Tuesday, November 22

Sprues, colours, test kit build (+ paint) of Tamiya's new 1/48th scale Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II

We have already seen a preview of this kit from the earlier release info we saw in September, now Tamiya's new 1/48 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II sees the light of day in not only colours and markings, but plastic parts on sprues, a test shot built up and in a painted state. We look at what Tamiya has released about this kit so far in our preview...


Sprues, colours, test kit build (+ paint) of Tamiya's new 1/48th scale Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II

LOCKHEED F-35 A LIGHTNING II
Frpm Tamiya
1/48th scale
Wingspan: 222mm, fuselage length: 326mm
Nine (9!) marking choices are included in the box.
Available December 17th 2022
Price: ¥8,800 ($62 USD) on the HLJ Website
New information on Tamiya's new Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II

The plastic parts:
All photos of the sprues are always en-"lightening":

The feature set is the second part of the info from Tamiya, shown with the completed kit in unpainted (with ink showing panels 7 rivets, and painted mode:
-This is a plastic model assembly kit of the Air Force's normal landing (CTOL) type F-35A Lightning II. 1/48 scale, total length 326mm, width 222mm. 
-The radar wave absorbing material (RAM) coating applied to the entire fuselage is captured delicately. The coating pattern of the radar wave absorbing material (RAM) is applied to the entire surface of the aircraft is expressed with a delicate style (In the photo, the unpainted parts are shaded with black ink.)
-The curved Y-shaped air intake is accurately modeled. A precise finish of the front landing gear hangar is shown from the front here. The EOTS sensor fairing on the underside of the nose is a clear part.
By selecting the on-board weapons, you can reproduce "Stealth Mode" with no weapons on the outside of the aircraft, "Air Mode" with only anti-aircraft missiles, and " Beast Mode" with maximum weapons. mode)The fuselage bombay-doors can be assembled either open or closed. The interior, which reproduces the piping and wiring with a precise detail is copied from the real thing. Weapons include AIM-9X and AIM-120C air-to-air missiles, GBU-12 laser-guided bombs, and GBU-31 JDAM GPS
"Beast mode" with weapons attached to six mounting stations under the main wing

The canopy can be displayed opened or closed and can be replaced even after completion. The boarding ladder on the side of the nose can be assembled by selecting either the deployed or retracted state.
The canopy has special parts for opening and closing and can be replaced even after completion. The moulding color is smoked to save the trouble of painting.
The kit comes with a pilot figure equipped with HMD (helmet mount display). It includes precise moulding of the ejection seat. (In the photo, the unpainted parts are in ink.)
A cockpit with a touch panel type large liquid crystal display. Various switches and control sticks are also reproduced in detail for a dense finish. (in the photo, the unpainted parts are inked.)
The characteristic shape of the engine nozzle is divided into 5 sections with a focus on sharp modeling and details.
Structures such as augmentor ducts and fans behind the nozzle are also made into parts.
Flaperons can be posed in neutral, or the raised and the lowered state .
Special equipment for the Norwegian Air Force drag chute (braking parachute) container parts are also available.
The kit with the fuselage weapon bay door closed - even the subtle outlines of the undulating underside of the fuselage were accurately captured.
In addition to markings from 9 countries such as the US Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force, decals that reproduce RAM coating patterns, mask stickers for canopy and clear parts are also included.
The coating pattern and stencil of the aircraft, and the marking pasting instructions of the US Air Force aircraft are full-scale color drawings.
We also prepared special drawings (4 sheets of double-sided printing) for the marking of 8 other countries, considering the ease of work.
For the aircraft color, markings are used to select between the early production specifications, in which most of the panel lines were painted in bright grey, and the 2017 and later specifications, in which the entire body is almost uniformly dark grey.
-A set of markings and canopy mask stickers for 9 (!) countries, including the US Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defence Force.

We hope that gives you a better idea of what to expect in this forthcoming kit from Tamiya.

The kit is available on December 17th 2022
The kit is available for ¥8,800 ($62 USD) on the HLJ Website