Lightning Strikes - Italeri 1/72 F-35B Lightning II

[PinkThorn242]

So an impulse buy at Hobbycraft today landed me with a project for this GB.

 

 

Still debating which of the decal options to go with (probably not the UK one since not sure how well 617 Squadron qualifies even if they're the bulk of the RN Lightning Force right now).

Edited January 29, 2023 by PinkThorn242

[Bertie McBoatface]

I would think that an embarked RAF squadron aircraft qualifies as a Salty Sea Puppy. In the box art it even looks like a small dog squatting on the poop deck.

 

What's the official word @TonyOD?

[theplasticsurgeon]

5 hours ago, PinkThorn242 said:

Still debating which of the decal options to go with (probably not the UK one since not sure how well 617 Squadron qualifies even if they're the bulk of the RN Lightning Force right now).

Same kit, different GB - it's actually 207 Squadron.   Welcome aboard.

[TonyOD]

617, 207 or any other RAF squadron would be eligible if operating from a carrier. There's precedent - @2996 Victor's RAF Spitfire flown off a carrier to Malta. Certainly the maritime environment! Welcome aboard!

[PinkThorn242]

Either way the next step is trawling the literature to figure out the best way to do Have Glass paint.

[CliffB]

Nice choice 👍

[Planebuilder62]

I am building 2 of these at the moment, MRPaint do a nice combination of Ocean Grey and Camouflage gey that look OK. Otherwise the are a few F-35 builds over on the WIP section with different ideas. @SaminCam and @TheRealMrEd have both come up with solutions.

Regards Toby

[PinkThorn242]

So I have some bad news. Having finally gotten enough spare time to get started, I made it this far:

 

 

Then proceeded to lose the joystick in the carpet.

 

🤬

 

Trying to decide how to proceed now.

Edited February 18, 2023 by PinkThorn242

[Thom216]

Is it generic enough for you to 'borrow' one from another kit?

[PinkThorn242]

2 hours ago, Thom216 said:

Is it generic enough for you to 'borrow' one from another kit?

Problem is I don’t really have another kit I can pinch one from, no.

[AlxBNE]

5 minutes ago, PinkThorn242 said:

Problem is I don’t really have another kit I can pinch one from, no.

I see many solutions here.

The first is obviously another impulse buy!!

You know the kind I seem unable to avoid that got you into the GB in the first place.

I feel your pain loosing tiny parts as they fly off the work bench (my most recent was a tiny piece of PE I had spent the best part of a day trying and failing to fold probably) always brings back PTSD like memories of childhood and my mother vacuum cleaning the house and my Lego disappearing.

If you have never scratch built before the prospect of a 1/72 joystick isn't a terrible place to start.

You could cut down a section of sprue or even consider the old fashioned stretched sprue. You might find a piece of plastic of roughly the right size in some other household good. Does the kit have any optional aerials or weapons that you are not going to use that could be hacked to the right shape?

Think outside the box and consider a cocktail stick or cut down cotton bud. Painted up we won't be able to tell it isn't the kit part.

[Thom216]

1 hour ago, AlxBNE said:

I see many solutions here.

The first is obviously another impulse buy!!

You know the kind I seem unable to avoid that got you into the GB in the first place.

I feel your pain loosing tiny parts as they fly off the work bench (my most recent was a tiny piece of PE I had spent the best part of a day trying and failing to fold probably) always brings back PTSD like memories of childhood and my mother vacuum cleaning the house and my Lego disappearing.

If you have never scratch built before the prospect of a 1/72 joystick isn't a terrible place to start.

You could cut down a section of sprue or even consider the old fashioned stretched sprue. You might find a piece of plastic of roughly the right size in some other household good. Does the kit have any optional aerials or weapons that you are not going to use that could be hacked to the right shape?

Think outside the box and consider a cocktail stick or cut down cotton bud. Painted up we won't be able to tell it isn't the kit part.

Perhaps some antenna or thin gear parts as well. Or even just a snipped pin or needle.

 

[Planebuilder62]

Dear Pink Thorn

The joystick in the F-35 is on the right console in the cockpit and is not really much bigger than the pilots hand. Its not an old fashioned joysick tha comes up from the floor. If you are making this plane with the pilot in it, the missing joystick would be hidden by the right hand.

 

If you really want to make a new one, a short bit of bent wire would work.

 

regards Toby

[Alan P]

Definitely what Toby just said 👆

 

Alternatively, if you have any other jet kits with aftermarket cockpit, you can liberate the kit joystick from them as it's fairly generic in 1/72.

[Andwil]

1 hour ago, Planebuilder62 said:

Dear Pink Thorn

The joystick in the F-35 is on the right console in the cockpit and is not really much bigger than the pilots hand. Its not an old fashioned joysick tha comes up from the floor. If you are making this plane with the pilot in it, the missing joystick would be hidden by the right hand.

 

If you really want to make a new one, a short bit of bent wire would work.

 

regards Toby

So it looks as if Italeri’s cockpit is completely wrong then!  (No surprise there)

 

AW 

[PinkThorn242]

1 hour ago, Planebuilder62 said:

Dear Pink Thorn

The joystick in the F-35 is on the right console in the cockpit and is not really much bigger than the pilots hand. Its not an old fashioned joysick tha comes up from the floor. If you are making this plane with the pilot in it, the missing joystick would be hidden by the right hand.

 

If you really want to make a new one, a short bit of bent wire would work.

 

regards Toby

There’s not a pilot figure in this kit.

 

35 minutes ago, Andwil said:

So it looks as if Italeri’s cockpit is completely wrong then!  (No surprise there)

 

AW 

if you’re on about that locating hole in the middle, that’s there to take the instrument panel. The hole for the stick is obscured by the blob of plastic cement in the right side of the tub because I pinged the part out of my tweezers trying to put it in place.

[arfa1983]

So frustrating when that happens. Thankfully my house has tiled floors so usually a sweep will show up the rogue piece.

 

I think just warm a sprue above a candle and when soft pull until the diameter you want. Then chop it a bit longer than you need, heat it again and make a blobby end bit and even sculpt it slightly with a hobby knife. It might take a few goes to get right but I'm sure it'll be good enough that no one will notice.

 

(Except us of course!)

 

Either that or.... just leave it off completely. In this scale it will be hard to notice it's missing.