Lockheed Martin F-35A, B, C and other ideas

[jcf]

What he said. 

Also this statement;"Speaking of which, anyone who has spent time around any real world military aircraft
(or tanks or ships or...) knows that hardly are two of them alike in mod status.", applies equally well to
civil aircraft, and not just because of different operators and equipment fit. Anyone who has ever dealt
with 'change paper' in the engineering, production or maintenance line of work knows that the world of
complex machines aint' as straightforward as the average model geek believes.

[Librarian]

....and can become increasingly nightmarish for maintenance with longevity and adaptations. The Skyraiders, by the end of their careers, were apparently honeycombed with plumbing, replumbing, re-replumbing and wiring ad infinitum.

[PR19_Kit]

It's even true of such 'production' machines as cars. That's why the old 'Ah yes sir, they all do that' is a load of codswallop.

[rickshaw]

Taildan, thank you for your informative post.   I am not much of a critic of the F-35 program.  I look upon it as an inevitability, more than anything else.  The US simply doesn't have any other eggs in the basket so it cannot afford to allow it to fail.  As to whether or not LRIP is the way to go is now also way past.  That decision was made a long time ago and can't be changed.  Whether LRIP or prototypes was the way to go is also long past.  Personally, I don't favour LRIP.  I see it as a case of too many modifications chasing the fleet (or aircraft), with the result that there is never any real standard with the consequence unit commanders can never be confident of their aircraft all having the same capabilities at the same time.

[kitnut617]

I've just got hold of an Italeri 'A' and a Fujimi 'B' in 1/72 scale but I thought I read somewhere that one of the kits came with wing pylons and weapons.  These two kits don't (but both do have internal weapons bay and weapons) so which kit does ?

[Thorvic]

I've just got hold of an Italeri 'A' and a Fujimi 'B' in 1/72 scale but I thought I read somewhere that one of the kits came with wing pylons and weapons.  These two kits don't (but both do have internal weapons bay and weapons) so which kit does ?

The Academy F-35A

http://www.academy.co.kr/eng/1p/1p_plaview.asp?pView=PLA0000001&pCode=888&pScale=SCALE00003

[kitnut617]

Thanks Geoff   

[rickshaw]

I've just got hold of an Italeri 'A' and a Fujimi 'B' in 1/72 scale but I thought I read somewhere that one of the kits came with wing pylons and weapons.  These two kits don't (but both do have internal weapons bay and weapons) so which kit does ?

The Academy F-35A

http://www.academy.co.kr/eng/1p/1p_plaview.asp?pView=PLA0000001&pCode=888&pScale=SCALE00003

MCP?  "Multi-Colour Parts"?  Is this a return to the days of Matchbox? 

[PR19_Kit]

At least those damnable light grey 'panel lines' aren't so visible on the un-painted kit, although they DO show them on the box art! 

[Thorvic]

At least those damnable light grey 'panel lines' aren't so visible on the un-painted kit, although they DO show them on the box art! 

Those panels are scribed on the Academy kit rather than raised sections on the Italeri kit, there are however no decals or masks to do said highlihted panels so it will take some creative masking to get a current accurate paint scheme (and as the two kits are also differnt in dimension i suspect it would not be possible to create a template from the italeri kit and apply it to the Academy as chances are the panels won't be an exact match !)

[kitnut617]

MCP?  "Multi-Colour Parts"?  Is this a return to the days of Matchbox?  

I guess you haven't seen the Fujimi kit yet ---- it also has the 'Snap-Together' feature 

At least all the panel 'edges' are recessed and not protruding like the Italeri kit.  Mind you, the masses of rivet holes  ( )will be a challenge to fill.  I hope Colin can do a panel edge decal set -----

An odd thing with both the Fujimi and Italeri kits is the full blown engine you get with them, only you can't see any of it once the kits are built.  The Fujimi kit even comes with the lift fan and drive shaft tube which are fairly well detailed but the intake ducts are completely blanked off only a couple of mm's down from the opening --    

But a question for those in the know, the Brit F-35's, will they be RAF ones, or RN ones or some of each ?  I'm going to build mine OOB and I'll use the nice camo decals that the Fujimi kit comes with, but would they be appropriate for a Brit F-35

[Thorvic]

All the F-35Bs will be 'owned' by the RAF however one unit will be FAA badged (809) and the other RAF badged (617) whilst 17 will form up in the US as the OEU/OCU and all units will be mixed manned RAF/FAA with the bias going to the relevant badge. I suspect their will be more units for both the Carrier Strike element and and as mainstream RAF following the 2015 SDSR but at present its still pure speculation.

As for markings thats an unknown factor whilst the three UK aircraft carry the USMC scheme on the F-35B along with the rather odd 'polo' mint two tone grey roundel and fin flash i would guess they carry that scheme and marking style to blend in with the US unit they are attached to, the actual UK aircraft may actually carry full colour roundels and possibly unit markings

[kitnut617]

All the F-35Bs will be 'owned' by the RAF however one unit will be FAA badged (809) and the other RAF badged (617) whilst 17 will form up in the US as the OEU/OCU and all units will be mixed manned RAF/FAA with the bias going to the relevant badge. I suspect their will be more units for both the Carrier Strike element and and as mainstream RAF following the 2015 SDSR but at present its still pure speculation.

As for markings thats an unknown factor whilst the three UK aircraft carry the USMC scheme on the F-35B along with the rather odd 'polo' mint two tone grey roundel and fin flash i would guess they carry that scheme and marking style to blend in with the US unit they are attached to, the actual UK aircraft may actually carry full colour roundels and possibly unit markings

Thanks Geoff, as none of the recent kits come with RAF or Canadian markings I'll have to raid the decal stash.  I've got a number of Harrier Gr.5/7/9 sheets which I could probably utilize.  So 617 sqn. is getting them --hmm! maybe that Tornado sheet will come in handy ----

I've been told by a couple of people who are closely involved with the F-35, the scheme that the USMC have on the aircraft down there (which I've seen up-close) is not a full service camouflage.  All the visible panel edges will not be shown like they are now apparently.  Having said that, no one can tell me just what the camo will actually look like, but I do like the scheme the Fujimi kit comes with.

[Librarian]

Nigel farage has just scored a point with me.."£300million in foreign aid to India and they've GOT aircraft carriers with aircraft on them." What a ******* joke. Does anyone else feel like we've had our chain pulled?

[pyro-manic]

The first ever carrier landing by an Indian Mig-29 pilot was last week (8th Feb). So no, actually, they don't. And no matter how ugly and uninspiring it is, I'd take a pair of F-35s over a squadron of Mig-29s any day. To say nothing of the dodgy second-hand carrier...

I won't say anything about Farage and his freak show, or I will get in trouble.