holidays I bought a new toy…

The Silhouette Cameo is a plotter/cutter that can do a bunch of things—modelers in particular have discovered that they can cut paint masks and stencils for all sorts of things. That’s why I bought mine, but in this case, I used a procedure that Silhouette calls “Print and Cut”. It is used by crafters to make stickers, and that’s basically what I did.

I created the placard images in Silhouette Studio. Once I had them the way I wanted, they were printed onto sticker paper on my HP Smart Tank 7001 ink jet printer. The printed stickers were then run through the Cameo with a cutter installed. During the creation process, the software adds registration marks to the page, and during the cutting procedure, the Cameo “sees” these registration marks, and knows where to cut the outlines.

I simply peeled the resulting stickers off the backing, stuck them to small bits of mat board, and then trimmed and applied to the base as I would with the PowerPoint images.

I’m still playing around with the Cameo. I think it will become a quite useful addition to my toolbox.

Since the models were going to be presented, I needed a box. Or boxes. And I also needed a transport fixture for the airborne model.

The latter was simply two pieces of scrap wood screwed together at a right angle. The long side would be the base, and the short side had a hold bored into it that accepted a short length of the same acrylic rod used for the actual display.

For the boxes, I usually make them from foam core. I wanted something a bit more sturdy, so I searched through the storage containers at the home center. I found two appropriately sized plastic bins with lids. Problem solved...

Beauty shots: