The F-16 is probably the most successful US fighter since the F-4 Phantom in terms of overseas sales. The plane is relatively easy to maintain, doesn't cost a huge amount of money and provides both air to air and air to ground capabilities in the same airframe. That has made it very popular with many air forces who want a great deal of bang for the buck. True, they can get similar capabilities with Russian, British and French aircraft, but with so many F-16s around and many having been pulled out of USAF service, there is no problem with parts and 'used' Falcons can be purchased for a very reasonable price.

One of the earliest export users of the F-16 has been the Israeli Defense Force. Actually, it is more than just a self-defense force, being quite capable of projecting offensive power anywhere in the region that it wishes and it has proved that several times in the past. It was with some of these power projection missions that the usefulness of the F-16 was shown to the IDF. It was not unusual to find that the IDF wished newer and more improved Falcons. One of those is the two seat F-16D Brakeet. This is basically a standard F-16D that has an upper fuselage 'hump' added that incorporates additional avionics systems. These are probably ECM systems to allow for jamming and deception of enemy surveillance systems as the strike group heads to its target. The only other country to currently fly similar aircraft is the Singapore Air Force. 

I won't go into a long description of the Hasegawa F-16B/D kit. Suffice it to say that this isn't exactly one of the newest models around. The F-16B/D kit has been around for nearly two decades in its current form and that is what provides the basis of this kit. Of course there are some other additions in the form of sprues for the F-16C-40/50 kit to give you new wingtip launchers, ECM bumps, bulged wheel doors, new wheels and a larger intake. I'll leave it to the F-16 experts to tell me if this kit has everything right or not. 

What adds the extra $8-10 to the kit is the inclusion of the avionics spine as well as new ECM bumps and a new radio antenna in resin. To use this, you plug it into the upper fuselage where the tail normally goes, cut off the kit tail, and glue it to the resin spine. I'd drill a hole in the spine and fin and put a pin in there to provide some support or it will be easy to snap it off.

Decals are for two aircraft that are basically the same. Colors given are FS 30219 brown/33531 yellow/35622 blue over FS 36375 grey. Frankly, I don't think that is correct as one of the upper colors is generally a green and the underside on IDF planes are usually a very light blue. You can see the Hobbycraft A-4H review to see the colors I used on that kit.  However, I will be more than glad to find out that I am wrong. If you know the current colors for the Brakeet, please contact me so I can put them in this review. The two units are  105 'Scorpion' squadron as shown on the box art and 601 Test and Evaluation squadron with red stripes on the tail.

I'm sure that IDF fans are very glad this kit is available and I'm just hoping for some current Singapore AF decals so I can do one of the ones I photographed last year!

Review kit courtesy of me and my wallet!

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UPDATE:

Reader Yoav Efrati has sent in some information on this plane you might find of interest. I'll let him take it from here:

"A FEW NOTES CONCERNING THE HASEGAWA F-16D.
FIRST OF ALL THERE IS NO AIRCRAFT NAMED "BRAKEET" IN THE IAF. BLOCK 30 AND BLOCK 40 F-16C AND F-16D AIRFRAMES ARE NAMED BARAK (LIGHTNING IN HEBREW). THE HASEGAWA KIT PROVIDES AN ACCURATE SPINE. THERE ARE ADDITIONAL RWR BULGES THAT MUST BE EITHER SCRATCH BUILT USING PHOTOS OR REPLACED BY ONES MADE BY EAGLE DESIGNS.

THE "BOX" MOLDED TO THE AFT END OF THE RESIN SPINE IS OVER SIMPLIFIED, SEE PHOTOS BELOW:

SOME OTHER ITEMS NEED CORRECTING IN THE KIT INCLUDE: ADD A REVISED/LARGER JFS INTAKE AFT THE LEFT WHEEL WELL, RESHAPE THE GUN OPENING, MAKE NEW REAR COCKPIT VIEWING SCREEN ATOP THE DASHBOARD.
I PUBLISHED A COMPLETE ARTICLE ON HOW TO MODIFY THE HASEGAWA F-16D INTO AN ACCURATE RENDITION OF THE ISRAELI TWO SEAT BARAK IN THE MAY ISSUE OF SCALE AIRCRAFT MODELLING. MANY OF THE CHANGES NOTED IN THE ARTICLE ARE RELEVANT TO THIS KIT.

AS FOR THE DECAL SHEET, DON'T USE IT. THE COLOR USED FOR THE SAND IS TOO LIGHT, THE RED TEST UNIT MARKINGS SHOULD BE ORANGE. ISRADECAL F-16C/D SHEET, AVAILABLE THROUGH HANNANTS, PROVIDES CORRECT MARKINGS.


AS FOR THE ACCURATE COLORS USE ON THE F-16A/B/C/D. TOP SURFACE SAND F.S.33531, BROWN F.S.30219, GREEN F.S.34424 (RAF W.W.II SKY), BOTTOM SURFACE LIGHT GHOST GRAY. THE COLORS I PREFER TO USE ARE, HUMBROL 121 FOR THE SAND, HUMBROL 119 FOR THE BROWN, TESTORS MODEL MASTERS "SKY" FOR THE GREEN AND
HUMBROL 127 FOR THE UNDERSURFACE GRAY. FOR THE RADOM, MISSILE RAIL AND RWR ANTENNAS I USE HUMBROL 140. NOTE - THE COCKPIT COLOR FOR THE BARAK IS BLACK, NOT GRAY."