For the troublesome intakes that I mentioned earlier I made some intake blanks from Milliput and added some TOP GUN logo decals to add some interest to them.
I had decided to keep the weapon/store load simple with 2 x AIM-9X Sidewinders, 2 x AIM-129 AMRAMMs and a central fuel tank. The kit has the central fuel tank as plain black but the Fightertown decals had a “TOP GUN” logo on the F model which I decided to use as they added a bit of interest to the model. The kit Sidewinders and AMRAAMs were replaced with spares that I had that had better detail: the kit ones aren’t terrible by any means but the detail is just a bit soft on them and they have no decals for them.
The kit undercarriage is actually quite good with some good detail and its fit is Ok, I did use epoxy for attaching the main wheel struts as the attachment points are quite small and the epoxy will reinforce it. The wheel bay doors again are a bit vague but with dry fitting and a little ‘adjustment’ they fit into place without to much trouble.
Toby Page says
Great build and write up Dave. I now know I need the ECS pipes as well, I have got replacement Eduard zoom for the cockpit and resin exhaust’s for when I build mine.