ElectroSoldier Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Im looking for a nice F-22 Raptor kit. He builds both 72nd and 48th scale so either would be kool but one thing I do want it to have is the internal weapons bay details. I dont supposed there is a kit with all the bays open so I guess this will be a resin detail set, so I guess im also looking for some weapons too Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vliegenier Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Keep looking ... no good kit available at the moment in 1/72 . And for as much as I've heard 1/48 isn't any better . There's a "detailed" kit in 1/72 by Italeri that looks like a Raptor but has some "major" flaws according to the purists among us . Stef Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hatchet Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 If you must have a Raptor, go for the 1/72 one. None of them are accurate tho'. If you do a search in this forum on 'Raptor', some threads should pop up Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted January 4, 2006 Author Share Posted January 4, 2006 Think Ill wait in that case. I can see myself only ever being disapointed with it if it is inherently wrong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kiwikitbasher Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 I have seen comments somehwere that Trumpeter has a 1:72 F-22 that looks more promisinhg than italeri's. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Random Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Nothing can be as bad as airfix's Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuflyer Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 What's wrong with it? ( I haven't seen one) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted January 4, 2006 Author Share Posted January 4, 2006 All the Airfix kit is is pieces of plastic made out to look something like it. Kinda like looking at a book of mug shots in the police station and picking out a man because "he looks very much like him". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
virsago_mk2 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Personally in 1/72, I prefer Italeri better than anything else. My recent 1/72 DML Raptor is bad. Bad in details & extremely bad in fitting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aggressor Supporter Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Nothing can be as bad as airfix's :D LOL! That's straight to the point. :P I've been waiting for a nice scale (ANY scale) Raptor for a long time. If I were a betting man, I would say we'll be waiting for quite a while longer. ;) I've seen a few great Raptor models on ARC though. One by Jeff Stoermer (galleries section), one by Nathan Bradford with his RAAF's Raptor (today's birds), and a in-progress 1/72 Raptor by Mark S (in-progress section). These are fine examples at maximizing what's out there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Personally in 1/72, I prefer Italeri better than anything else. My recent 1/72 DML Raptor is bad. Bad in details & extremely bad in fitting. I know DML released a YF-22 prototype kit, did they release a production F-22 as well? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ElectroSoldier Posted January 5, 2006 Author Share Posted January 5, 2006 So its a lost cause at the moment then... On the detail front anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SebastianP Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Aside from being lower in detail level, I found the Italeri Raptor (1/72) to be easier to build than the Hasegawa Tomcat in the same scale - the issues are pretty much comparable between the kits. They both have a nasty seam aft of the canopy - the Tomcat's is deep, wide trench, while the Raptor's is a long kink. They both need a firm hand and strong cement to guide the pieces into alignment. The 1/48 kit *is* a dog, though - I built one, and I'm not building another ever again.... SP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
UKPonchoMan Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 What about the 1/72nd Mini Hobby kit? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gerard Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 1/72nd Mini Hobby kit is based on the Italeri. Only real difference is that one half of the wings are already joined to the fuselage, can't remember is top or bottom half. I've got one of them on sale if you want it. No scale has a 99%, let alone 100% accurate F-22A Raptor yet. Regards, Gerard Quote Link to post Share on other sites
virsago_mk2 Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 I know DML released a YF-22 prototype kit, did they release a production F-22 as well? Gosh my bad! Yes I mean YF-22 prototype not the Raptor. Sorry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SebastianP Posted January 6, 2006 Share Posted January 6, 2006 No scale has a 99%, let alone 100% accurate F-22A Raptor yet.Regards, Gerard No scale has a 90% accurate anything, if you listen to the complainers. Lets see, the 1/48 Hasegawa F-16 has a several milimeters too short tailfin, not that this has stopped anyone from building it in droves. All the Superhornets, regardless of manufacturer or scale, are off in the shape of the spine, and people still build them, in droves. There hasn't been a fresh attempt at a 1/72 Legacy Hornet in twenty years, despite the very obvious shortcomings of the existing kits. And don't get me started on the Russian jets - UGH. Comparatively, the F-22 kit from Italeri has pretty minor shortcomings. So you have to rescribe the panel lines, replace the pit, and scratchbuild some interior bay detail? What else is new, you've had to do the same for the Monogram line since forever. The shape errors are so minor I can't spot them with photo comparison (in 1/72 - 1/48 has the damned panels which need sanding shut). And no one has complained that it's dimensionaly inaccurate, as far as I know. The *only* complaints I have with the thing is that it's tough to get the forward half of the top to mate snugly with the rest of it, and that the plastic is a little soft, and reacts a little too strongly with my glue. (That and the atrocious difficulty I'm having in mixing the correct shades of paint for it, since they're not available out of the bottle...) SP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gooberliberation Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I've got the italeri raptor.. and im really dreading fuselage assembly. I imagine that I'll lose most of the panel lines forward... not that theyre necissarily accurate(or even exist). Anyways, here's an idea for an easy build raptor... Kitbash the italeri 1/72 with the revell "thunder squadron!" YF-22. :( Mabye I'll steal one from my nephew. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dreammh Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 I've built the italeri raptor (tamiya boxing). Not too bad a kit I must say. Other than the seam across the fuselage, theres nothing to worry about. Build it up and bring it out to show everyone. I believe everyone can recognise its a raptor even though its horribly in accurate. If you are very particular bout accuracies, build it up and place it in the lowest shelf where you don't see it often. BTW I have a question here. Are raptors painted in a special paint that look plain gray from a distance and bluish grey closeup? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trigger Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 (edited) Raptors have a coating, be it in the paint or post-painting that gives it that funky metallic sheen. I've asked about it to someone who would know and they responded with a polite "no comment." From some angles and lighting, it looks dull, but most of the time it looks like a dirty natural metal! Simulating this; anyone got any suggestions? I started on my second 1:48 Raptor over the weekend, using lessons learned from my first attempt a few years ago. It's going well so far and this coming weekend, I'll have to tackle two of the biggest issues, the intakes and the upper fuselage seam. I haven't decided if I'll model it with bays open or closed yet. Edited January 16, 2006 by Trigger74 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Murph Posted January 16, 2006 Share Posted January 16, 2006 Trigger, My suggestion would be to lay down a silver base coat, then spray highly thinned paint over that. Regards, Murph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dreammh Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Raptors have a coating, be it in the paint or post-painting that gives it that funky metallic sheen. I've asked about it to someone who would know and they responded with a polite "no comment." From some angles and lighting, it looks dull, but most of the time it looks like a dirty natural metal! Simulating this; anyone got any suggestions?I started on my second 1:48 Raptor over the weekend, using lessons learned from my first attempt a few years ago. It's going well so far and this coming weekend, I'll have to tackle two of the biggest issues, the intakes and the upper fuselage seam. I haven't decided if I'll model it with bays open or closed yet. Build it closed. The bay isnt accurate either. Opening it wont really add to the appearance of the raptor unless you put a mirror underneath. But then this isnt a kit you would display with a mirror. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Trigger Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 (edited) Thanks for the tip Murph, I'll try that out. That got me to thinking - what do you builders out there think of this: 1. An overall base layer of 36320 or 36270 2 Masking of the radome and other panels. 3. Then a thin metallic (Metalizer?) coat over that, 4. A thinned layer of 36251 and 36173 in the camouflage pattern (Does anyone else think Tamiya's XF-53 looks close enough to 36173) 5. Cap it all off with an even thinner (and possibly lighter) metallic. Oh - after decaling and weathering, will metalizer sealer provide the same protection as a dull cote without screwing up the reflective properties of the paint job? Dreammh - I agree, closed looks better - it's just something else with the kit that'll need a lot of work. Maybe new, scratchbuilt door panels underneath.... need to figure out a better way to close the side bay doors and keep 'em on there and flush too. Edited January 17, 2006 by Trigger74 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Murph Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 Trigger, Here's another method with very good results so far http://www.arcforums.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71993 Regards, Murph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
f14peter Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 (edited) Please remember, if companies put out a $55 uber-kit every single time, it would chase people out of the hobby faster than ever. For the price of it, I think the 1/48 offering is a fine project for the intermediate modeler. I say, if you're reading all these anti-Raptor threads and still want to build one, buy it! Sure it will take a little work, but if we listened to the complainers all the time, no-one would be building the Monogram or Tamiya A-10s, either. spelling edit I don't think anyone would say that kits such as the Italeri Raptor don't have a niche in the marketplace or that it shouldn't be built, just that it isn't up to current standards set by the modern Revell, Tamiya, Hasegawa, etc. It seems Italeri's approach is to issue a kit of a subject before most others (Hence some/many of their kits of modern aircraft represent developmental/pre-production airframes) with a little less detail than much of their competition would provide, at a lower cost. Modelers such as we who lurk websites such as this represent a minority of the world-wide model buying consumer base, so there's plenty of people who will/have buy the Italeri issue and be happy with it. That appears to be the group that Italeri is targeting, by choice. That said, we model site lurkers tend to prefer a kit with greater accuracy and detail, something that the Italeri generally lacks compared to most other companies. Model kit history shows there's room in the marketplace for the same subject from more than one company, many aiming for different consumer groups . . . seems like that satisfies (nearly) everyone. I suspect that a new F-22 kit from a mainstream manufacturer will appear in the semi-near future, once more of the real aircraft are made, issued to squadrons, deployed, and seen in the public eye more often than they are now. My money's on Revell, or probably Hasegawa . . . or even both with the US-based company bringing their kit in around $30 with Hasegawa up around $60-$70. Edited January 17, 2006 by f14peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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