So I started this kit about 6 months ago then shelved it for other builds. I was aware that this was the worst out of the available 48 scale raptors. The biggest being that this kit lacked the nose droop that the raptor has.
I found an article here on how to correct the problem: http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/builds/it/build_it_0850.shtml
It was a tedious task for me since I have never modified a kit to this scale and was the main reason for me to shelve it for a little bit.
The above is where I made the cut to drop the nose. My original intention was to make a WIP out of this but that got tossed quickly.
Fast forward 4 months I finally decided to dig the kit out and work on it here and there. I wanted to finish it in the Hawaii Air National Guard markings since I see the raptors flying over my house every day. The only problem is that the markings for that air wing is next to near impossible to find, so I made my own.
the paint is a mix as follows for the “raptor Sheen” 3 parts MM steel non buffing to 1 part MM black graphite. the Darker grey is 3 parts MM black graphite to 1 part MM steel. These were thinned to be airbrushed on. the final dullcote was tinted with a drop of dark gull grey to give the kit a little color and depth. Overall I am happy with the result.
I will definately build another raptor in the future, just not the italeri one [:D]
