Model Magazine International 05 2008

It's probably fair to say that Tamiya's newly tooled 1:48 F-16C Block 50 moved the bar up a few notches upon it's release, setting a new standard for models of this famous jet fighter, with greatly improved levels of detail, fit of parts and overall accuracy than any rival production. In this second version, we have the Block 25/32 variant, which, to the untrained eye may look identical to the Block 50. but is in fact subtly different in several key areas. It's actually a considerably older version, the Block 25 being a 1984 upgrade program that introduced better radar and aviation electronic (avionics) systems, and the Block 32 bringing an engine upgrade such as the LITENING II advanced targeting system, which significantly enhanced the aircraft's ability to attack targets at night and in poor-weather conditions. In the kit, we have newly tooled parts to address the different version - the most visually apparent being the smaller diameter intake and different jet nozzle of the Pratt and Whitney powerplant, revised undercarriage components, two new sprues of weapon-consisting of AIM-120 AMRAAM. AIM-9L/M and AIM-9X sidewinders, wing and centreline fuel tanks and LITENING II targeting pod. Newly moulded parts for the GBU-12 laser-guided bombs feature clear components to depict the laser guidance lenses.

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FineScale Modeler 05 2004

Talal Chouman has a job most of us only dream of- he's not only a professional model maker, but his work at the University of Massachusetts Submillimeter-Wave Technology Laboratory gives him access to full-scale examples of the military's latest fighting vehicles. What more could a modeler ask for? Talal, 38, has built models since he was 10, and has built professionally for more than 17 years. His interest in AFVs and modeling doesn't end at 5 o'clock, though. His full-time passion for military hardware led him to scratchbuild this show-stop-ping 1/16 scale Operation Enduring Freedom Marine Corps LAV-25. Starting with tour months of intensive research, Talal spent some 1,800 hours on the fully detailed, museum-scale model - that's an average of two hours a day for two-and-a-half years. It s not surprising when you look at the model. Constructed plate-by-plate just like the real vehicle, the model is a masterful assembly of styrene, acrylic, resin, brass, aluminum, and other media. The massive model features a fully detailed interior, one of Talal's favorite parts of the model.

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