LeVi Tophatter

Well, I may very well be one of the two people that will buy and build this kit... After years of constantly failing to get hold of the super expensive Hasegawa re-box of someone else's kit, this comes along out of the blue. YES!!! Manufacturer's have to pull something out of their esoteric side once in a while and Armageddon's not due for a long time yet, so you never know, that kit they 'should have done' may be around in a year or two!!! Happy New Year everyone.

Nice... 1/24 BMW i-pod 8 and the Porsche 918 Spyders are definitely ones to get, not too sure anyone will be around when the Weissach Martini version is released (July 20159) Hehe!!! Happy New Year.

Not particularly fond of the F-35 but it may very well become the next Mirage, F-4, F-16... . Nice point but what really got the 'Allied' forces in Vietnam were the tactics utilised buy 'Axis' forces... Many a time just a hidden trap intended to maim or just getting Fighter-Bombers to emergency jettison their bombs, well away from the intended target was all that needed to be done... Quantity can very well be overwhelmed by quality, in every respect. It's all about how you use what you've got be it a You Tube channel or an F-35... The much talked about 1982 Beqqa Valley air campaign was a fair example of this.

Hi, Not sure there are any MH-53J's available OOB in 1/48, so the alternative would be to obtain a Revell 1/48 CH-53G/GA/GS kit and the Cobra Company MH-53J Pave Low III update set. Cobra Company also do an interior set and an armament package if wanted/needed... There were other MH-53 multi-media detail/update sets around by various manufacturers but they all seem to have vanished from existence. Decals also seem to be non-existent for all but the -53M variant... Will certainly be a big kit once finished!!! Didn't know the -53 could roll over. On an extreme tangent, the Powerpuff Girls video at the end made me laugh, had no idea how 'adult' it was until now... They sure don't make cartoons like they used too!!!

That's a lot of kit's... 1/72 Su-27KUB and Su-27K are highlights for me (who'd have thought someone would do an injection moulded Su-27KUB...), really looking forward to getting hold of them as well as the 1/72 A-6A, A-6E's and EA-6B. Always wanted to do each variant of the 'flying drumstick', I remember making an A-6B and a crude A-6C from the Fujimi kits many years ago. Fingers crossed for a 1/72 EA-6A sometime in the not too distant future!

... I made an order last week and the postage was much higher than usual (almost double) because it could only be sent via Air Mail for some bizarre reason (ordered x2 Tamiya 1/48 F-16's). Perhaps the season has something to do with it? My order is now languishing in my 'Private Warehouse' until the new year, in the hope 'normal' postal prices will resume...

Yeah, the same with Group S too. Would love to have this mini-beast in plastic form: Toyota 222D 'MR2 silhouette' For Group S but also intended for Group B too. 750hp with a wet weight of 750kg apparently...

Larry, be careful... Everyone's entitled to their opinion (I'm not their biggest aircraft fan either) but you can so easily get hauled up for them and I'm not talking about the BM moderators... The 'ethically pure' Apple fanatics would have you hung, drawn and quarters for starters!!!

Well, polarised popular politics makes for 'great' TV/reporting, hence why Question Time is more popular than Horizon or The Sky at Night... The money involved is unbelievable and why some nations are committing purchases, Japan for example, I cannot understand. Call me a dreamer, I'd be more committed to forming better relations in the region than buying the latest jack of all trades 'deterrent'.

Some interesting points but it just becomes another anti-F-35 rant, part of the political drama that constantly halts progress... No, I am not an F-35 fanboy, just an observation that the world is very different from Mr Sprey's rose tinted nostalgia/progressive vision. Anyway, would liked to have heard his defined solution to the perceived problems, without reverting back to the era of light weight 'Hot Rods' or multitudes of mission specific aircraft. Advanced F-16's perhaps, the kind overloaded with useless technology?... A laypersons POV!

From the rumourmonger thread a short while back... Orange Hobby 1/72 F-35C, close up of the surface detail. Orange Hobby also do the F-35C in 1/350...

Hehe! Well Mr Esposito, I guess your two contenders for the 'best' 1/72 F-35 are the Academy and Hasegawa kits. You can bet your bottom dollar that Hasegawa will be doing an F-35B and F-35C within the next year or two also. We'll just have to wait and see what the 'scaled down' Kitty Hawk 1/72 F-35A, F-35B and F-35C look like 'RAM panel' wise, if that matters... I thought it was a really good, the reviews were upbeat but no hi-res pics could be found... When I bought it (the Tamiya re-box from Japan), it was just a bit deflated because it was just typical Italeri - fairly decent but lacking refinement... Will still build it though.

Wow, what a nice little kit. Super value for less than £8.50 (ex P&P)... Didn't James May (Top Gear dude) have an up-scaled balsa wood version made for his record toy glider attempt?

You're both right! The new Italeri F-35A kit is cat. no.1331, it has also recently been re-boxed by Tamiya (cat. no. 60787 with exactly the same box-art and decals). You can get a quick glimpse of it through my link on post #3 or have a look at this 'quick build' review. It's a typical Italeri kit, decent effort but for me, the detailing is just too soft and inconsistent. Aside from the usual USAF markings, it does contain national insignia for British, Italian, Belgian and Dutch aircraft too. On a slight tangent, of all the orders/prospective orders published, the Israeli F-35A (F-35I?) is of some interest considering their 'unique' developments of current and previous aircraft.

Orange Hobby may look at this and think "By 'eck"... I agree that the best OOB 'RAM panel' solution lies with 'RAM panel' decals. Relatively simple, easier to use and cheap, as opposed to vinyl paint masks and photo-etch panels. As hinted above, the moulds may have already been processed so I wouldn't hold my breath that the production kit will look much different at all, especially considering the expense of tooling/(re)manufacturing costs. To give Orange Hobby credit, the detail to be seen is very nice, especially the cockpit, reminds me of the Kitty Hawk 1/48 F-35(s). Maybe Kitty Hawks upcoming 1/72 F-35A, F-35B and F-35C kit's won't be too dissimilar to this in aesthetic... Hit or Miss, in an ideal world the options you've pointed out would be sublime, it would be similar to a 1/72 Wingnut Wings kit but on the flip-side, would you be willing to pay the inevitably high RRP associated with this approach? Kits these days will certainly have to appeal to 'Lil' Johnny' as well as 'Papa John'. There are folks who slate the Hasegawa 1/72 F-111 kits because they include the complex slat/slotted flap system... I wouldn't go that far to declare the other kits 'un-buildable' solely because of the exaggerated raised 'Ram panels'. Despite being engraved panel lines they can be masked and airbrushed (lay masking tape alongside the panel lines) or even carefully brush painted with a small flat brush... Both options take absolutely ages though. Montex or Eduard surely will do a paint mask (or photo-etch ) set for the 'RAM panels'. My personal preference at the moment is the Hasegawa F-35A's, they are quick to build with typically refined detail and all for 'pocket money' prices (from Asia of course...). The moulds are also designed to cater for the F-35B and F-35C that, knowing 'Hase-knock 'em out-gawa', are just around the corner! Edit, forgot that F-111's have double slotted flaps, not 'plain' fowler flaps...

Hehe, that particular picture can mean whatever you want it to, weather you like the F-35 or not... It's pretty clever, at least I think it is. Yes, they've got all 3 variants on the go, which is great. It would be nice if those RAM panels could be toned down a bit from the 1/48 kits though... Personally, I'm waiting for the F-35B and F-35C from Hasegawa, just to make some quick, inflight desktop models of all 3 variants. BTW, your blog is really good, especially with regards to attitudes...!!! Bizarrely, a common sense approach comes across as quite original, which is an odd thing to say in today's world... All the best.

Well, the 'best kit' is totally subjective... Have a look at these to inform your opinions, tried to use images of manufacturer built models too: Italeri X-35 JSF (also re-boxed by Tamiya) Prototype aircraft in it's short take off/vertical landing configuration. Italeri F-35A (also re-boxed by Tamiya) New tooling but typically soft detailing with over exaggerated RAM panels. Open weapons bays though... Academy F-35A Much more refined and sharper detailing over the Italeri kits in every way. Open weapons bays plus Matchbox style multi-coloured plastic Hasegawa F-35A Typically refined, sharp and fairly well detailed kit, it's designed to be an 'easy build' of sorts. Closed weapons bays... The moulds are modular, so an F-35B and F-35C won't be that far away, Hasegawa has already released a more colourful F-35A Prototype kit... Fujimi F-35B Well detailed (apart from ejection seat), refined (though with 'heavy duty' location pins/tabs), with a lot of 'features', the entire engine and lift fan systems are included... Open weapons bays and also moulded in multi coloured plastic. There are two JASDF 'what if' releases plus another with a pre-painted photo-etch fret included - Expensive... Orange Hobby F-35C Only F-35C almost in the the market. RAM panels are much like the Italeri kit, far too exaggerated, still looks nice though... Comes with the hangar deck tractor too. Kitty Hawk F-35A, F-35B, F-35C Still in CAD land at the moment, more likely to be scaled down, simplified examples of the 1/48 kit(s) produced. There is quite a lot going on at present and in the near future, so you're spoilt for choice I'd say!!! That'll sort out our budget deficit...!!!

Regarding the F-14's, it was a mixture of US nationals and a US based, Iranian 'owned' company obtaining, selling and shipping components above and below board. Most of the F-14's and all the manufacturing tooling being destroyed so quickly was more to do with the Super Hornet saga than anything else... The 'Iran has them' line is just easy and effective justification for doing so, after all, they are the 'bad guys' at this moment in time... The more one ponders about the F-117's over Tonopah, the more bizarre it becomes, it just seems illogical to use them for anything, even low observability tests or even drones...

Sadly, an RAF Kawasaki P-1 is all but 'what if' modelling territory for many political reasons. The JSDF have different requirements to us, despite us both being islands and this was a one of the reasons they rejected our Nimrod and went ahead with developing the P-1... Yep, it's not the most palatable way of showcasing the truth of the matter but then this (to me) is no more embarrassing than HMS Astute running aground during 2010. The sight of Russian Naval vessels on the borderlines of international waters doesn't frighten me at all, it's more a stark reminder of where we and continental Europe stand in the grand scheme of things... I'd love to have a rant at the politicians too but then I remember, It takes public votes to get 'them' in...

True. The 'YF-117' in the OP shows it being ripped apart with ease but it has to be mentioned that the aircraft is practically all metal at this point. The problem is the RAM coating over the fuselage and leading edges of the F-117, it's less than pleasant to work with, quite toxic some reports say... Once this has been removed, the F-117 is just a 'tin can' that can be disposed of just like any other '70's era aircraft. I guess even if the rest of the fleet are awaiting destruction, it's fairly logical to have them in their original hangars than out in that massive desert 'Bone Yard'. Some more speculation on my part, the F-117's being flown around may be involved in the F/A-18 Super Hornet IRST program, amongst other things. We'll probably not know what's going on for a long time to come.

... Some sort of centralised organisation where individual National Insignia are no longer required... Crud, my foil hat slipped off again...

At present, there are two F-117's still flying. Not sure why the rest have been carefully stored in their original climate controlled hangars at Tonopah if they are going to be destroyed. This is the kind of thing that the conspiracy theorists thrive on!!! I thought that the 'low observability' technology was obsolete/comprimised. Would be nice is if they got an F-14D in the air, most of them were actually only as 'old' as early F-16CJ Block 50/52's... That particular Gulfstream 2 is interesting, as is the other UAV test aircraft. The jet was/is testing the AIM-9X/IRST package, wonder if it has a simulator or two inside... There is a Hasegawa F-16C kit (Wisconsin ANG boxing) that has an interesting box-top photo, just behind the F-16C you can just about make out the extremities of a 'civil' MiG-21. The USAF have had MiG-29's for some time, care of unified Germany and possibly Poland but I would love to know where the Su-27 came from and what variant it is...

Tony, it absolutely was possible to launch the AGM-12 Bullpup without the radio guidance pod. The AGM-12 was used with limited success in Vietnam by a plethora of aircraft, even some specially modified helicopters. The radio guidance hardware could be installed within the airframes of a given aircraft. This rather poor photograph of an operational A-4C Skyhawk (I think it's an A-4C), it shows x2 AGM-45 Shrike, x2 AGM-12 Bullpup missiles and a centreline drop-tank, no guidance pod... Another photo showing an A-4F Skyhawk launching one... There is no ignorance with regards to the contents of the Hasegawa weapons set (and others), it's more that Hobby Boss should have tooled the radio guidance pod themselves for their FJ-4 kit...

Mike V, I had no idea that you were in the business!!! Great stuff going on at SHM, will definitely pick up at least 2 sets of the 1/72 A-10 engines and wheels when they come out, just ordered another pair of Hase. A-10C's for them... This hobby of ours ... Off topic, is there any demand for 1/72 'early' F-15A/B wheels? Got the Hase. F-15A ANG, ADTAC, Streak Eagle and TF-15 kits but they only come with the 'late' F-15A/B, standard F-15C/D wheels ... Thanks for the info.

Well, the companies target demographic are by and large the vast majority who want decent new kits, not so much 'accurate' scale models... Can't be too surprised with the results as history has shown. To that end and after reading what the knowledgeable folks have taken the time to study and impart, I'll be doing one or two 'WHIF' Hornets instead as this aircraft combines the best parts of the Mosquito and Beaufighter aesthetic to my eyes. Of course, if this thread was about a 1/48 2nd Gen. Harrier, I'd be frothing at the mouth!!!