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In-Box Review
148
F-16 Radar Early
Brassin F-16 Radar Early for Tamiya kits equpped with the APG-66 radar
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by: Andy Brazier [ BETHEYN ]

History

The AN/APG-66 was designed by Westinghouse for the Lockheed Martin (General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon. The AN/APG-66 radar is a solid state medium range (up to 150 km) Pulse-doppler radar designed by Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) for use in the F-16A/B.
Information from wiki.scramble.nl

The radar
Now not being fully versed in the block numbers and incarnations of the F-16, along with the various upgrades it has seen, I'm not quite sure what mark this fits onto, but I think (and correct me please if I'm wrong) this fits onto the F-16A,and Bs. The F-16C (Block 25), and above aircraft were fitted with the APG-68 radar.
This "kit" is for the Tamiya F-16 models, but a quick test shows it does pretty much match the Hasegawa F-16A size wise as well. The nose part is the exact same size, but a little surgery to the Hasegawa F-16 fuselage will need to done to fit the base plate onto it.

In the box
Packed in a plastic blister box, the resin parts are sandwiched between the clear front and a foam backing. The P.E is packed in a seperate compartment, backed up with a cardboard insert sellotaped into place.
The instructions are in the back of the packaging, along with a mini flyer stating the product name, which also serves as a guide to other Brassin products for the F-16.
The radar comes with 11 resin parts and one small fret of Photo Etch holding the radar antenna, and nine extremly small latches, which fit onto the nose cone and the radar holding plate.
The resin is a mix of colour, with some a dark grey and the rest a light grey. No bubbles or discrepencies are found on the parts.
The smaller parts are on a couple of large casting blocks, and look very easy to remove. The larger parts have a casting block on the rear side of the holding plate, which you don't have to remove as it will fit into the "hole" in the nose. The mounting unit for the radar looks to be a little more difficult, as the casting block is on the face where the P.E radar will sit, so a fair bit of cutting and sanding smooth will have to be done.
The base plate has 4 shallow depressions, which on the real aircraft are holes, so these can be drilled out, but care will have to be taken, as the resin is quite thick on this part.
Detail is very good with raised detail for electrical lines and servos.
An added bonus is a new nose cone, which has a little detail inside for the various catches, and a bit more refined detail for the strakes on the outside of the nose.
The Photo etch holds several very small catches that fit inside the nose cone, and on the radar holding plate, extreme care and good eyesite (in my case, a microscope) will be needed to install these items. There are a couple spares included for the evitable loss to the Carpet Monster. The slotted planar-array antenna is exquiste with a very fine mesh texture to it, and the slightly irregular edge the dish has.

Instructions
The instructions are on a A5 size sheet that is folded in half. The build sequence has not got a numbered system but is easy to follow as each part to be attached is clearly marked out. A nice touch by Eduard is a blue line drawing of the part attached, so the exact postion is clear.
No colour guide is given, so you will have to look at references for painting the radar system.
SUMMARY
Highs: Nice detail, well cast.
Lows: No painting guide.
Verdict: A very nice addition to upgrade the Tamiya kit, and will add interest to the nose area.
Percentage Rating
90%
  Scale: 1:48
  Mfg. ID: 648032
  Suggested Retail: $19.99
  Related Link: F-16 Radar Early
  PUBLISHED: Aug 10, 2011
  NATIONALITY: United States
NETWORK-WIDE AVERAGE RATINGS
  THIS REVIEWER: 84.81%
  MAKER/PUBLISHER: 88.59%

Our Thanks to Eduard!
This item was provided by them for the purpose of having it reviewed on this KitMaker Network site. If you would like your kit, book, or product reviewed, please contact us.

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About Andy Brazier (betheyn)
FROM: ENGLAND - SOUTH EAST, UNITED KINGDOM

I started modelling in the 70's with my Dad building Airfix aircraft kits. The memory of my Dad and I building and painting a Avro Lancaster on the kitchen table will always be with me. I then found a friend who enjoyed building models, and between us I think we built the entire range of 1/72 Airfi...

Copyright ©2021 text by Andy Brazier [ BETHEYN ]. Images also by copyright holder unless otherwise noted. Opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AeroScale. All rights reserved.



   
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