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1/32 YF-23 Black Widow II


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Excellent work on a beautiful airframe !!!

Like Chappie, I too was rooting for the YF-23 also ...

So, with this model, there will be a very accurate F-23 in 1:32nd available before there is a accurate F-22A in any scale ?!?!?!

Gregg

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Until 5 minutes ago I never even wasted a split second thinking about building a model of the widow.

now I WANT ONE! :banana:

This is amazing. The panel detail is just awesome. :blink: :D :worship:

Please Zacto don´t put it away again....ever!

Cheers,

Joerg

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.......Meanwhile, deep below the surface of the Earth, someone stirred. In this secret, underground cavern a work of pure genius began to take shape..........

Well my friend, it looks like you've surpassed yourself once again. Thank you for allowing us to glimpse this mouth-watering work in progress. If only the mainstream model manufacturers would take the time and effort you do Zactoman. That panel line and rivet detail is mind blowing. You have got to complete one of these babies for promotional purposes man! With a coat of paint and some subtle shading/weathering this model will be unbeatable.

What a work of art. I wish you the very best of luck with this project. It deserves to be a huge success.

Way to go Chris........ :banana:

:D

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:D Thanks for all the nice comments! :cheers:

I've edited the first post saying the price and release date are TBD. No reason to keep answering the same questions...

So, with this model, there will be a very accurate F-23 in 1:32nd available before there is a accurate F-22A in any scale ?!?!?!
Sad isn't it?

Eventually somebody will do the F-22. Until then the Testors YF-22 (with a lot of work) will have to do...

i would personally vote that you included a clear vac acrylic canopy...it is probably easier to use than clear resin and plastic. (whats PETG?)
PETG is the same plastic I (John at Tigger!) used for the Su-27 canopy. Acrylic is way too brittle and difficult to trim.

Fisher models includes both vac and resin parts with their Panther and the resin parts look great.

A clear resin canopy would actually be easier to use as it wouldn't need to be trimmed, just the pour sprues which I would keep minimal and along the straight edge, not the saw-tooth.

The resin part will have the external scribe line where the frame meets the glass cast in making masking for painting much easier. The resin part could also have some of the interior frame detail molded in like rivet details near the edges of the frame...

I came across this site with some great walk around pics hope you can use them

walk around

Thanks Frederick!

Here are a few other sites I've found:

http://www.cybermodeler.com/aircraft/f-23/f-23.shtml (walkaround)

http://airpower.callihan.cc/HTML/Spotlight/YF-23-2.htm (walkaround)

http://www.wci-productions.com/infopg.htm (Some history)

http://www.yf-23.boxmail.biz/cgi-bin/guide...&action=article (Russian site with some interesting pictures to be found...)

Plus I also have a pretty extensive walkaround that I took at Hawthorne and I'm planning a return trip as soon as the plane is returned from its restoration/FB-23 proposal trip, which should be any day now (it's scheduled to return to WMOF June 06)!

Not much progress to report...

Just when I thought it was safe to go back to the workbench...More Su-27 parts orders...

I've mostly been refamiliarizing myself with my references and fondling the model (it's really nice to touch ;) ).

I did attack the insides of the fuselage with a scraper and sandpaper and removed about 100gms of material, mostly behind the rear landing gear, trying to lighten the model and reduce the need for extra weight in the nose. It wieghs in at about 900gms (about 2lbs.) now and will just get heavier as I add stuff. Hopefully landing gear strength won't be a big issue...

I've started figuring out and laying out the exhausts. The two prototypes differed significantly which makes my job more difficult :)

Not only is the triangular exhaust flap different, but the width of the exhaust trough is much different, about .1" wider on the light ghost gray bird.

I am debating whether to include completely different modules for each style exhaust that would be the outer width of the bare metal area, which is the same on both birds, or to just make it wide and include two .050" plates for each trough and seperate flaps to make the narrow version.

( I could just make it something in-between, but I'd know it's wrong...)

YF-23024sm.jpg

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Richy- I think, uh, you and Zacto should go into business... imagine the 1/32 multimedia kits the two of you could put out. Oh, god- what a dream!
I've got a spare bedroom and lots of beer! :banana:

Though Panorama City ain't no Paris...

I did a simple layout in Illustrator.

YF-23046sm.jpg

Started hacking a litlle bit...

YF-23044sm.jpg

Edited by Zactoman
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:blink:

:woo:

:rofl:

OMG, Zactoman! Just discovered this thread and I am speechless. Finally someone is seriously working on a model of the best looking jet ever built. And it's in 1/32!!! YEEEHAAAA

That's a hell of a fantastic job so far. WOW WOW WOW....

I think I start to save money for that from this day on!

:woo:

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I've got a spare bedroom and lots of beer! :banana:

Though Panorama City ain't no Paris...

I did a simple layout in Illustrator.

YF-23046sm.jpg

SOunds like you have a conversion kit there. A reletivly simple one at that so you could include options to build either of the two test aircraft. All you have to do is make the exhaust option like (at the top frame of the picture where that part could be cut off and that would be two of these parts that you would have to glue to the fuselage area that is where it was cut) look at the exhaust parts in the testors kit. the only difference is that there would be only one part cause the exhaust ducts are only visable from the top side.

Here is another great conversion idea.... an FB-23 conversion. :banana:

Possible

Edited by Erik Bultz
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Don't you just love Illustrator?

I use it all the time now to mock up parts before I cut styrene. I like to print on cardstock, which simulates .010" stock pretty well and can be used for templates.

Dude, this project looks awesome! I am continuously impressed by your work.

Pete

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great work zactoman <_<

Now we know we got someone listening to our wiches for new type of kits maybe zacto can work his way down the wishlists?

The fun is it's someone we know and can actually talk to, not like mr tamiya or mr trumpeter.

If you need an sales or distribution point for europe just let me know I'm your man zacto.

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