Testors/Italeri | No. 595 | 1:48 | F-19 Stealth Fighter (What If!)
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2021/22: OOB build of the vintage '80s Testors 1/48 kit.
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OK, so I'm building another vintage kit from my stash. This time going stealthy with the F-19. Let's hope it goes together without too much coercion.
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Hopefully the decals will hold up - I've moved them to a windowsill. The archaic detail in old Testors instructions and their notes on assumed stealth technologies at the time makes for some humorous reading!
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Air intakes, interior and cockpit assembly and painting. Air intakes said black, I ignored and went grey and white - though you'll likely never see it. For assembly I had to go with something stronger - so good old glue in a tube from Revell for the main body. Usual paint mix on build of Vallejo, AK, Hataka and Tamiya being used.
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Cockpit is (for an old kit) pretty decent - obviously it's all made-up and a bit analogue. I just painted it how I wanted for interest.
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Needed a bit of a forceful squeeze everywhere to ensure a decent fit.
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There's literally no suggestion of panel detail anywhere on this kit.
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Air intakes done.
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I'm trying to concentrate more on getting (as much as I can) a blemish free finish on my builds. This is not easy when you're in a garage, that you also use as a gym, bike store, kids stash of stuff, tools, DIY floorspace etc. Haha!
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Building up layers of black and grey to give some indication of a 'stealth' finish. This bit took a while!
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Getting somewhere...
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Masking for white. There is actually a decent attempt at detail in these areas.
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Exhaust and armament painting. I just added some red to the exhaust for a splash of colour!
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Decided I'd add a grey blend just to the by-pass vents. Masking up. Air brakes (according to instructions) should be white, but what the hell! It's all made up anyway so I painted them 'cold war' red - much better! 😉
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Happier with that - looked too flat.
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I was going to just leave some of the injection holes, but I can't help myself. So here we go again... More filling and sanding.
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I've made all this up! 😉 Instructions just said paint it 'gunmetal'. You can't really see the variables of colour in this image. I love the stealthy 'pole' sticking out the back!
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First pass at creating some shading depth and colour interest in weapons bay and undercarriage area.
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And subsequently cleaned it all up a bit.
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Showing the variables of colour blending and streaking...
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Tail fins now added... Also toning the overall scheme of black (with more thinned black), seam filling, playing with variables of metallic colour for (I guess they attempted a suggestion at a vectoring?) exhaust and painting the ECM pods on twin tail.
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Forward 'stealthy' fins being added. Bad fitting has subsequently been tidied.
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I'm exhausted!
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Condition of the original decals is not great... Even after a lengthy sunbathing session.
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Actually, scratch that!... Decals are unusable!
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IN PROGRESS. UPDATED: 01/7/22...
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Kommentarer
66 30 November 2021, 17:15
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I remember I was so much impressed with the shape of this F-19 when I saw it for the first time...it is a pity that it is only a fictional plane 🙁 Watching with pleasure and interest, of course 😉 Fantastic work, so far!
30 November 2021, 17:21
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Yes, I totally agree: very interesting topic. I'm taking a seat.
30 November 2021, 20:33
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Hi @Robert, thanks very kind! 🙂 I too can recall this kit when first released - it looked like a UFO to me at that time and took pride of place built on my shelf. I could only afford to build the 1/72 version then. I remained impressed when I first saw the (real F-19?) F-117 at an air show. 👍
1 December 2021, 09:26
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Wow. What a nice fantastic plane. A dream of shool years. Good progress. 👍
6 December 2021, 19:38
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Hi Alex. Hope you're well. Yes indeed. It's one from 'back in the 80s' - imo the best decade! 👍😎
7 December 2021, 22:21
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It seems to me that you're approaching the finish line here, Neil 😉
28 January 2022, 15:36
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Thanks Robert 👍 getting there - I'm so slow compared to many I know. Little time after work and kids in an evening for garage modelling!
29 January 2022, 14:31
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I somehow overlooked that, how could I not have noticed such a project?!
looking forward to your next steps
ps.:nice cockpit 👍
29 January 2022, 14:39
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Hi Simon 🙂 thanks for commenting, very kind of you. I'm getting there slowly! 👍
29 January 2022, 21:17
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Luckily, scale modeling is no race. Take your time 😉
Coming along very nicely, Neil.
29 January 2022, 21:45
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Great build! Looking forward to the actual end result.
I do remember seeing images of this "to be" stealth plane back in the eighties. Those were the days...
29 January 2022, 22:49
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There was this french videogame about a F-19 theft called "operation stealth", was a good one:
lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=2440
29 January 2022, 23:48
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@whiteglint - indeed wise words and sage advice, like you say it's not a race 👍 nice to have you aboard. @remco - no arguing from me there, I'm sure my nickname gave you a clue as to my fav decade 😉 @david - yeap remember the old amiga games my friend 👍
30 January 2022, 14:07
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Good work, Neil! I built the 1/72 version of this kit back when it first came out (and the F-117 was still hiding out at Groom Lake) and also have a 1/144 example. I think there's also another Italieri 1/72 to be built from my stash 😬 No doubt there are many similar "ghosts" at Area 51. 👍
14 February 2022, 14:37
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Hi Richard 🙂 me too. I actually did make that 1/72 Italeri kit in my youth. It took pride of place at the time 👍 yeah who wouldn't wanna 'poke' around at Area 51 👽 thanks for commenting and saying that much appreciated. 😊
14 February 2022, 23:16
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Looks really good indeed, I like your own decisions regarding the painting of certain areas. 👍 Will stay for the rest.
15 February 2022, 00:59
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Too true, Neil; I'm just waiting for an SR-72 Darkstar kit to come out, plus a B-21, of course!!
It was the advanced technology of military jets plus my love of sci-fi which pulled my model building focus away from cars and this interest hasn't faded over the years. Plenty of very innovative aircraft in the works so we should have plenty of new subjects to choose from over the next few years.
15 February 2022, 08:40
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Thanks, @nathan @alexander @richard @gerald and @erik 👍 it's super kind of you each to comment on one of my builds. Chuffed! 😊 I'm getting close now to a gloss finish pre decal tryout - they're old so we'll see how they get on 🤞
15 February 2022, 19:32
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Good luck with the decals, Neil, I'm just waiting for the clear gloss to cure (48 hrs) then it's decal time for my YB-58 👍
16 February 2022, 07:39
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Thanks @richard 👍 hope decalling goes well for you also. Have gloss coated mine now prior to decal action 👍 🙂
21 February 2022, 19:22
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Beautiful construction and progress, there I watch now until the end 👍
18 September 2022, 07:55
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Thanks very much Torsten, you are very kind and I appreciate your comment very much indeed. Glad to have you onboard my friend 👍
18 September 2022, 22:36
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I've never seen this before, what a wonderful thing. Great quality work going into it I see. 🙂
27 May 2023, 18:43
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Hi Mr James 🙂 thanks very much for your comment 👍 and thanks to others for your likes also, much appreciated 👍
28 May 2023, 08:59
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Hi all 🙂 Continuing to catch up... This time my version of the Italeri / Testors F-19 Stealth, completed back in 2022. I was simultaneously building the Italeri Nighthawk (recently uploaded too), so used both as a testbed for how to try and make a flat black look stealthy. I didn't do very well. But my Nighthawk black finish is better! Here, I learned how varnishes can completely obscure prior work with grey and black blends for example.
The original decals were unusable with this kit. So, as the whole thing is a work of fiction anyway... I just used what I had spare from other kits. I also decided to use both canopies supplied and leave removable (they call one a training canopy and the other the stealth canopy).
Thanks to all who showed interest and liked, it's very much appreciated from such a talented lot as you guys. Hope you like my efforts. 👍
8 March, 14:10
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Another great build of a nostalgic kit. I STILL have this one in the stash since it's original release.
8 March, 14:45
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Thanks very much Nathan mate 👏 don't forget to nudge me when it's on your work bench. I'll definitely be wanting to see your interpretation 🙂👍 I think I have it again somewhere also. Biggest issue here was the original decals were completely ruined.
8 March, 22:57
Album info
F-19 is the designation for a hypothetical US fighter aircraft that has never been officially acknowledged, and has engendered much speculation that it might refer to a type of aircraft whose existence is still classified.