1:48 F-16AM Falcon FA-134 Solo Display 2009 Belgian AF

The second chapter of the Belgian display series

Every year the air force chooses a different airframe and a different pilot, so a neatly ordered collection of finishes comes about, through which one can leaf as through an album. The year 2009 belonged to the machine with the code FA-134. Its finish lasted a single season; once it was over the aircraft returned to ordinary service and the colors disappeared under the standard gray paint, as happens with these aircraft.

What is included

The sheet brings the whole piece of artwork, the national insignia, the fuselage code, the designation of the home unit and a set of small texts. The colors are printed deeply, so even thin lines stay legible once applied and do not dissolve into the base.

Before you set to work

On a single-engined fighter with a large canopy it matters at which stage you fit the canopy. It is recommended to keep it separate until the motifs on the fuselage are finished and clear-coated, otherwise the clear part easily fogs from the fumes of the varnish. It is also worth considering whether to build the model with the flaps extended: display machines stood on airfield aprons exactly like that, and the position of the surfaces changes where some of the lettering belongs.

The shade of the base chosen affects the result more than it seems. A light color works under deep motifs, because a dark base shows through them and dulls the shade. On more extensive areas it pays to try one motif first on an offcut of plastic painted in the same color. A few extra minutes decide whether the result will resemble a photograph or read as dull.