Yeah too many people acting like their opinion is the 'correct' one. What you said is correct. To the ones thinking the color scheme looks 'wrong' the P-47s came in multiple color schemes too. This is only 'wrong' because you aren't used to it.

Gabby Gabreski approves!

that makes sense then. but otherwise, I would equate the F-16 with the P-51. Even down to the ventral air scoop. How great would an F-16 look dressed up as "Big Beautiful Doll"?

I can't help but wonder what modern fighter jet would be "appropriate" in their minds.

@@MatthewvMayo most likely the A-10 Thunderbolt II, since the aircraft is named after the P-47 Thunderbolt.

Yeah, I was about to say the same. The man hours needed for sanding, filling, masking and decalling are insane! The painting part itself is the quickest thing in the entire process :)

No doubt. It takes a long time, sometimes weeks to prep a vehicle for that special paint job, even if it’s one solid color. I’ve had my share of painting a lot of vehicles, and gotten a lot of tips from other painters along the way. Some were very challenging. I still have photos of a lot of them.

@@dangeary2134 What vehicles did you paint? Planes? I "only" painted cars and it's a hell of a job. A plane must be that times 20.

@@marcusaureliusantoninusaug2161 I restored and painted several classic cars, and countless street cars. Did a few custom jobs, too. Semi trucks are also in that mix, as well as quite a few steel buildings, and more than a few speciality epoxy finish jobs for industrial use. I have a couple questions for you. Do you think that these guys were just born with their skills? You must think that, otherwise you wouldn’t me knocking me or anyone else in the nuts about someone you don’t know, and have never met, or even seen his work. Next question: How long have you been a jealous narcissist? Either you have never painted a car, or you have, and you think you are so special that nobody else can do it correctly except for you. Could I paint an aircraft? No doubt in my mind whatsoever. I already know what goes into it. I also have no doubt that I could do it solo, but it would take time to do it right. You would do well to learn the difference between someone that is blowing amok and someone who is confident in his abilities. That dinky little F16 would be a piece of cake compared to some of the things I’ve done. For one thing, it’s not full of dents….

I noticed the flat green portion go past the cockpit and thought this was a 'take' on the original livery but the idea is to replicate it.

I was the Shop Chief there in the 80's and early 90's. Good to see they finally installed the inserts. We complained for years about the paint fumes getting into the offices

While I do like the "Wild Duck" paint scheme, the "MIG-Killer" looks much better in my opinion. Either way, the team did a fantastic job!!

Cool stuff! How many days/hours are we looking at here? Looks amazing.

@@mallard206 roughly 9 days, about 8 hours a day.

And they can get away with whatever color they use lol

So I guess a wrap would just peel off at super sonic speeds......

How often is an aircraft repainted in normal ops?

@@DaylightRobberyCA Wow that is a great question. From what I remember it really depends, not sure what the regulations say today on how often (I didn't work in sheetmetal shop/corrosion control) but seems like it is often 3 years or 4 years between paint for most of our F-4's and F-16 aircraft from what I remember. The Commanders aircraft will likely be painted the most often (every year or two years based on how it looks). It takes some days to do a repaint even on a small F-16 like in this video because a lot of the old paint and primer is usually sanded down to near metal before repainting because repeated repainting over old paint can make an aircraft gain weight.

@@Bowhunters6go8xz6x thanks! Yeah, I figured the old paint would have to be removed for weight constraints

For those not in the know, the Commanders jet is repainted more often because they fly them to Wing/Group staff meetings. It's like making sure your Ferrari is perfect before driving to the golf and country club for a match/event. Everyone's ride will be judged for scrapes, smears and imperfections.@@Bowhunters6go8xz6x

@@DaylightRobberyCA Take in mind that It has been 27 years since I retired from the Air Force where I used to do this kind of work. Things I'm sure have changed. The life cycle of a repaint is suppose to be three years.. But that depends on the location of each plane, how it's stored and how often it flies. Bases like Kunsan AB in Korea fly quite often. Those mostly got a field touch-up. Where as training bases might fly less hours. At Luke AFB where this video was filmed might have a repaint every 15 months prior to the installation of flight line aircraft covers. The sun will bake the you know what out of a paint job. And lets not forget about the ones that just needed to be pretty just because who flies them, Wing and Squadron Commanders get pretty from their boarding ladders right down to their wheels.

The tail paint changes the normal perspective of the plane. It has a lawn dart (Jarts) feel.

Yup. Issues with paint required a redo of the green.

Earl Scheib, home of the $199 paint job.

Decision by committee...