F-16I Sufa unboxing – 1/48 Israeli Storm from Kinetic

There is something unique in the Israeli version of the iconic F-16 – maybe it is the unique three-color camouflage, which looks like a desert type camo and yet features fresh green nuances. Maybe they are the gorgeous animalistic tail markings that make the F-16I Sufa unique, or maybe both. In all cases – you get the awesome 1/48 scale rendering of the real deal out of this huge Kinetic box.

The boxart depicts a Sufa with an eagle or a falcon on the tail, as well as decorated with quite a good amount of loadouts. The second thing that impressed me even before opening the box was the bottom right edge of the box, which shows the basic information about the content of this F-16I kit. The finished model will measure only some 30cm by 20cm, which is expected for a small plane such as the F-16I. However, the box of this small model contains more than 450 parts! Pretty interesting. So let`s get started with the unboxing review.

The F-16I Sufa is famous as one of the widest exploited Israeli jet fighters, which along with the F-15I`s – are symbolic displays of the 3-colored Israeli camouflage scheme. The history of the model can be traced back to the last decade, when Kinetic offered a series of F-16 scale models. And the amazing Sufa camouflage still makes this F-16I model an irresistible subject for modeling. Even a quick first look at the kit is enough to understand that it is recommended mostly for advanced modelers or for the real pros. 450+ parts for such a small model is not an easy take. When you open the box, you might be stunned of the packing of the sprues. I came across just about three main bags full with sprues. Indeed, the bags are overwhelmingly stuffed with plastic, which leads to the biggest con/imperfection of this kit. Some bags hold 5-6 and even more sprues at once. The quality of the plastic is fabulous though – the parts have beautifully engraved panel lines, rivets, doors, tubes, wires and many other details, while the plastic sprues themselves are two-colored. This is not exactly advantageous, buts it`s interesting. Another thing that surprised me was one of the inner edges of the box, which holds a small triangular sheet with tiny little metal parts. While continuing with the unboxing of this Sufa kit, I quickly came across the instructions manual and the color markings that stay on the bottom of the box. The instruction manual looks rather like a small booklet, but it is a very good explanatory guide for the assembly of this 1/48 Sufa kit. Because of the small size of the manual – everything in it is quite small, including the lettering and the numbers, and it will require a little bit more attention to read. Here is an overview of the plastic parts in this 1/48 scale Kinetic kit:

And an overview of the “soft” parts in this F-16I Sufa kit:

I found these highlights of the kit as its greatest Pros:

– Awesome riveting, panel lines and detailing of the surfaces. The rivets are everywhere and are very fine. The panel lines are not too deep, nor too fine. A lot of access doors and panels are engraved to put this Sufa kit even closer to the realm.

– Replacement metal parts, respectively for the Pitot tube on the tip of the nose, and two small photo etch mesh screens which are to be fitted on the CFTs.

– Decals for 4 airframes, respectively 2 from the Negev Squadron and 2 from the Bat Squadron. The differences are visible mostly on the tails of the Sufa, but in all cases – it comes to huge beautiful decals with falcons and bats.

– A wide range of armament – from targeting to navigation pods, and from underwing fuel tanks to small rockets and bombs – there is everything in this Kinetic kit to overwhelm your model. This is especially essential for the Sufa, because the CFTs permit longer range without underwing fuel tanks, which on the other hand, means more space for loadouts.

– Extreme attention to the smallest details – this is the first time I see so small details in a 1/48 scale kit, and I mean no photo etched or resin parts. Just regular OOB plastic parts. The Sufa is a rather small plane, but the attention to the smallest details is second to none – from antennas, to nodes, panels, probes, lights and many more. I also don`t mean replication of these parts via panel lines and engraving. This kit has a multitude of tiny little details as separate plastic parts.

And as with every kit, this Kinetic F-16I kit has some Cons as well:

– Unreliable packing. The inadequate packing is a big issue, because the kit is quite big and it`s not packed well. It`s only enough to imagine 450+ parts stuffed in just about three plastic bags to get a better idea on what we talk about. Some parts are broken, others are ripped off of their sprue gates, others are dramatically bent such as the airbrake.

– Seamline along the entire canopy. Thankfully, the canopy and the other clear parts are stored in a small separate bag, and the canopy has no major scratches or indentations. However, it is not the perfect canopy – it has some great distortions and a molding line along its entire length, which will definitely require sanding and polishing.

Conclusion:

The Kinetic`s Sufa is without a doubt one of the most detailed if not the most detailed F-16I in 1/48 scale. I have not seen that much F-16 models by myself, but I strolled through a few inbox reviews and videos, and the number of the parts  in this kit is something that you don`t want to underestimate. More than 450 parts let you to choose the best way to assemble your favorite Sufa airframe. Although F-16I is a small plane and the CFTs make it look a little bigger, this model features a lot of details – small and bigger, to combine into an overwhelmingly detailed and complex model.

You can get this kit here: Kinetic F-16I Sufa 1/48