1:48 scale F-16 kits by Tamiya, Hobbycraft, Kiddyland

The Tamiya kit is a curious mix of YF-16 prototype and F-16A production features. The kit has the ESCAPAC ejection seat, split nose gear door, and prominent strake mold lines of the YF-16 protoype, but also has the nose/radome shape, ventral strakes and various lumps, bumps and scoops of the F-16A early production airframes. The Tamiya kit is like the Entex/Otaki/ARII kits in that the fuselage is split into left/right halves, where most other F-16 kit splits the fuselage into top/bottom halves, regardless of scale. The intake interior has no ducting and the nose gear well and the inside of the fuselage are visible through the intake. One-piece canopy without frame can only be built in the closed position. All of these kits have raised panel lines.


  • Manufacturer: Tamiya
  • Kit # 61022
  • Date Released: circa 1976

  • Stores include two AIM-9s and two early-style external wing fuel tanks.
  • Molded in white with raised panel lines.

  • Markings included for both prototypes, 72-01567 in the Red/White/Blue scheme, and 72-01568 in the Light/Dark Gray Air Superiority scheme. Note that the tail markings say F-16 instead of YF-16 - this is how 01567 was marked at the 1975 Paris Air Show, shortly before it was converted to the YF-16/CCV testbed.

The Hobbycraft kits are copies of the Tamiya kit. Decals are of generally poor quality. Some of the releases include additional parts.


  • Manufacturer: HobbyCraft
  • Kit # 1510
  • Date Released: ???

  • Stores include two AIM-9s and two early-style external wing fuel tanks.
  • Molded in gray with raised panel lines.

  • Markings included for both prototypes, 72-01567 in the Red/White/Blue scheme, and 72-01568 in the Light/Dark Gray Air Superiority scheme. Note that the tail markings say F-16 instead of YF-16 - this is how 01567 was marked at the 1975 Paris Air Show, shortly before it was converted to the YF-16/CCV testbed.


  • Manufacturer: HobbyCraft
  • Kit # 1510
  • Date Released: ???

  • Identical to the kit above, with new box art.
  • Molded in gray with raised panel lines.

  • Markings included for both prototypes, 72-01567 in the Red/White/Blue scheme, and 72-01568 in the Light/Dark Gray Air Superiority scheme.


  • Manufacturer: IDEA / HobbyCraft
  • Kit # 1510
  • Date Released: ???

  • Identical to the kit above, released by IDEA in Korea, released by HobbyCraft in the US.
  • Molded in gray with raised panel lines.

  • Markings included for both prototypes, 72-01567 in the Red/White/Blue scheme, and 72-01568 in the Light/Dark Gray Air Superiority scheme.


  • Manufacturer: HobbyCraft
  • Kit # 1561
  • Date Released: ???

  • Stores include two AIM-9s and two early-style external wing fuel tanks, new parts include an early-style centerline external fuel tank, and two AIM-120s with pylons and launcher rails for stations 2/8.
  • Molded in gray with raised panel lines.

  • Markings included for a production F-16A from the 8th TFW, 80 TFS, WP Wolf Pack, USAF SerNo 81-0715, Block 15E (later converted to ADF, to AMARC 11/94). Ignore the box art depicting a Dutch F-16, those markings aren't included, just the poor 8th TFW ones. The colors of the markings are incorrect, with blue insignia, no-step lines and refueling markings. To make matters worse, the decal sheet in my kit has no carrier film - just the markings printed on the backing sheet. Doh!!! It is interesting to note that the markings on the decal sheet and the ones depicted on the box art are also found in the initial release of the Hasegawa F-16A kit #V1


  • Manufacturer: HobbyCraft
  • Kit # 1562
  • Date Released: ???

  • Identical to HobbyCraft 1561, with new markings.
  • Molded in gray with raised panel lines.

  • (1) 169th TFG, South Carolina ANG, USAF SerNo 79-0314, Block 05
  • (2) 169th TFG, South Carolina ANG, USAF SerNo 79-0321, Block 05
  • (3) 174th TFW, NY New York ANG, USAF SerNo 79-0368, Block 10A
  • (4) Egyptian Air Force, #9317, USAF SerNo 81-0654, Block 15G

The Kiddyland kits are copies of the Tamiya kit with some additional parts.


  • Manufacturer: Kiddyland
  • Kit # HF-19
  • Date Released: ???

  • Stores include two AIM-9s and two early-style external wing fuel tanks from the original Tamiya molds.
  • The new tree includes two travel pods, late-model external wing fuel tanks, two new AIM-9s, and two AIM-120s with pylons and launcher rails for stations 2/8.
  • Also included are the small intake-mounted canards unique to the YF-16/CCV (Control Configured Vehicle) airframe. The AIM-120 missiles and wing tanks are inappropriate for the YF-16 in any configuration, especially the YF-16/CCV.
  • Molded in white with raised panel lines.

  • Markings included for YF-16 #1, 72-01567, in both the Red White and Blue rollout scheme and as the same airframe was configured as the YF-16/CCV testbed.


  • Manufacturer: Kiddyland
  • Kit # HF-19B
  • Date Released: ???

  • The F-16/79 was GD's response to Northrop's F-20 export fighter. Powered by the GE J79 turbojet, the F-16/79 had less thrust than an F100-PW powered F-16A/B and was also several thousand pounds heavier. Only one prototype F-16/79 was built, FSD F-16B #2 75-0752. This kit is a single-seat F-16, not the two-seat F-16/79 prototype.
  • An extra part is included to extend the afterburner on the J79 engine but the F100-PW exhaust ring from the previous releases remains unchanged. Also, the F-16/79-specific changes made to the inlet are not included. This is not an accurate model of the F-16/79, just an F-16 with a longer exhaust can.
  • Stores include two AIM-9s and two early-style external wing fuel tanks from the original Tamiya molds.
  • The new tree includes two travel pods, late-model external wing fuel tanks, two new AIM-9s, and two AIM-120s with pylons and launcher rails for stations 2/8.
  • Molded in white with raised panel lines.

  • (1) YF-16 #1, 75-01567, in the Red White and Blue rollout scheme.
  • (2) 8th TFW, 80 TFS, WP Wolf Pack, USAF SerNo 81-0715, Block 15E (later converted to ADF, to AMARC 11/94)
  • (3) F-16/79 with ROC Taiwan markings
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