F-16 in the RAF (yet again)

[Big Bird]

Hi Guys, it's been a while since I was last here. (No Whiff building)
Anyway here's the latest project.

Having got fed up battling the B-26 into submission I decided to have a break and build something just for me, something enjoyable!
So with a 1:48 Revell F-16C, some parts and decals from 1:48 Revell Phantom II FGR.2 and some parts from a 1:48 Airfix Tornado F.3. I'm going to put together an F-16C block 40/42 in RAF service with 56 Squadron.

The back story:

1984 18 Tornado F.2 entered service with the RAF with No 229 OCU. along with the well publicised Foxhunter Radar faults, the proposed RB 119 Mk 104 engine was found to be wanting at the proposed high altitudes. 229 OCU pilots were also complaining about the limited 'dog fighter' abilities, what was needed was the Eurofighter. Unfortunately the Eurofighter project was dragging it's heels and in service dates were predicted well into the future.
'The powers that be' continued to drag their heels in making a decision meaning that the ageing Phantom FGR.2s soldiered on in UK QRA . Finally the debacle with the Germans threatening to pull out of Eurofighter forced their hand and recommendations from the three F-16A that were on trial with the RAF (See my F-16 in the RAF) was noted.
Still with our aged Phantom FGR.2 and things looking unstable in the gulf the government  placed an order with the USA for 100 of the proposed F-16E/F but asked for 50 earlier airframes to be immediately supplied.
The USA wanting to keep it's oldest and most favoured ally happy diverted 50 F-16C/D block 40/42 from other customers to the RAF. Of course the government had to make some changes to keep British companies happy. These were the fitting of Martin Baker 7A ejection seats and a British engine. Rolls Royce just happened to have an experimental engine that would do the job. The RB186, a hybrid  development of an up-rated Tay LP compressor and Spey HP compressor and afterburner. This 'new' engine was called RR Ouse. Also an addition of a 'probe and drogue'  type refuelling probe was fitted. The original air to air fittings was retained to allow RAF F-16s to use USAF tanker aircraft. These modified airframes were immediately put into service with 229 OCU and the recently disbanded 56 squadron. Designated FGR.4 Tempest II. It was decided to keep the Tornado F.2 as long range interceptors for northern QRA and the F-16s would take over all other duties that the Phantom FGR.2 were doing. The squadron was declared operational on the F-16C just three weeks before the start of the 1991 Gulf War.
Thus the RAF had it's multirole dogfighter, just in time 'as per usual'!

My original F-16 in the RAF back story:

In late 1990, faced with the spiralling costs of the Eurofighter and our European partners getting nervous on cost, amount of aircraft required and build rations. Coupled with the news that the German government wanted to pull out of the contract. The MoD contacted the United states government with a view to purchasing the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The ideal would be for the airframes to be fitted with a Rolls Royce engine, Marconi avionics and assembled in the UK.
Before any such deal came to fruition the United States government made available to the MoD/RAF three airframes. These were basically F-16A/B airframes that had been used for testing and as company sales demonstrators.
The planes were delivered to Boscome Down in 1991 and testing/evaluation began with a newly formed RAF evaluation flight. The RAF pilots and the personnel at MoD Boscome Down were immediately impressed with the aircraft. The F-16s were unofficially named Tempest II by the evaluation flight, whether this name would have been officially chosen or sanction is now a matter of conjecture.
However all testing was halted in July 1992 when the German government admitted that it was legally bound by contract to stay with the Eurofighter project and all parties to the contract agreed on new take up amounts and the division of labour was re-negotiated.
The F-16 airframes were returned to the US and immediately mothballed at Davis-Monthan AFB 'bone yard'.
Thus ended the RAF's brief love affair with the F-16.

On with the build. Today I have sourced all the parts I think I will need and started work on some of them.
I've mated the spey AB nozzle with the rear end of the F-16, built the MB seat (will be adding some tape belts to it) and I've fashioned the refuelling probe.



More to follow...

A busy day in my non modelling life today, so I only got a little done.
The beauty of these Revell F-16s is that you can 'throw' them together quite fast with little or no fit issues.

MB seat 'squeezed' into the F-16 cockpit.



Cockpit in, fuselage halves together, Spey AB 'Can' fitted and the Intake assembly built and awaiting a little sanding after the cement dries.



More later...

[Taiidantomcat]

great start 

[sotoolslinger]

Really cool idea little sis.

[Sauragnmon]

A Spey, in a Viper.... now THAT sounds cool.  Equally interesting would be a Spey Eagle.

That gives me an idea... *writes that down*

[Big Bird]

A Spey, in a Viper.... now THAT sounds cool.  Equally interesting would be a Spey Eagle.

That gives me an idea... *writes that down*

You need to remember that te Spey is a lot lower powered than modern engines and they need a lot of air.

[Sauragnmon]

Hmm, I hadn't thought of that, I'd thought you simply were fitting a Spey, I hadn't seen the part on the engine in your backstory.  Still, Spey cans on an Eagle would be different, and would look equally interesting sitting beside my planned Black Eagle project(s) that I'll be doing.

As to airflow, I would quite imagine the intakes of an Eagle could supply a wind-sucking Spey quite easily, they Are quite large.  I would surmise that if you can fit the Ouse into a Viper C's engine bay, especially a nought-block's F-110 or a Deuce-block's F-100 bay, you could fit them respectively into the engine bays on the Eagle and the Beagle, as they use the F-100 and F-110 respectively.

[Big Bird]

Yes I think an Eagle or a Tomcat would be more than suitable for Spey type engines, probably more so than the Viper.
I did think about some aux intakes as on the FGR.2 but decided to keep my build simple.

[Big Bird]

Well another busy day today so didn't get a lot of time on the F-16.

As you can see minimum filler needed.





After sanding





Guess you can see where I'm heading with this one now.



More soon...

[pyro-manic]

Oooh, 56 Sqn?

Looking interesting, I must say.

[Big Bird]

Yep, Firebirds, I'm really liking this buld. I've been planning it some time now

[AeroplaneDriver]

Cool project!!  That scheme is going to look great on the overly-gray one! 

One question...do you have a later model MB seat in the parts bin, such as a Mk10, or even a USN MB SJU seat from and F-18?  The Mk7 you have is a little older than the F-16 generation...  Either way, remember to angle the seat back like the stock F-16's ACES II seat, since the seat angle has a lot to do with the pilot G-tolerance in the F-16. 

Looking forward to seeing this progressing!!   

[Big Bird]

Anyway this mornings update.

GREY.....



More later...

[buzzbomb]

Very interesting.. and all with the speed of a startled gazelle.


Great work.. waiting for the scheme now

[Sauragnmon]

Keep it up, she's a beautiful project so far!

[Big Bird]

This afternoon's progress



Coming on nicely.

More soon....