Lots of modelling fun for a small budget with the 1/72nd scale F-16 MLU "Stinger" by Revell

When in the summer of 2017, the special paint job on the F-16 AM of N°1 SQN of the Belgian Air Force was presented, Revell got in contact with the squadron commander in order to make an accurate kit of the dynamic looking Fighting Falcon in this livery. Just a few months later, the kit was released, and when it arrived, our friend François Laloux got started right away to see what it would look like in 1/72nd scale.

Quick Build: Lockheed Martin F-16 MLU 100th Anniversary
Product number# 03905
1:72nd Scale
98 parts
length 207 mm
wingspan 143 mm
Product Link on the Revell Website

The F-16 of N°1 SQN got the stylish livery to celebrate the squadron’s 100th anniversary. Actually, to be more exact: the 100th anniversary of the squadron symbol: the Scottish Thistle, which was given to the squadron during World War 1. The symbol (and motto “Nemo me impune lacessit” – meaning No one can attack me unpunished”) was adopted from a Scottish Regiment also fighting in the Great War. 

Photos: Belgian Air Force photographer Bart Rosselle: 

To commemorate the anniversary, one F-16 – FA-132 – was painted in a beautiful livery, showing a stylized thistle on the vertical tail and a pattern of grey and yellow stripes on top of the aircraft. The squadron motto was placed on the black painted drop tanks. The markings in this kit are the F-16AM Falcon FA-132 100 Years 1st Squadron - "Stingers", Belgian Air Component - Florennes AB - 2017.

Seeing the livery, Revell got interested in releasing a version of their well-known 1/72 F-16 AM with this livery. The kit is probably one of the best F-16’s in this scale, so things could go fast. Photos were taken, Syhart Decals was asked to design the decal sheet.

The content of the latest Revell F-16 in 1/72 is no suprise: 3 sprues of grey plastic, one clear one, nicely produced and clear instructions and a well-printed decal sheet. So, let’s take a closer look at the kit: 

First the instructions: Coloured, clear and simple to follow - this is a great improvement on the older instructions from Revell.

The kit is very nicely engraved and comes with parts that make the Belgian MLU different from the other versions of the F-16, such as the long tail housing.

Even though the kit isn’t very big, it still holds quite a lot of detail, as can be seen in this photo, showing the wheel bays.

These parts of the ejection seat are less than 2 cm in length, but you can see that Revell put a lot of detail in them. Careful by the modeller will suffice to make them look great!

Revell must have produced thousands of kits of this F-16, and although there is some flash to be found on some parts, the kit remains impressive in detail and engineering. It builds very easily.

Some flash on the clear parts too, as can be seen in this photo, but nothing that a little clean-up can’t take care of.

The decals are printed just about perfectly and go on without any problem. Well done, Revell!

This is a very easy kit to build and falls into the category of “shake and bake”. In the case of this special livery, all depends on the decals, but as you can see: these went on without the slightest problem and settled in nicely in every recessed panel line and around every detail.

The impressive tail decals settle very well and are an exact copy of the real thing, as can be seen in this photo by the Belgian Air Force photographer Bart Rosselle:

This kit is perfect for beginning modellers or for experienced modellers wanting something easy in between more complicated projects. And it sure brings a bit of colour in your display case, even though this is mainly a grey jet.

This is another one of those inexpensive kits by Revell, filled with a lot of building fun. And we’ve heard that there are other liveries for this kit coming in the near future! We can only be happy about that! So, go get this kit or buy it for a youngster that might be interested; it is true publicity for the hobby!

Model built by François Laloux
Photos of the real jet by Bart Rosselle, Belgian Air Force
Text: Nicolas Deboeck

Thanks to Revell for sending this kit to Francios to make and review