Italeri has a reputation for being the first out with a kit of the latest aircraft. Indeed, it was first with a 1/72 scale kit of the X-35 experimental prototype of this “advanced fighter” way back in 2000. Since then, it has produced several kits in several scales of the “production” F-35 variants. Now we have the Italeri 1/72 scale F-35C Lightning II plastic model kit depicting the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carrier version. Not the first, however; that honor goes to Orange Hobby, but that 10-year-old 1/72 scale kit is hard to find.
Italeri’s new kit features open weapons bays, external “beast mode” wing pylons, and a full load of weapons. The outer wing sections can be posed extended or folded for hangar or flight-deck storage. A five-part, full-length engine is provided, but once installed, only the afterburner section is visible. The amber-tinted canopy can be posed opened or closed but has its internal support frame and antennas molded on the outside. Italeri’s rendition of the zig-zag Radar Absorbing Material (RAM) panel/tape pattern over much of the exterior is raised and too pronounced for the scale.
There’s a good selection of ordnance. The internally carried weapons include two 1,000-pound JDAMS and a pair of AIM-120 AMRAAMS. If you add the external pylons, you can mount four GBU-12 laser-guided bombs and two AIM-9X Sidewinders. A small bomb trolley is included, as is a gun pod for the centerline.
Also provided are two sheets of pre-cut vinyl masks to aid in painting the RAM panels and tape and the canopy. They come with a separate four-page, multi-colored map to show where each mask should be placed.
The kit’s decal sheet supplies markings for three Navy squadrons — VFA-97 “Warhawks,” VFA-125 “Rough Riders,” and VFA-147 “Argonauts” — and one Marine outfit, VMFA-314 “Black Knights.”
Assembly starts with installing the intake trunks, landing-gear bays, tailhook bay, engine, and cockpit into the fuselage before joining the upper and lower fuselage/wing halves. Fit is good, and I didn’t have to use filler anywhere. Separate instruction steps show the wings’ outer panels folded or extended. The large inboard flaps are separate, as are the horizontal and vertical stabilizers.
The trickiest part of the build was attaching the 18 separate hinge arms to the weapon bay doors and then installing the doors. Aligning and attaching the hinge arms is not as easy as shown in the instructions, and I’m still not sure I have them right on my build.
Over the years, the F-35 camouflage has been a wild combination of multiple grays, complicated by a crazy-quilt pattern of sealing tape of different shades. However, more recent F-35C airframes show a near-monotone scheme with a few select edges and panels in a different shade. Depending on the lighting and viewing angles, these different panels can look lighter or darker than the background gray. What to do?
Italeri’s color painting diagrams suggest FS36170 Camouflage Gray for the main shade and FS36375 Light Compass Ghost Gray for the lighter shade. The latter is way too light. I’ve not found a satisfying model paint hue of the slightly metallic-looking FS36170, so I paint my F-35 models with good old FS36118 Gunship Gray, using FS36231 Dark Gull Gray for the accents. I used very few of the elaborate vinyl masks.
The painting instructions for the weapons use color swatch keys that are inconsistent. The overall gray color should be FS36375 Medium Gray rather than the called-out “flat gull gray” or “FS36622,” which is not the FS number for flat gull gray anyway.
The Cartograf decals went on with no trouble. There are a lot of tiny stencils, so decaling took much longer than painting. I chose the Marine unit’s markings. Most Marine squadrons will get the S/VTOL F-35B, but three will take to sea on the Navy’s big “CATOBAR” (catapult/barrier) carriers.
All in, I spent 26 hours on the Italeri 1/72 scale F-35C Lightning II plastic model kit, which is about average for me. Beginners may be overwhelmed trying to use the vinyl masks and following the confusing color instructions, but most modelers should be happy with the build.