Royale Resin 1/48 F-16 Antenna Upgrade Set First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | April 2010 | Manufacturer | Royale Resin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | F-16 Antenna Upgrade Set | Scale | 1/48 |
| Kit Number | R022 | Media | Resin |
| Pros | Nice update set for the Hasegawa 1/48 Viper | Cons | No ADF antennas |
| Skill Level | Intermediate | MSRP (USD) | $7.99 |
First Look
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Royale Resin produces a wide range of resin detail sets which specialize in resin weighted wheels for a wide variety subjects. In addition to their wheel options, Royale Resin also produces some interesting other kit enhancements. This is one is no exception.
This very reasonably priced update is targeted for the Hasegawa family of F-16s and provide much-needed antenna updates to all of the kits. The set is cast in tan resin and includes 21 parts, though you won't use all of them on any one Viper variant.
The details include:
- New radome - Hasegawa's radomes were produced prior to the adoption of the ridged radomes for lightning protection. These are represented on Kinetic and Tamiya kits.
- AIFF antennas - these are the five antennas mounted ahead of the windscreen on F-16A/B MLU, F-16A/B Block 20, F-16C/D Block 40/42/50/52 CCIP, and Block 50/52+ export fighters. You won't need them for the Block 25/30/32 or pre-MLU/CCIP Vipers (this may change if the USAF funds the life extensions on the Block 30 Vipers).
- TACAN antennas - these are out of date on the Hasegawa kit and can be used to repair/update the Kinetic or Tamiya kits
- UHF antennas - these are also out of date on the Hasegawa kit but also provide different antenna styles used on the Viper, so if your reference photo shows a different ventral or dorsal antenna than that provided in any of the Viper kits, this set will get you current
- RHAW blisters - this set provides good alternatives to the kit blisters
This is a simple and cost-effective way to bring your Hasegawa kit up to similar external detail standards as those found in the Tamiya or Kinetic kits. The only set of antennas that might have been nice to see are the bird cutters that were mounted ahead of the windscreen and under the intake for the F-16A ADF fighter variant (these were mounted on baseplates that were mounted onto the airframe unlike the AIFF antennas that are mounted directly to the airframe).
If there is a Hasegawa Viper project coming up in your future, then you'll want to get one of these to help your project along.
My sincere thanks to Royale Resin for this review sample!