We all know the story concerning Testors’ 1/48 F-19 Stealth fighter kit and all the hoopla it caused, but what’s the story behind Monogram’s version?? Which version was released first? I’m guessing it was Testors…
And what’s the story behind Revell’s 1/72 B-2 Stealth bomber kit?
I’ve had the Testors F-19 kit in my collection for quite some time, and I just picked up the Monogram F-19 and the Revell B-2. I’ve seen a few photos of completed Monogram and Testors F-19’s on the web, but not a single photo of a built Revell B-2. Has anyone built any of these kits and has photos of completed builds to share??? I’m particularly interested in the B-2.
I don’t have any answers for you, but they’re excellent questions.
The subject of those somewhat recent, “secret” airplanes in the modeling world is worthy of discussion. The fact that they don’t look like what was actually fielded in the Air Force should make them valuable by that virtue alone.
I think they are somewhat historically interesting. They reflect the fact that we had no idea what these aircraft looked like for real. I clearly remember how shocked I was when the F117 was revealed, along with the fact that it had been in operation for some time already. I also remember reading about Tom Clancy’s “Frisby’s” and wondering how much of it was true.
Of course, when you look at the SR-71 as a pioneer stealth aircraft, the F-19 wasn’t that far off base. It just wasn’t the F-117.
I started the Revell B-2 a long time ago. It was about 90 percent completed before I set it aside. As I recall it went together okay. I did need to fill the seam on the bottom of the wing. Apparently it got damaged when I put it aside. I just took a look at it and noticed both of the main landing gears are broken. I’ll finish it after I complete the other half dozen models I have started.
Yes, you are correct, the Testor’s F-19 preceeded the Monogram version by one year (1986 vs. 1987).
I, too, have two (2) unbuilt Testor’s F-19’s, one half-built Monogram F-19, and two (2) unbuilt Testor’s MiG-37’s (the '80’s Soviet version of the “F-19”). Go here for a good explanation of all three a/c’s, along with some halfway-decent examples of them:
Don’t forget the Italeri “aurora”, a SR-71 on steroids.
Testors/Italeri also had some fictional helicopters. I remember the 1/72 “modern soviet attack helicopter”, a sort of bloated Mil Mi -28. I also vaguely remember a tailess LHX concept by Italeri.
I think the story behind those kits is easy: 1) wanting to sell something new and exclusive, 2) having very little information to act on.
Are you talking about the SR-75 “Penetrator”? I actually have that one still sitting on my shelf, along with the XR-7 “parasite” reconnaisance a/c.
That was the “Stingbat” LHX stealth helicopter, sort of a predecessor to the cancelled RAH-66 Comanche; it incorporated many stealth features, including NOTAR (NO TAil Rotor). I built the model many moons ago (and have since lost it), but I still have the directions for it.
ALOHA, I know your post was over 10 years ago but if you or anyone has the instructions and could scan and send them to me it would be much appreciated! Pura Vida Jerry, that is,Testors/Italeri Stingbat #635 !!!
I’d read somewhere that the Testors (or Monogram) bigwigs received a “visitation” by “The Men In Black”…badges, dark glasses, probably large calibre handguns in shoulder holsters…demanding in the name of National Security to know where they got their information to be able to create a scale model of a Top Secret US military warfighter…and after viewing the model prototype and after the intense interrogation, they chuckled…and left.
The rest is history…an interesting model that bore no resemblance to reality.
