Kitty Hawk 1/48 Lockheed F-35B Lightning II - Work in progress
![Album image #1 Album image #1](/albums/img/0/6/7/1464067-38011-35-720.png)
I knew I was going on a very bumpy ride with this kit. Plastic is very soft and a little brittle, full of ejection-pin marks and some weird panel lines. A lot to clean and fix, just what we need for this already complicated plane in itself.
![Album image #2 Album image #2](/albums/img/0/7/8/1464078-38011-17-720.png)
Black dog add-ons really are stunning. The kitty hawk bays are not that great in detail, but this is going to be hell to paint.
![Album image #3 Album image #3](/albums/img/0/7/7/1464077-38011-90-720.png)
Eduard photo-etch sets are a must to improve the cockpit, even the Tamiya (seatbelts as decals? what are they thinking?)
![Album image #4 Album image #4](/albums/img/0/7/6/1464076-38011-35-720.png)
the resin parts have different holes for the door hinges, I have to cover some holes and open new ones. Great.
![Album image #5 Album image #5](/albums/img/0/7/5/1464075-38011-10-720.png)
side by side comparison on what holes should be moved
![Album image #6 Album image #6](/albums/img/0/7/4/1464074-38011-43-720.png)
Fixed, now let's wait further in the build so the doors don't fit or something.
![Album image #7 Album image #7](/albums/img/0/7/3/1464073-38011-15-720.png)
Resin fitting is not great at all. Trimming is needed, but at least it fits with the engine and ducts.
![Album image #8 Album image #8](/albums/img/0/7/2/1464072-38011-64-720.png)
First of many layers of white. This plane is very white, a lot of pieces need it.
![Album image #9 Album image #9](/albums/img/0/7/1/1464071-38011-47-720.png)
cockpit with Eduard parts, the most enjoyable part so far
![Album image #10 Album image #10](/albums/img/0/7/0/1464070-38011-49-720.png)
Taking Eduard colored piece as a reference to match a similar grey. some blue and red to give the violet hue.
![Album image #11 Album image #11](/albums/img/0/6/9/1464069-38011-28-720.png)
The wings and the fuselage have both female pins to match. Brilliant engineering.
![Album image #12 Album image #12](/albums/img/0/6/5/1464065-38011-52-720.png)
Wing and fuselage sit on female pins. I guess I will just remove them and see if I can come up with a decent alignment.
![Album image #13 Album image #13](/albums/img/0/6/8/1464068-38011-86-720.png)
Wing fit, lesbian style
![Album image #14 Album image #14](/albums/img/0/6/6/1464066-38011-49-720.png)
For ladder access, I have to remove the door. The ladder in photo-etch is nice, but looks like an after-thought, because I would be much better engineered if the ladder access was already open, then let the user close it if he wants by cementing the door.
![Album image #15 Album image #15](/albums/img/4/1/5/1464415-38011-79-720.png)
Ladder was easier than thought, the brass is actually quite resistant and folds nicely. At least that sprue is of good quality.
![Album image #16 Album image #16](/albums/img/4/1/6/1464416-38011-92-720.png)
Adding dozens of photo-etch parts into all pieces before another white paint round
![Album image #17 Album image #17](/albums/img/8/5/0/1464850-38011-14-720.png)
The cockpit is starting to look good, but dashboard fit was not trivial.
![Album image #18 Album image #18](/albums/img/8/5/1/1464851-38011-76-720.png)
The canopy is very basic, requires a lot of etch parts. This is a nightmare to work with, a lot of pieces and bad fits. Hasegawa has a way better system, where you assemble everything in plastic, then cement the transparent part. It's not that complicated to engineer.
![Album image #19 Album image #19](/albums/img/8/5/2/1464852-38011-28-720.png)
Eduard seatbelts look great. Painted with Tamiya rubber black, as it gives a matt colour I like a lot, more than pure black.
![Album image #20 Album image #20](/albums/img/8/5/3/1464853-38011-95-720.png)
Dashboard was badly fit, dry fitting didn't work, so I had to remove it and trim down the dashboard so it fits closer to the seat.
![Album image #21 Album image #21](/albums/img/8/5/4/1464854-38011-55-720.png)
Landing gear with Eduard PE parts, the wires are a nice addition.
![Album image #22 Album image #22](/albums/img/8/5/5/1464855-38011-56-720.png)
using perfect plastic putty to erase a little the awful seams from all control surfaces. Can't eliminate fully the seam, or I will lose RAM panel detail.
![Album image #23 Album image #23](/albums/img/8/5/6/1464856-38011-70-720.png)
Spacing out temperature probes
![Album image #24 Album image #24](/albums/img/4/8/0/1465480-38011-70-720.png)
Adding stretched sprues for that spiked look
![Album image #25 Album image #25](/albums/img/4/8/1/1465481-38011-20-720.png)
this was 1h30m, just put some glue, stick a bunch of sprues, cut, repeat
![Album image #26 Album image #26](/albums/img/4/8/2/1465482-38011-35-720.png)
Stratch building to improve the nozzle, reusing some leftovers from sprues that I am not using
![Album image #27 Album image #27](/albums/img/4/8/3/1465483-38011-32-720.png)
Wiring comes from lead wire. Different photos have different components and wiring is confusing, so I am just going along with whatever I feel like
![Album image #28 Album image #28](/albums/img/4/8/4/1465484-38011-67-720.png)
Adding plastic putty to fill out gaps
![Album image #29 Album image #29](/albums/img/4/8/5/1465485-38011-56-720.png)
Titanium color from AK looks exactly like the colour I was looking for the fans, engine, ladder, exhausts and landing gear
![Album image #30 Album image #30](/albums/img/4/8/7/1465487-38011-45-720.png)
Adding panel liner, but the detail makes it very hard to clean it. I had to spray white again to dim the effect.
![Album image #31 Album image #31](/albums/img/7/5/7/1465757-38011-23-720.png)
Wiring painted red, yellow and aluminium. This does the work. At least much better than the original plain one.
![Album image #32 Album image #32](/albums/img/1/4/8/1466148-38011-34-720.png)
It was a very tight fit, with high probability of not fitting in the end. I thinned a little the tube, but it just too hard to work with, specially with the nozzle petals breaking while you move.
![Album image #33 Album image #33](/albums/img/1/4/9/1466149-38011-67-720.png)
To put the petals again, I just glue them to a vinyl mask and glue them back. Not perfect but it does the work. The nozzle is far from immaculate, but I got what I paid for - a bumpy ride.
![Album image #34 Album image #34](/albums/img/1/5/0/1466150-38011-15-720.png)
Technique is: have a brush with paint, and a brush with the thinner to erase the mistake. There will be a lot, but just do a round of black / white / other until you are fed up, or you are just destroying more than fixing. I went with tubes as black, wires as copper, braces as yellow.
![Album image #35 Album image #35](/albums/img/1/5/6/1466156-38011-36-720.png)
the black dog resin is too thick, and doesn't fit. I had to dismantle and remove material from it (filing, with a mask, and outside - it is recommended to not breathe resin dust, same as sawdust, it irritates your lungs)
![Album image #36 Album image #36](/albums/img/1/5/5/1466155-38011-65-720.png)
Fitting is getting better, but I had to remove material until it was just barely in there. At least I do not have to worry about the wheel bay popping out of its place
![Album image #37 Album image #37](/albums/img/8/8/9/1466889-38011-96-720.png)
Adding the ducts, and checking what will go wrong. The shaft is too short, and doesn't fit the fan. Some basic trimming and extending with more spruce did the trick.
![Album image #38 Album image #38](/albums/img/8/9/3/1466893-38011-28-720.png)
The lift fan looks great in PE part and AK xtreme metal titanium. So far the best part of the build, along with cockpit.
![Album image #39 Album image #39](/albums/img/8/9/4/1466894-38011-98-720.png)
Starting with the nose, and closing carefully. A lot of dry fit, to prevent surprises
![Album image #40 Album image #40](/albums/img/8/9/2/1466892-38011-61-720.png)
Surprises just came, but not Kitty Hawk's fault. Resin parts for bay doors are in the way, had do use a dremel to make way.
![Album image #41 Album image #41](/albums/img/8/9/1/1466891-38011-18-720.png)
While closing the nose, now the fan grid doesn't fit. The solution was to shorten the lift fan so the grid fits. My dremel was an unexpected life saver
![Album image #42 Album image #42](/albums/img/8/9/0/1466890-38011-19-720.png)
going slowly edge by edge to close the frame, as my trust in good fits is very low now
![Album image #43 Album image #43](/albums/img/8/8/7/1466887-38011-11-720.png)
Engine didn't fit properly, but all I had to do was to enlarge the alignment holes so I can have the nozzle properly aligned. It will be stuck on vtol mode anyway.
![Album image #44 Album image #44](/albums/img/8/8/8/1466888-38011-43-720.png)
Getting crazy with masking, decided it would be better to paintbrush the RAM panels close to the doors, then I will airbrush a new layer and avoid the doors.
![Album image #45 Album image #45](/albums/img/9/9/8/1468998-38011-51-720.png)
![Album image #46 Album image #46](/albums/img/9/9/9/1468999-38011-32-720.png)
![Album image #47 Album image #47](/albums/img/9/9/7/1468997-38011-88-720.png)
![Album image #48 Album image #48](/albums/img/1/1/7/1470117-38011-89-720.png)
The TopNotch masks are going to be a great help. I couldn't imagine myself doing this kit without them...
![Album image #49 Album image #49](/albums/img/1/1/6/1470116-38011-88-720.png)
...but they are not that good. Sometimes thicker, in some cases with the wrong shape, I believe it wouldn't hurt for them to use them on a real kit and do adjustments to the print cutter file.
![Album image #50 Album image #50](/albums/img/1/1/8/1470118-38011-31-720.png)
Now this is really bad, as the shape of the masks dents is completely different from the piece dents. At this point, I just do not have energy to fix every mask bit.
![Album image #51 Album image #51](/albums/img/1/1/9/1470119-38011-94-720.png)
In these situations, better cut with a tiny scissor and overlap the edges
![Album image #52 Album image #52](/albums/img/1/2/0/1470120-38011-70-720.png)
Finished. We all love masking, right? right? The masking vinyl made it to almost 5 hours. Can't imagine how much time I needed with masking tape. Yet, the masks do not fit great, so do expect lines outside the reliefs, a lot.
![Album image #53 Album image #53](/albums/img/1/2/8/1472128-38011-57-720.png)
Base color is XF-20, adding X-1 to get the main color: 5:1 ratio is too dark, went for a 11:1 ratio (50 drops of XF-20, 5 drops of X-1), and got a nice neutral medium grey.
![Album image #54 Album image #54](/albums/img/1/2/9/1472129-38011-52-720.png)
Masks are incomplete, so you have to do your own in several places. I thought Tamiya was insane on having RAM panels as decals, but now I kind of embrace the idea.
![Album image #55 Album image #55](/albums/img/1/2/7/1472127-38011-82-720.png)
Making the cockpit sensors that are missing from the decal sheets.
![Album image #56 Album image #56](/albums/img/1/3/0/1472130-38011-24-720.png)
Adding a lead wire to make the bay door hinge.
![Album image #57 Album image #57](/albums/img/0/8/3/1473083-38011-44-720.png)
All the leftover pieces for the final assembly, with decals and a varnish coat
![Album image #58 Album image #58](/albums/img/0/8/1/1473081-38011-93-720.png)
Canopy went through a lot: glue marks, bad paint job and PE part glue, a lot of filing and sanding to hide the mistakes. Botched jobv that is partially saved by canopy clear coat. Nozzle doesn't look very metal-ish on the picture, could have a better metal shine.
![Album image #59 Album image #59](/albums/img/0/8/2/1473082-38011-16-720.png)
I saved pitots for last, as I know I would just knock them out. Added a sprue and a hole to make the connection tighter.
Komentáře
24 3 May 2023, 07:49
![](/profiles/img/48972-166-s.jpg)
Subassembly on the photo #2 looks like some Star Wars movie creation 😉
3 May 2023, 08:44
![](/profiles/img/45816-678-s.jpg)
Really nice work on only what i can say is a pig of a kit.
I have the version 2.0 kit, I set the fuselage 3 times and im still convinced that mine has some sort of twist going on and a short shot around the tail area has the two half's didn't match in length on one side....!!??? Currently its a shelve queen gathering dust. So my main advice is just test fit test fit test fit.
Good luck with the rest of your build. 👍
5 May 2023, 06:48
![](/profiles/img/38011-536-s.png)
yes @gary, this is all nice and cute until I will try to close it shut with the engine, lift fan, shaft, air intakes, and 4 add-on resin parts. I am close to that painful time, so all luck wishes are welcome.
5 May 2023, 08:54
![](/profiles/img/21997-347-s.jpg)
You said below a pic: " checking what will go wrong." So the question here is not whether something doesn't fit, but where is it stuck? Respect for so much perseverance! 👍
8 May 2023, 05:38
![](/profiles/img/38011-536-s.png)
Build is finished. Final pictures in Lockheed F-35B Lightning II | Album by NeverAPro (1:48)
18 May 2023, 08:44