1:48 F-16C Block 42 till 2005 cockpit 3D-Printed

The F-16C Block 42 cockpit up to 2005 in 1:48 scale

The set brings a 3D-printed cockpit for a model of the American F-16C Block 42 aircraft in 1:48 scale from the Czech maker Eduard. The name states that this is the form matching the period up to 2005. It is not an airplane kit but an accessory that replaces the cockpit made of plastic parts. A version for the period from 2006 exists alongside it, so you choose according to the years in which your machine flew.

The real subject

The F-16 is among the most widespread combat aircraft of the present day and over decades of service it has gone through a whole series of upgrades. Block 42 is one of the versions of the single-seat F-16C, and machines from this series served for a long time, so their equipment changed step by step. The cockpit is the place where an upgrade shows fastest: displays, controls and the layout of the panels all change. Two sets for two periods are therefore not a needless division but a response to the fact that the same aircraft looked different inside in 2000 than it did ten years later.

Building and painting tips

Check the fit dry before gluing and carefully sand any mating surfaces; the cockpit has to seat so that the canopy can be closed. Degrease the parts and spray them with a primer, then paint the base shade of the cockpit and finish the details with a fine brush. Cyanoacrylate glue holds even where cement for plastic will not take. Finish the cockpit before you close the fuselage, and settle in advance whether you want the canopy open, because then the interior will be seen from close up.

Who the set is for

• Builders of the F-16C Block 42 in 1:48 scale
• Modelers building the machine in its form up to 2005
• Builders leaving the canopy open
• More experienced modelers used to detailing an interior