I built the Panda kits a few years ago when they came out. Both had extremely excellent fit, but lacking in interior detail because the concept was still being developed on the real aircraft. I did them both in what-if markings with the A painted and decaled with F-16 markings and the B with Harrier markings from VMF 214 Blacksheep.
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Last time I saw one of the “Black Sheep” Harriers, they were designated as VM__A__-214… Have they redesignated again?
I dont think the Marines have had a VMF since they retired the last of their ‘Last of the Gunfighters’ Crusaders in the 1970s. All their other fixed wing fast movers have been VMA (A-4, A-6, AV-8) or VMFA (F-4, F/A-18).
Milair,
As I recall, on the 1:1 you can’t have the main lift fan door open without the aux doors behind them also being open, they are linked through the flight control management system. The Fujimi kit left those doors molded closed.
IRL, this is in fact a cause of some problems as both the support bulkheads, actuators and door itself are coming unglued from the stresses (one of the many issues that put the F-35B into ‘probation’) but my point is that while largely accurate in outline compared to the laughable Italeri model (15 bucks, $7.50 at Hobby Lobby on sale), this is a 72nd scale model which costs 30 bucks before shipping-
http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?Word=1%2F72+f-35&Dae=All&Series=All&Dis=2
And yet cannot be built as anything but a completely buttoned up aircraft.
Drewe Manton is correct in that it is also hideously ugly in a way that neither the F-35A nor C are.
They need to consider the GAU-22 gunpod, deployable flaps and stabs (which are also ALWAYS drooped when the doors are open) and a suitable selection of (GBU-39 + AIM-120D plus pylons) stores before they issue one of these kits through an American distributor at a more reasonable price and preferrably One Scale Up.
Alternatively, there are still a few examples of a pretty good 48th diecast to be found on EBay and the like for around 99 dollars.
Bleeeurgh.