1:48 Camouflage Paint Masks For F-16 Blizzard Aggressor

An aggressor coat for air combat training

Units that play the role of the opponent in exercises are given a finish different from the rest of the air force. The pilot is meant to recognize a foreign silhouette from a distance and learn to track it against the sky as well as against the ground. The nickname Blizzard belongs to one of those winter variants, in which white is joined by several levels of cold gray.

The nature of the pattern

These are not softly sprayed patches but areas with a hard edge that break across the whole airframe. The fields meet at sharp angles, run from the spine onto the sides and above the wing follow on from one another so that the edge agrees. That is the hardest part of doing it by hand: a shift of one millimeter is enough and the continuing area on the other side of the fuselage no longer lines up.

The F-16 suits this task by its size as well. It is small, agile and hard to pick out against the sky, so the emphasized areas of the finish give the training crews at least some clue. A model in 1:48 shows the pattern in all its complexity.

Spraying step by step

Choose the lightest tone as your starting point and apply it to the whole model. Once it has cured, lay on the first group of shapes and add the medium gray, then repeat the procedure for the darkest fields. Give the paint time between the individual stages, otherwise the new shape will tear away together with the previous layer when it is covered over.

Spray at lower pressure and hold the nozzle perpendicular from above. An angled stream will carry pigment under the edge and the hard edge the stencils are bought for will smear.

The stencils alone are supplied. The shades and the plastic model of the aircraft do not belong with them.