1:48 F-16AM Falcon FA-123 Solo Display 2015 - Blizzard Belgian AF

A winter storm on an airframe

Named finishes hold a special position among display aircraft, because the audience remembers them by name sooner than by number. The finish prepared for the 2015 season carries a designation referring to a snowstorm and is built on a cold palette with sharp white shapes that run across the fuselage and the wings. The carrying machine was the example with the code FA-123 of the Belgian Air Force.

Overview of the contents

Besides the artwork itself the sheet holds the national roundels, the fuselage code, the badge of the unit and a body of service lettering. Light areas make up a large part of the motifs, which sets demands on the covering power of the print and on the choice of the color beneath them.

How to achieve a clean result

With a cold scheme an evenly sprayed base without streaks is the foundation. The white in the print does cover well, but unevenness under it shows at once and can no longer be saved. It has proved best to spray the base in three very thin coats with sufficient pauses, and only then to move on to the gloss varnish.

For the final clear coat choose a fine satin. Display machines tend to be kept in good condition and a freshly polished surface matches reality better than a matte finish. Keep the soiling to a thin line of smoke behind the nozzle and small marks at the walkways; otherwise the cold palette would lose its freshness. The position of the controls is also worth attention: a machine built with the rudder deflected and the flaps slightly extended looks more alive and corresponds better to what this aircraft was used for that season.