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Tamiya is to release a new tool (?) 1/72nd Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II kit. Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=615777313890734&set=pb.100063754112187.-2207520000.&type=3 V.P.

Italeri is to release a new tool (another one...) 1/48th Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II - beast mode - kit - ref. 2836 Source: https://www.italeri.com/en/?pvw=1&p=1&fbclid=IwY2xjawH3m6hleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQKPQWQay3WnPsd7HPRFsbYJDYrP3vxXRE31jfbL3ZMrtjGAwTGcTxH1jQ_aem_oRl5IXZn7Ma3tqCVn3zjZg V.P.

At Nürnberg Toy fair 2013. 1/72nd Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II by Academy - ref.12507. Source: http://www.primeportal.net/models/thomas_voigt7/academy/ V.P.

I was interested when the aggressor paint scheme was revealed in real life, and when Hasegawa announced a special edition I ordered it directly from Japan. Until I got the kit I had not realised how big the F-35 is, very similar length, width, wing area and fuselage bulk to a rhino, as second photo shows, much bigger than a Viper. So that along with the gray and stealth markings will discourage a large collection. The Hasegawa kit has a fairly detailed inlet structure so as the aggressor's seem unarmed there's some interest there. No AM available as far as I am aware, so apart from the inlet the interest will be the paint (and the large decals). Asia GB starts next week so I am unsure when I will start this. Chris

Here's what I'll be playing with: I'll be using the Academy kit with 323 Squadron 70th Anniversary markings. Cheers, Andre

As you can see in my 1/72nd Academy Dutch F-35A Anniversary bird topic, I'll have two of the Academy A kits to play with. First I planned to do a Dutch line bird, but since the late 2024 RoG kit will feature a brake chute housing, I'll use that kit for that. So, I will use one of the other kit decal options for the second Academy kit. At the moment I am leaning towards a ROKAF bird, since most other nations seem represented already but I haven't spotted a South Korean build (yet). Open for suggestions! Cheers, Andre

Hi all this is my latest finish for the F-35 group build here on the forum. I know for some people it's a meh, boring grey jet but the paint finish was a nice challenge to have and am happy with the result. The short build thread is here but to recap: Kit: Italeri 1331 F-35A Lighting II Scale: 1/72 Build: Out of box, kit decals and options. Paints: Tamiya, Mr Hobby, Klear, Panel wash, W&N Satin Varnish Extras: None! Thanks for looking and happy modelling. All the best, Dermot Italeri_172_F35A_Finshed (1) Italeri_172_F35A_Finshed (3) Italeri_172_F35A_Finshed (5) Italeri_172_F35A_Finshed (4) Italeri_172_F35A_Finshed (7) Italeri_172_F35A_Finshed (8)

Hi all and I'm in with this one, will be a OOB build. Italeri_F-35A_box_art by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Just the two sprues....some plastic fondling may have taken place Italeri_F-35A_contents_1 by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr And clear parts and decals. Italeri_F-35A_contents_2 by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Good luck with your builds, happy modelling. Dermot

Will be building this as a Royal Norwegian AF plane. Not decided yet will it be in stealth or beast mode.

Kit used: Meng F-35A LS-008 + Zvezda 7235 Aircraft Stand.

Hi all Here are the photos for my latest finished model. Academy kit 1/72 Very nice kit to build straight out of the box. I didi a few scratch built details like the seatbelts for the ejection seat, the canopy tinting, threads on the tyres and a landing light on the nose landing gear. I regretted to made the option to leave the canopy open since it was very hard to glue it in place and it still a little bit crooked. The have glass painting was a mixed of Tamiya and Gunze to get the match. I've tried SMS 69 Have Glass but I wasn't happy with the colour (too greenish to my taste). Comments and critics are welcomed.

Hello all, Like it says on the tin - has anyone tried DNModel's 1/72 F-35B RAM panel paint masks (designed for the Hasegawa kit) on the Fujimi kit? Alternatively, used aftermarket RAM panel decals for the F-35A on the Fujimi kit (most likely a combination of cannibalizing the decals for the common panels and masking/painting the rest). Feedback/suggestions much appreciated. Ta!

F-35A Lightning II (03868) 1:72 Revell Probably one of the most (if not the) most contentious and publicly berated projects since the beginning of aviation over a hundred years ago, the F-35 in its three guises has been a marathon journey from proposal to production and testing, with the first few going into service in the 2010s. Initially named the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), there were three variants proposed, all of which shared the same overall configuration and look, as well as combining technology from the F-22. Utilising a stealthy surface with internal weapons bays, supersonic performance and an in-depth sensor-fusion that provides the pilot with excellent situational awareness and a broader "sense" of the whole battlesphere, the software alone has been a mammoth task. Coupled with the new technologies integrated into the airframe, and the number of contractors/countries involved, it has been late and over-budget on a number of occasions, with frequent threats and calls to cancel the project in favour of other options. Various customers have also opted in and out of the end-of-project purchase, and numbers of airframes have been chopped and changed by various customers as political wrangling and budget-balancing became involved. The Netherlands have stuck with the programme however, and has a few airframes in service with another thirty-odd yet to be delivered, all of which are scheduled to have the Norwegian-designed drag-chute pod to shorten their roll-out on landing. Irrespective of the political back and forth, the engineering side of things has progressed through the hurdles, and at the end of 2006 the maiden flight of an A variant was made, followed two years later by the STOVL B variant with its controversial lift fan. Fast-forward to 2015 and the US Marines were happy enough to call it suitable for initial operations. The navalised F-35C later joined the fray in 2018 after many issues are resolved around carrier operations. The A variant is the smallest of the three airframes and is aiming to replace the F-16 eventually, although it will have a monster of a job replacing the Falcon in the hearts of aviation enthusiasts, as well as the vast differences in cost. The Kit Here Revell have re-boxed the Italeri kit from 2003. The molding is good as you would expect from a new kit, some of the detail seems a little heavy this seems to be this way with some of the F-35 models. The first sprue is dominated by the main fuselage halves with most of the others parts and weapons being ton the second sprue. A tinted canopy sprue is also provided. In a break from the norm the cockpit is not the first to be started. To the lower fuselage the intake trunks are added in at the front, then to the main section the main wheel wells are added complete with the gear. Now we move to the cockpit; the instrument panel goes in followed by the seat. This is an OK representation of the MB Mk.16 but really could do with a replacement. Next up the engine is assembled. Now the engine and cockpit can go into the upper fuselage. The fuselage is then joined. Now the fuselage is together the rear flying surfaces and tails go one, followed at the front by the landing gear there. If you want to the weapons bays can be closed up, though it would be a shame to close in all the detail there. You get a choice of AMMRAMs & JDAMs for the bays of you want to load them up. To finish off the wheels go on along with the canopy which can be open or closed. Markings There are two decal options on a sheet from Italy so there will be no issues there. 1. 15-5200 - 421st Fighter Sqn "Black Widows" , 388th Fighter Wing Hill AFB, USA. 2. 15-5164 - 63rd Fighter Sqn, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke AFB, USA Conclusion This is a good kit of the new F-35A, recommended if you want to build the new grey jet. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

Hi there, Waiting for things to hang under my RSAF Tornado, I started on a bird we're going to see at airshows for a decade or six. It's almost sexy (in the 'not at all' meaning of almost). But I'm sorta kinda getting used to that thing, so... The cockpit is flashy (not). The cockpit goes into the upper fuselage shell The seat does change the look of things. The yellow ejection handle does the trick, I think. The air intake is splendidly designed IMHO (as is the kit, I'd say) The various bays are installed inside the lower fuselage half. The lower fuselage half seen from above with everything in place. Some persuasion may be required once or twice, though. Here it goes. You have to remove every joint line (and it can be a bit tedious). I really should have added the wingtip lights at that moment... The belly of the beast. And now, searching for the blemishes... On the fins too... The fins are glued, which was one of the dumbest things to do at this stage, The tailplanes are just forced in place. And it's time for Mr Paint FS36170 grey. And now for the fun part: masking the panels. The Galaxy Models mask sheet is a must have. Really. Let's go. The masks are completed with tape. And the fins, tailplanes and wings are done with tape as Galaxy just didn't bother with them... The lighter grey is Gunze C317 (their just a bit too dark FS 36231). Some gloss varnish later, a quick check with the bay doors. The fit is excellent . And it's decalling time. Nothing too fancy... With the canopy structure and the gear legs: And now a coat of MRP Have Glass. The canopy is tried. Damn, I still had stuff to mask... The nozzle is MRP steel, the petal tips stay black and a white coat is done inside. Then it's glued in place. It's now time for the weapons: two GBU-31 (more masking fun, yay) and 2 AMRAAM. Cheers, S.

F-35A "7 Nations Air Force" 1:72 Academy The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, sometimes also known by the name of the American led multi-national Joint Strike Fighter program to which it owes its existence, is a fifth generation multi-role aircraft. The Lockheed X-35 prototype first flew in 2000 and went on to win a competitive process ahead of the rival Boeing X-32 design. There are three variants of the F-35, the A, which is the conventional land-based strike fighter, the B, which is the navalised VSTOL model equipped with a lift fan, and the C, which is the navalised cat & trap variant fitted with arrestor gear and a larger wing. Although the programme has its critics, there is no doubt that the F-35 is potent aircraft, packed with cutting edge technology, the latest avionics and weapons systems and low-observable design. It has two internal bays that can be used to carry munitions, as well as six external hard-points for when stealth is a lesser consideration. Despite being a relatively new design, the F-35 has been well served by kit manufacturers. Italeri produced the X-35 and then the F-35A, while Fujimi, Hasegawa and Kitty Hawk have also produced kits. This kit from Academy was first released in 2013 and was moulded in multiple colours. The box top of this version suggests it is still moulded in multiple colours, but unless there's something wrong with my eyes, the contents suggests otherwise. The other difference between this version of the kit and the original version is the inclusion of markings for no fewer than seven different users of the F-35A. Regardless of their colour, the parts are all nicely moulded and surface detail is fine and dandy. In common with most kits of modern, blended wing aircraft, the fuselage is split horizontally with the wings moulded in place. The cockpit is composed of a tub, control stick (side mounted, like the F-16), and eight (yes eight) part Martin Baker Mk.16 ejection seat and instrument panel. As well as fitting the cockpit inside the fuselage, the large ordnance bay and landing gear bays must also be fitted in place, as well as the engine air intakes. These parts are nicely detailed and moulded, but parts are provided to build the aircraft with these bays closed up if you can't be bothered to paint all the fiddly bits. If you do finish the model with the bay open, it has plenty of structural detail and pylons are included for the supplied ordnance. The external pylons are also present and correct, which is a nice touch. The landing gear is nicely detailed, with the main gear legs made up of four parts each. The wheel hubs are moulded separatelt from the tyres and are nicely detailed. The tyres have flat spots moulded in place. The horizontal tails are one-piece affairs, as are the vertical tails. The engine exhaust is a two-part jobby which just slides in through the opening in the rear of the fuselage. A full range of ordnance is provided, including: 2 x AIM-9X air-to-air missiles; 2 x AIM-120C air-to-ai missles; 2 x GBU-31 2000lb JDAM; and 4 x GBU-38 500lb JDAM. All are really very nice indeed and will easily old their own against aftermarket resin items. The canopy is nicely moulded but it would have been nice to have a tinted version, like the odd but appealing Fujimi kit. As you may have guessed by now, seven options are provided on the original decal sheet: Republic of Korea Air Force 18-001, 17th Wing, Luke AFN, Arizona, USA, July 2018 United States Air Force 14-5106, 34th Fighter Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing, Hill AFB, Utah, USA, October 2017; Israeli Air Force 901, 140 Squadron, Nevatim Air Base, Israel, December 2016; Italian Air Force 32-01, 32 Stormo, 13 Gruppo, Cameli Air Base, Italy, February 2016; Royal Australian Air Force A35-001, 75th Squadron, Williamstown Airbase, Australia, March 2018; Royal Netherlands Air Force F-001, Leeuwarden Air Base, Netherlands, May 2016; and Royal Norwegian Air Force 13-5087, 331 Squadron, Orland Air Force Station, Norway, November 2017. All of the aircraft are finished in overall dark grey. The decals themselves look thin and glossy and full markings for the RAM are included. Conclusion Kits of modern aircraft such as the F-22, F-35 and PAK-FA tend to be relatively simple affairs due to the relatively simple design of these aircraft. This can make them - dare I say it - a little bit boring to build. This is a nicely detailed kit however, and with the internal weapons bay and the full range of ordnance, it provides pretty much everything you could want to built a really nice replica of an Lightning II. The inclusion of decals for the RAM is also pretty helpful. Recommend. Review sample courtesy of

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10337464 Hasegawa are reboxing their F-35A Lightning II again in another limited release boxing, this time with markings for the first Australian and Dutch aircraft markigs. (Pity they haven't yet done an F-35B )

F-35A Hallo again Here is my F-35A. The kit is from Kitty Hawk. Scale 1/48. The etched parts are from Dreammodel. These are the finest etched parts I ever worked with. Highly recommended. All masking was hand done. Happy modelling

Italeri is to release a 1/32nd Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II kit in 2017- ref.2506 Sources: http://www.aviationmegastore.com/f35a-lightning-ii-2506s-italeri-it2506s-aircraft-scale-modelling/product/?action=prodinfo&art=134766 http://www.italeri.com/imgup/Preview%20Italeri%202016(1).pdf V.P.

Various Aircraft Canopy (and other) Masks 1:48 Eduard Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition you often get a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. The new Tface masks go beyond (or should that be "within") the exterior, and provide additional masks tailored to the inside of the glazing to allow the modeller to paint the interior of their clear parts before attaching them to the model, so that matt finishes to the interior can be achieved, and a more realistic look obtained for the canopy. Here's a selection of the most recent sets that arrived without lots of lovely PE sets in tow. Bf.109G Erla Canopy Tface (EX581 for Eduard) The late war Erla canopy used only a few panels for a more streamlined look, which also improved rearward visibility immensely. As with the greenhouse below, you get all the panes inside and out, plus a pair of wingtip light masks too. Bf.109G Classic Canopy Tface (EX582 for Eduard) The original "greenhouse" style canopy with many facets will send some modellers insane, but here you'll get inside and out masks, plus a pair of masks for the wingtip lights into the bargain. F-35A Lightning II (EX567 for Meng) As well as the big curved canopy of this fifth generation fast jet, you also get a handy set of wheel masks, and as a bonus the faceted sensor window under the nose is also catered for. B-17G Anti-glare Panels (VE Production EX572 for Monogram) The factory at Lockheed Vega produced B-17Gs and used three styles of anti-glare panels on the nose, as well as two styles on the inboard sides of each of the four engine nacelles. The nose masks are full sheets of tape, while the highly curved surfaces of the nacelles are supplied as outline masks, which you must fill with your preferred masking medium to complete the task. Plenty of wartime photos and diagrams ease your way through this process, and assumes you spray the anti-glare shade before the main painting process. B-17G Anti-glare Panels (BO & DL Production EX568 for Monogram) Boeing's own Number 2 plant in Seattle also produced B-17Gs, as did Douglas in Long Beach, California, with two variations on the nose anti-glare panels, and two on the inner faces of the engine nacelles, with the same solid nose masks, and edge masks for the nacelles, which you must fill with additional masking to cope with the curves. Again, this assumes you paint the anti-glare panels first, with plenty of drawings and photos showing you the way. Review sample courtesy of

Hello to everyone. I have a few questions and need some help from you First i would like to know can you suggest where could I find some pictures of landing gear interior, cockpit, engine ?? I did try to google but for some thing I get like houndred different things (cockpit) so I don't know which one is most accurate, for some stuff I just can't even find the pictures of real airplane, just pictures of some finished models (landing gear interior) ...