KittyHawk F-35B Lightning II In Box Review

[CraigSargent]

Had two sitting on the doorstep this morning courtesy of Lucky Model (less than a week from order to delivery!).

Parts come in plastic bags (unsealed except for the clear parts which are sealed).

On first impressions, looks like a nice kit. Now down to the nitty gritty and observations (pics to follow later).

Parts are moulded in very dark grey styrene with a texture/feel reminiscent of that used by Monogram when they first released the AV-8B, MiG-29, etc. There are 6 sprues of parts, with the upper fuselage, lower fuselage and lower nose as separate parts with no sprues attached.

Upper fuselage has raised panel lines and a mix of raised and recessed rivets?! That was the first "surprise" on opening the kit. There are no other parts in the kit with raised panel lines, so not sure why this is the case. There are 4 injection points on the upper fuselage that will need cleaning up. The RAM panels are raised, but not as prominent as the Hasegawa F-22. While they will still be too pronounced for some, I can live with them - they may get a light sand while I am removing the raised panel lines.

Next surprise is the engine. While it is nicely detailed (but with room for more), on looking at the parts and instructions, there is no option to build this kit other than with the engine swivelled through 90 degrees, pointing at the ground and ready for VTO/L and the forward engine bay open. As I want mine on the ground, this is going to need some surgery.

Edit: Just discovered the parts for the raised engine are in the kit, but strangely not mentioned anywhere in the instructions/assembly sequence??!!

Cockpit consists of a 6 part ejection seat, throttle, stick, tub instrument panel with fine raised details, and a very nice decal for the centre instrument "glass" - although this is really only relevant if the jet was powered on. Tub has raised detail for the side consoles, but as to accuracy, need to check against reference pics first.

Full length intakes, back to the engine face, which will be fun to fill the seams on, and they have mild ejector pin marks on the inside too.

Full set of weapons pylons and weapons bay are included with a pair of AMRAAM (AIM-120B/C flavour with the clipped fins) and a pair of AIM-9X. Strangely, apart from the Sidewinder pylons, none of the others are shown in the assembly sequence, just a front on drawing of the jet at the end showing fitment of the AIM-9 and AIM-120 with the other weapons pylons fitted and a note saying "*GBU-32, GBU-38 are not include." (sic - grammar error from instructions).

Wheel hubs are fictitious and don't look anything like that on the current low-run production jets in use at Eglin. Hopefully we'll see something in resin pretty quick.

Ejector pin marks are prominent on the insides of the gear bay doors and weapons bay doors. Thankfully there is not much detail around tehm so should be fairly easily removed.

The exhaust nozzle is quite nicely done with fine detail inside and out. Unfortunately, on the kit I have opened, the tips have been crushed due to the way the parts sat in the box and the shipping. They will have to be very carefully straightened out.

Separate leading and trailing edge flaps and clear wingtip light inserts will help add some realism to the posed jet.

Decals come on three sheets (two main and an addendum with a new instrument panel decal) and have already been previewed elsewhere. They are very nicely printed - one with the low viz greys and one for the more "colourful" WHIF and dev/test jet (BF-01). There is a clear film over the decals to protect them - a nice touch.

Pilot is included and also not mentioned in the instructions. Has the correct flight suit and virtual cockpit enabled helmet (albeit a little on the basic side, but still useable).

Large internal frame for the canopy is moulded as part of the canopy meaning it will be hard to accurately represent this correctly. I plan to try and sand/polish it out and scratchbuild a new one. This is actually quite a major in terms of the kit representation of the real aircraft and one which will be hard to ignore given the size of the glasshouse that is the cockpit on this jet.

Another thing to make you go hmmm. The main weapons bays have lots of detail "doohickies" to install to busy them up, including some pipework, but for the weapons themselves, there is only a pair of 5mm (1/4") long pins in each bay which I am guessing you simply glue the bombs to. No pylons, no sway braces. The instructions seem to have been rushed to get the kit out, as there is a GBU shaped white space in the instructions in the middle of all views of those same weapons bays.

All in all a nice kit, but it looks like the last bits were rushed to get tehm out the door and on to the market. Going to build one closed up with some airframe improvements very soon. Already started playing with the plastic on one kit.

[loftycomfort]

Thank you for the review. I'm tempted to buy one after reading your assessment, but am a bit worried about the exhaust.

Can someone comment on whether the crushed exhaust tips is a common problem please? THank you.

Terry

[Fly-n-hi]

Thanks for sharing

[jwest21]

raised panel lines? What is this, 1974?!?!

[dmk0210]

...looking at the parts and instructions, there is no option to build this kit other than with the engine swivelled through 90 degrees, pointing at the ground and ready for VTO/L and the forward engine bay open. As I want mine on the ground, this is going to need some surgery..

From this review on Brit Modeler: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=234924464

Again, the kit has been engineered to be displayed with all of the doors open, so be prepared for some work if you elect to close the weapons bays,

It's interesting that this kit is designed to be built with the forward fan open and the rear nozzle swiveled down, but also with the the weapons bays open and the canopy open. That seems bit mutually elusive.

Either it's ready for takeoff, or sitting with the canopy open ready for the pilot to strap in, or it's ready for weapons to be loaded. Surely it can't be all three at the same time. :unsure:

Edited August 28, 2012 by dmk0210

[Stephen]

Thank you for the review. I'm tempted to buy one after reading your assessment, but am a bit worried about the exhaust.

Can someone comment on whether the crushed exhaust tips is a common problem please? THank you.

Terry

Mine didn't have this problem but I had damage to a couple of other parts of the engine.

[Jay Chladek]

I had a chance to look at one of these last Thursday. The raised sawtooth panel detail which was a problem on the Hasegawa F-22 I think works fine here, since the F-35 is a bit of a curvey compact beast. One doesn't tend to notice it as much since practically every surface on the F-35 is a curve while the F-22 had wide and flat sections. The color chart seems to indicate that the raised panels should be done in a lighter shade than the rest of the body and wings, so expect to do a bit of masking. But, I like what I see in the kit at a glance. Now somebody just needs to build one.

[CraigSargent]

I'm not referring to the raised RAM panels. Those look pretty good. I am referring to the actual panel lines that sit on the fuselage as well. They can be rescirbed, but the ones that are there resemble weld seams.

I have started assembly, closing all the doors, on one and will get some oics through when I have some time this week.

Edited August 28, 2012 by CraigSargent

[scapilot]

Sure wish I'd have jumped on the Lucky Models bandwagon. I saw that Pac Coast models was one of the first to advertise it, and now they're saying that they won't even be arriving until next week sometime. Kind of a bummer. I paid for this thing three weeks ago.

[CraigSargent]

Let's start with the positives. I have assembled the engine and engine door parts for a model the engine up and doors closed. The fit is excellent, but you do need to do some careful trimming where the doors meet the fuselage to minimise the gap. I have not had to use any putty or filler, so that is very good to see. The upper fuselage fan door and intake bypass doors also fit very well, but I did have to cut away all the structure underneath. The key here is to dry fit and test often before committing to glue. Hopefully the rest of the doors fit as well.

As nice as the kit is, there are a few more issues I've found since I started building it and comparing it to images of the aircraft from VMFAT-501 (the scheme I intend to use on my builds).

Compare the lower fuselage part (image by Mike @ Britmodeller)

On the starboard rear of the aircraft, there is a large raised area with a hot air exhaust (dark area in the photo here just above the national insignia). The corresponding panel on the kit is plain and flat. This will need some work with styrene/putty to add. It's noticeable also because the exhaust causes a dirty great black spot to appear on the fuselage near the engine.

Also the two large vents on the centreline, between the weapons bays are not there, as seen in this pic.

There are some streamlined boxes sitting on top and bottom of the fuselage just in front of the tailfins, and engine, which may be similar to the ones used on the F-117 to increase radar signature during peacetime operations, but these are not present in the kit either. Should be reasonably easy to add.

[CraigSargent]

Found an item worthy of note in the instructions. In step 19, the AMRAAM launcher doors, when attaching them to the fuselage, put them on the opposite side to where they sit on the assembly diagram. F21 and G17 on the starboard side (right side of the diagram) and F20 and G18 on the port side (left side of the diagram). As I am building the kit with the doors closed, have just fitted those two doors and test fitting them on the side they are shown in the diagram, they do not fit. On the opposite side, they are a perfect fit.

[CraigSargent]

Ok, don't expect this one to progress rapidly, or get updated too often. This is primarily me seeing how all the doors fitted in the closed position. I will be awaiting the release of some resin for the cockpit before continuing too much further. I have a real interest in this aircraft, because it is the latest to be flown by VMFAT-501 who started life as VMF-451 back in WWII and who I have a collection in 1/48 of every aircraft the squadron ever flew.

Pics taken in bad lighting at work on my office desk.

Forward fan door and intake bypass doors closed. Fit is pretty good, but I did have to cut away the fuselage structure underneath the doors and test fit to ensure a good fit. Happy with those. Annoyed about the raised panel lines I have to rescribe on the upper fuselage.

Dogteeth panels added to the engine donut. The pale grey lines on the left and right sides of the fuselage are where I have started to remove and recess rivets. Here you can see the raised panel lines (the panels running in a T in front of the engine and the two hexagonal panels.

Bottom doors (weapons bay, engine bay, vectoring nozzles and forward main gear bay) fitted. The 'blobs' of super glue are not spills, but to fill sink marks in the parts.

Close up of the lower doors fitted, showing how well (with a little work) they fit.

Inside shot of fitted doors.

Finally the engine nozzle temporarily taped in place. Looking at pics I am suspicious that this may be too small in diameter. There is quite a large gap around it that will require some work to prevent seeing into the fuselage.

[erik_g]

I think, by looking at the pics above, that there is supposed to be a small gap between the fuselage and the exhaust nozzle. Not as much as the kit has, but still.

Those ejection pin marks on the weapons bay doors look like they need some TLC if built opened.

I will get my own kit today or tomorrow, but I thought I´d go all in, and build it with everything opened up, as if the A/C just landed, and the nozzle is still down, but I was thinking about changing the angle of the stabilators as they are for landing. But I will have to check out how much work is needed first.

http://postmediaottawacitizen.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/f35-2-11p00460_002_lores3.jpg

Isn´t the weapons bay doors opened up on this pic?

/E

[F-16]

What about the color call-outs? Are they accurate or even in the instructions? (Since they were rushed..)

Scott

CNJC-IPMS

[Fly-n-hi]

Finally the engine nozzle temporarily taped in place. Looking at pics I am suspicious that this may be too small in diameter. There is quite a large gap around it that will require some work to prevent seeing into the fuselage.

That's ok. Just wait for Aires to come out with an AM nozzle and when they make it the wrong size (like most of their other nozzles) it should fit pretty well, right?

[Sundowner14]

What about the color call-outs? Are they accurate or even in the instructions? (Since they were rushed..)

Scott

CNJC-IPMS

In mine there are no colour call outs, nor the third decal sheet for the panel....

[Finn]

Instructions are up:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10194956

Jari

[Sundowner14]

Instructions are up:

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10194956

Jari

...with no colour call outs... :(

[Jay Chladek]

I'm guessing that the exhaust port on the bottom is an APU exhaust. Marines like their planes to be self sufficient in power, so they can potentially base them at unprepared forward operating bases. So this means they could power up and fly without having to attach to a starting cart.

[scapilot]

It's actually called an IPP, and yes. I don't think there's any modern planes left these days that require air starts via external sources anymore. Well, nothing that's rolled out in the past ten or fifteen years anyways.

[nird551]

several errors on the manual and no detail painting instructions. otherwise, nice mold and seems to fit well. i'm halfway through mine already.. (i'm in asia.)

errors include wrong part numbers. pay attention at the various bay covers when working on them.

Edited August 30, 2012 by nird551

[dmk0210]

So you guys actually read the instructions? I just used them to cover my table in case I spill paint or glue. :lol:

[erik_g]

In mine there are no colour call outs, nor the third decal sheet for the panel....

Have you looked inside the folds of the box? In mine, the small "screenshot" decal was partially hidden inside the folded over parts of the box. Maybe yours have managed to hide itself completely?

/E

[Bobski]

Mine arrived today. It looks very good in the box and the detail is very good. Some of the raised detail could do with a bit of sanding down but other than that I'm quite happy.

Incidentally, the colour call-outs are in the back of the instruction booklet. 36118 isn't the right grey, but I'm not too fussed as I'm painting mine in primer...

[MoFo]

I wonder if the raised panel lines are meant to depict the same sort of "butter" used on F-117 panel lines? No idea - I really haven't been following the JSF programme - just tossing it out there.