Funny! I was thinking that same thing the other day. I started thinking if there was any sort of cloak and dagger of international espionage tied into our little hobby. One side using models to scale-up their own technology and how on Earth could the US allow the specs of the F-22/35 out into the realm of modelling. As the bourbon wore off I realized that as much as we gripe about shapes, dimensions, and various innaccuracies they wouldn’t really be effective to reverse engineer a kit into a fully functional 1/1 scale. Plus, though we may do our best to replicate everything in the cockpit I doubt even the best scratchbuilder is able to recreate the actual workings of the avionics and other technology contained inside. [;)]
Probably all the images online and an artistic eye would be how, it can’t be that hard to get a lot of visual information on aircraft these days with the internet, having said that Revell managed to get a model of the Mig 29 in 1/32nd scale before the wall came down, before the internet, so who knows? Just pictures and imagination I suppose. I would explain why the detail in the cockpit is almost non existent on the Mig.
Was viewing kits at a LHS.
I noted that the following Revell kits have “Made in USA” ; “Plastic Parts Made In USA” on the box:
Monogram 1/24 S’Cool Bus [Y] Product ID: 85-4080 ( however, tires made in China [^o)])
Monogram 1/24 Boot Hill Express Product ID: 85-4999
All plastic parts made in USA…[H].[Y]
…hope that helps…[:D]