SCALE MODEL NEWS

THE LOCKHEED MARTIN F-35 LIGHTNING II has had a long, expensive, and troubled development. However, the stealth aircraft is finally heading to operational service. For model makers, that means building a kit of the twin-fin stealth machine. SMN report: There are several F-35s available, in various scales. The Academy F-35A version shown in the how-to videos ( below ) is moulded in what is still the most widely built model aircraft size, 1:72 scale. The Academy kit comes in multi-coloured plastic ( above ) which enables the company to claim that you can build one without needing paint. And that's OK for beginners, or for those who simply want a desk-top display model, but to have any form of realism, it's the traditional skills of careful painting and weathering that will transform a 'box of bits' into a decent scale model. As a stealth machine, the F-35A has internal bays for weapons carriage, thus keeping the radar-proof contours of the aircraft in working order. How...

In a year or two’s time, we may be inundated in Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II model kits; for now though, they are hardly two a penny, so a new 1:72 scale Hasegawa kit is more than welcome. SMN report: Hasegawa’s online retailers are taking orders for likely delivery by the end of the month, so we’d advise putting in that order if you’re as keen on modelling the F-35 as we are. Details on the kit are limited, though it doesn’t sound too difficult an assembly job, as the component count is just 68 parts. Decals come for a USAF machine flown by the ‘Green Bats’ TES (Test and Evaluation Squadron) based at the huge Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The model comes with a transparent plastic display stand. It’ll be interesting to compare this model with the excellent Kitty Hawk Models F-35A to 1:48 scale . Of course, since that model was released the in-development F-35 has undergone a raft of minor changes, so hopefully the new Hasegawa will reflect these. About the F-35 The F-35 is a so...