I read somewhere that the F-35 was to go operational soon and just wondered if anybody has heard if any kit makers are planning releases any time soon. I have Italeri’s X-35 kit and it it fairly lame (IMHO) kit only depicting the “B” version (“A” being conventional take off, “B” is the STOVL version and a “C” version would a carrier version.) Seems like many F-22 kits are coming out even though it’s production run has already been slated to end.
I don’t think the F-35 got as much media attention as the F-22 so maybe there just isn’t much interest in it as of yet.
The F-35 isn’t scheduled to be operational with the USAF until 2012 and not until 2014 with the Navy.
It’s a risk coming out with kits too soon that represent prototype or development aircraft and then have to re-tool to accurately represent production versions.
To the casual observer the F-35 looks a lot like a F-22, so that might be a factor also.
I’ve got the Panda 1:48 F-35K kit but haven’t started it yet.
I can understand that as the YF-22 prototype bears little resemblance to the the F-22 raptor as it looks today. The biggest difference I notice is the cockpit location with the F-22 being located much further forward and higher than the “Y”.
As to Lindberg…I did buy a Lindberg kit one time…just one time…[B)]
LMAO!!! Nice one, mate. I certainly hope someone comes out with a good one soon…that Lindberg model looked WAY off to my eye…Yeah - Tamiya, Eduard (probably not their gig), Accurate Miniatures? That would be nice…
The aerospace manufacturer I work for makes lots of bits for the F-35…for the CTOL, STOVL and CV version…most of what we’ve built is SDD, but we’re told LRIP is coming…we’ve got pics of all the varients all over the place, and that Lindberg model looked like a toy - somehow the nose looks all wrong.
Wow. I was under the impression that operational status wouldn’t be until 2020.
Panda also makes a 1/48th F-35C. I used to have one, but had to sell it. The detail looked ok, but I never built it, so I can’t tell you how well it fit together.
Are you aware of the fact that the F-35 model displayed by Lindberg at the show was a 1/16 scale mock up…made out of wood?
Tooling is still a year away and what was displayed was only to have something tangible to show to visitors.
Lindberg is getting plenty of help and input from Lockheed-Martin for their kit, so I am pretty comfortable with them doing it. I honestly believe they’re going to surprise the modeling community with this release.
Pit Road has both the F-35A and F-35B in 1/144 scale. They are very nice kits of the FSD aircraft. We are still some years away from seeing what the F-35 will look like in operational service.
Great… This probably means Tamiya, Hagesawa, Revell, and Academy AREN’T getting the help.
Lately, people have really wanted Lindberg to succeeed at getting with the times and a lot of people wasted a lot of money on hope with some now infamous models.
Name one kit in the Lindberg lineup that is considered a truly great representation. I know I can’t do it. I am fine with giving a company a chance, but they need to have demonstrated a clear ability to perform at that level. I know Lindberg is an old company, with some ancient molds. This kit is probably make or break for them continuing to do business, but I know I won’t pre-order it. I will let someone else spend the money without seeing it.
They have quite a few very good car kits, so they do have the ability to make a nice kit.
They obviously had issues with the Japanese sub, but name a company that hasn’t screwed up a kit at some point. They haven’t done any aircraft kits in recent times so there is nothing to look at there. Their wood mockup is based on a scaled up version of another companies X-35 kit.
Personally I’m getting kind of tired of seeing people bag on Lindberg over basically one kit. Yes many of their old kits have issues but they are cheap and most know what they are getting for the money. Lindberg is a company that is advisable to ask about a specific kit but that doesn’t mean everything in their line up is crap.
I bought a battle damaged F-100 kit and the first thing I noticed was that the landing gear bays were about half the size of the gear…I put it up on the shelf and have never looked at it again.
If memory serves me right I think the battle-damaged kits were originally released by IMC. I built the the Phantom back in the mid 60’s. I always suspected that it was a knock-off of the original Revell 1:72 Phantom kit.
The battle-damaged kit was marketed as a RF-4C; I remembered being disappointed when I discovered that the kit didn’t include any bombs or missles!
The Italeri kit is actually based on concept art from 1994 with ‘features’ (the long weapons bay covering etc.) from the RCS pole model. It is not even marginally representative of even the X-35 demonstrator. See the production style main landing gear, absurdly long intake trunks and the general miss proportionality of the wings in placement along the fuselage.
The program is now in limbo as a result of massive corruption of the PDR/CDR (Preliminary/Critical Design Reviews) in which major weight overages (approaching 4,000lbs) and ‘concurrency’ issues in the STOVL model especially were identified but never fixed. Strictly speaking this should have required a fail in the pass/fail grade into SDD but it was one of those things where LMTAS has more political power than engineering sense.
In any case, the STOVL model is just now coming out of ‘probation’ (problems still unresolved) after a major shakeup in the program essentially removed all the design elements (quick mate joints etc.) which would have made it easy and cheap to build in multivariant blocks on a single line using JIT deliveries of separate mini-lines for variant-specific subassemblies (like a car).
The sad part being that the ‘OML’ or Outer Mold Line for the jet has been solid since the CDR review of 2003 or so and will remain so as a function of the stealth design criteria (which are also funky but ‘classified’).
The Systems Development Demonstration aircraft are thus largely as you will see the service birds, sans some noteable aerofixes like the now split NLG door and some very minor form and fit issues.
Given it’s performance class and LO were always marginal and are now as obsolete (Pak-FA and J-20) as the mission it was intended to fight (F-117 with AMRAAM), the F-35 is rapidly becoming lost somewhere in crack between industrial base preservation and the F-104 as the jet the USAF doesn’t want and is expected to buy the most of, ‘to justify export economic$’ as production pork. A platform in search of a mission.
If we don’t see an F-35 in 2018, it’s unlikely that we will see a kit of it because nobody wants an F-20 Tigershark scenario where, aside from the FSD fleet, the jet isn’t purchased -at all-.
Their 1/48 N2S/PT-17 Stearman and JN4-D kits… They’re pretty good kits for their era (the 1960s), and they’re GREAT kits for the subject, price, scale, and super-detailng possiblities… But not everyone can build a Lindberg kit… “Shake and Bakes” they are not, if that’s what you define a “great kit” as…
But then “great representation” is relative… They ARE kits that take a “real modeler” to build into “great” representations… But even built straight outta the box, they both look great at normal viewing distance, and filled a BIG void in the 1/48 biplane area… The cockpits on both kits need a lot of scratch-building, although I think LoneStar makes a resin cocpkit set for the Stearman. Dunno about the Jenny… Both kits have engines that are just begging for detailing as well…
IIRC, Fermis won the “best 1/48 biplane” slot with his Lindberg Stearman a few years ago…
it’s probably a rebox of the Italeri kit. I do recall a kit from the Panda company some years back but have not seen one for a long time now. I don’t think any of the model companies are gonna mold a kit of this bird until they are in service for real. Seeing how the Comanche and Sgt York were canceled after kits released I bet they don’t want to be burned again. Now if it was a Luftwaffe46 subject Dragon and Trumpeter would be all over it.
