F-35A RNLAF

Received this kit as a gift. Was very excited to make it and I was curious to the brand, as this is my first Italeri kit. Very pleased to see the result and again, my progression as a modeler.

Improvements and lessons learned:
- I was a bit sceptical at first, as I ordered an eduard pack for the Academy kit. It didn’t fit perfectly, but I’m not disappointed at all.
- I should do more research and find reference pictures. I ended up placing a decal which is not present on the RNLAF version. In addition, I got the direction on some ‘no step’ signs wrong, and are now facing backwards. It does not look bad in my opinion, it is just less realistic.
- I am disappointed in the decal quality from the kit. The plastic is great, but some decals did not have the right shape to fit properly.
-I am VERY pleased with my masking on the canopy. This was the first clear part that I got right, as all previous clear parts that I worked on (kinda) failed. I’m sure I’ll be more comfortable with working clear parts in the future.
- I wanted to add more shades of grey, but my can of air was/is almost depleted. I got the Revell airbrush starter class which comes with a can of compressed air for my very first kit. As I was unaware how long it would last, I only sprayed the parts that I deemed necessary. This made me stick to only one shade of grey. In addition, the spray quality is bad, so after the next kit (1/100 Revell Apache), I am going to invest in a better (actual) airbrush.
- finally, I need to research how to wrk with small parts and decals. I still use too much glue for small parts (especially photo-etched parts) and small decals stick to the q-tip when trying to squeeze the liquid out from underneath. If anyone has tips, I’d like to hear them very much!

As previously explained, next up is an AH-64A from Revell(1/100), but I’m even more excited for the one after! That project will be an F-16B from the RNLAF, and I am hoping to exceed my expectations even further with the (then) newly acquired air brush!