Bobski Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) Haven't seen this posted anywhere so I thought I'd put it up. The first UK F-35 made its first flight last week, so we can now see the UK colour scheme in all its glory: (Photo is copyright Lockheed Martin and available from their Flickr page) Yes, she's grey, exactly the same as the American ones. I'm not a fan of the jet, but aesthetically she is growing on me. I'm definitely not a fan of the "stealth" national markings though. White roundels are going to get very confusing when there are multiple foreign operators of the aircraft all with the same roundels! Oh, and she's an F-35B, because it is the first of a batch of 3 ordered by the MOD for testing. The first was too far along in the build to change when the Govt changed to the F-35C. If I remember rightly the second will also be an F-35B, but the third should be an F-35C, but I'm happy to be corrected if someone has better info. Edited April 18, 2012 by Bobski Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 She looks a bit weird with that roundel... but the general shape also grown on me, especially after the footage we saw recently of the carrier trials on USS Wasp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigsty Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Bizarrely, the first thought on seeing that roundel was that it was for Pakistan. Stealth, schmealth - bring back the Type C1! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Stealth = SLUF.... computer designed aircraft, mutter, grumble. OK, I admit to being a grumpy old man, but the current crop of 'flying machines'....sheesh. F 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Bradley Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Agree with you, Seadog - ugly as sin. Greeted in this household with a big whoop-de-doo...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 the only US-built aircraft I ever considered buying for my RAF collection was the F-4. This is simply ugly... maybe with a more attractive special marking (grey-in-grey checkerboard, maybe? ), but like this, no thanks. Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charley420 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Thats looks awesome, just think in 40 years time all us 20 somethings will be moaning about the latest F-somethingorother, saying it dont look like a plane or other old mannish comments along that line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thx6667 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Thats looks awesome, just think in 40 years time all us 20 somethings will be moaning about the latest F-somethingorother, saying it dont look like a plane or other old mannish comments along that line. In 40 years time it'll all be saucers or triangles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigsty Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 If you think that's a munter, be thankful the F-32 got nowhere! And one thing you can say is that the pilot has a lovely bright working environment (unlike mine at the moment). You could grow tomatoes in there - there's enough light and enough room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 I quite like it, it's unique. I do much prefer the older shape aircraft still...Agree with the Pakistan comment though, Looks like theirs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman2 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) serial ZM135 Edited April 18, 2012 by magman2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundowner14 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Code ZM135 Which gives some remarkable symmetry to XM135, one of the earlyEnglish Electric Lightning F1s that were deliver to the RAF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albeback52 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 the only US-built aircraft I ever considered buying for my RAF collection was the F-4. This is simply ugly... maybe with a more attractive special marking (grey-in-grey checkerboard, maybe? ), but like this, no thanks.Alex You mean the F-4 ISN'T even UGLIER ? Still, at least there was something undeniably attractive about the Phenomenal Heavy And Noisy Total Obliteration Machine! Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangerine_sedge Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Agree with you, Seadog - ugly as sin. Greeted in this household with a big whoop-de-doo...... At least it has a pilot, in 20 years time, it'll be autonomous robotic killing machines (see Terminator for details). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 At least it has a pilot, in 20 years time, it'll be autonomous robotic killing machines (see Terminator for details). It's kind of sad that aviation is heading that way, but the benefits in terms of loss of pilots and the additional Gs that airframes can withstand without the squishy bit in the cockpit must be pretty compelling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) In 40 years time it'll all be saucers or triangles! Apparently, I heard on some TV program or other - if its a triangle is our, if its a saucer its theirs.... I also wasn't a fan of the F-35, but it is growing on me, but proper roundels though please. Karl Edited April 18, 2012 by Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magman2 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 "but proper roundels though please." Karl Yes Please , looks like the shitty olympic outfits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlamgat9 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 (edited) The roundels and fin flash are totally pants. Awful. Still, will be difficult for the MOD to scrap with decal makers over copyright - hard to see how you can copyright a light grey circle! Edited April 18, 2012 by Vlamgat9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy K Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 The roundels and fin flash are totally pants. Awful.Still, will be difficult for them to scrap with decal makers over copyright - hard to see how you can copyright a light grey circle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff_B Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Yeap Bob BK-1(ZM135) & BK-2(ZM136) are F-35B, BK-3 was sold to the USMC and we have one of their F-35C in a later LRIP as CK-3(ZM137). Yeap the UK F-35 looks OK but would like to see the proper roundels on them in colour rather than grey, also if you look there are no fuselage roundels, the UK serial is in place of the US Star & Bar so the really need to add on on either side of the intakes or cockpit to be correct. One thing to remember about the F-35 is that whichever variant we finally select, we still won't see most of those aircraft till the next decade, so people assuming that they will see HMS Queen Elizabeth commission as a STOVL carrier with a deck full of F-35B are going to be rather disappointed as still likely to be 2021-23 before they have enough aircraft for a regular half squadon . The only trouble with the F-35 program for modellers is despite all three variants now flying there are virtually no regular kits of the F-35, just the old Italeri X-35B, the pandad models 48ths scale clone of that kit, the Fujimi F-35B in 1/72nd which is not readily available over here and has half the STOVL doors moulded shut so the optional rotated nozzel & lift fan are useless. Pitroad models in Japan do an F-35 A & B kits but in 1/144. Hasegawa put their planned kits on the back burner back in 2009, Italeri's modified X-35B to F-35b bit the dust and no sign of the Cyberhobby A & B versions. It would be nice to see new decent kits of the F-35A as its going to be quite a key aircraft in years to come, a decent B would nice and of course we would love to see an F-35C kit as so far its not been kitted and is still to date our preferred version. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypnobear Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 I quite like the F 35, but surely theres no point in having the roundels completely greyed out like that? What with everything done electronically with computers and radar, whats the point in hiding a tiny roundel? Even the earlier coloured version was barely visible anyway, but thats just plain stupid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob P Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 (edited) Think the paintshop must've used the same paints and stencils as Airbus did on the A400m Edited April 19, 2012 by Rob P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vingtor Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 I think the idea is that all markings have to be in RAM (radar absorbent material) paint, which is quite expensive to make. Light grey RAM paint already exist. Too much money has been spent on the F-35, and I don't think that "it looks better" will justify spending even more on developing pink and light blue RAM paint. The Norwegian F-35s will be just as drab (if they ever are delivered). The painting and markings specifications say light grey markings only. Nils Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hypnobear Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 I think the idea is that all markings have to be in RAM (radar absorbent material) paint, which is quite expensive to make. Light grey RAM paint already exist. Too much money has been spent on the F-35, and I don't think that "it looks better" will justify spending even more on developing pink and light blue RAM paint.The Norwegian F-35s will be just as drab (if they ever are delivered). The painting and markings specifications say light grey markings only. Nils That seems just ridiculous and pointless to me. Who cares if a tiny bit of non radar absorbent material is visible? All the operators of F 35s will probably have the enemy destroyed before they can do anything about them anyway.... What happened to nice colourful camouflages? Why did they all have to die out? Stupid Hi-tech radars...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duncan B Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 In 40 years time it'll all be saucers or triangles! I suspect it'll be observation balloons the way the economy going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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