1:72 F-16 F110-GE open exhaust nozzles

The real subject

The F-16 is one of the most widespread single-engine combat aircraft in the world and during production it received two different powerplants. Alongside the engine from Pratt and Whitney, a large proportion of the aircraft use the F110 from General Electric, a turbofan engine with an afterburner. It is by the exhaust nozzle that the two branches of the family are most easily told apart, because each engine has the moving part at the end of the fuselage arranged differently.

What the set contains

A replacement exhaust nozzle for the F110-GE engine in the open position, that is with the petals of the exhaust section spread, for a model of the F-16 in 1:72 scale from Reskit. It replaces the kit part, which is usually split into two halves with a seam down the middle and has no internal shaping. Which kit the part is drawn for and what has to be adjusted on the model is given in the manufacturer's instructions.

Building and painting tips

The parts are not polystyrene, so ordinary modeling glue has no effect on them; they are glued with cyanoacrylate glue. Cut the surplus material off with a sharp blade a little away from the part and carefully sand the remainder down, so that the mating surface stays flat and the nozzle meets the fuselage without a step. Wash and degrease the part before painting, otherwise the paint will not hold. Apply metallic shades in thin coats and grade them from the root toward the rim, because the nozzle is most heat-stressed at the end.

• 1:72 scale
• the exhaust nozzle of the F110-GE engine in the open position
• a replacement for the kit part, with no seam down the middle
• glued with cyanoacrylate glue; the surface is degreased before painting
• the kit it is intended for is given in the manufacturer's instructions

Terms of supply

The aircraft kit, paints and glue are not included, unless stated otherwise.