F-35C in 1/72 scale

The Aircraft:
The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is the second 5th generation stealth fighter built by the United States of America, following the F-22 Raptor.

The F-35 Lignting II was developed by Lockheed Martin as the Prime Contractor along with Northrop Grumman and British Aerospace ins response to the US Air Force Joint Strike Fighter Program. The program began in November 1996 with a 5-year competition between Lockheed Martin and Boeing to determine the most capable and affordable preliminary aircraft design. Lockeed presented the X-35 and Boing presented the X-32. On October 26, 2001, 2001 the Pentagon announced that Lockheed-Martin had won contract to build the Joint Strike Fighter. The Air Force announced that on the basis of strengths, weaknesses and degrees of risk, that the Lockheed-Martin team was the winner.

The program was looking for a joint service strike aircraft to replace numerous aging 4th generation aircraft in the US inventory including the USAF F=16 Falcon, the USAF A-10 Warthog, the US Navu and US Marine F-18 Hornet, the US MArine AV-8B HArrier II, and similar aircraft from allied nations who partnered on the project.

This ended up requiring three variants of the aircraft, all to be built around the same basic air fram and a large majority of common parts and susyems.

As a result, once the production aircraft was designated the F-35, is resulted in three aircraft designations:

F-35A The conventional take-off and landing vaersion for the US Air Force.
F=35B The STOVL (Short Take-off, Vertical Landing) version for the US Marines.
F-35C The CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off, Barrier Assisted Recovery) version for the US Navy aircraft carriers.

The aircraft is a blend of stealth technologies (both forming and materials), tremendous sensor fusion and situational awareness, agility, ordinance carrying capability, supersonic capability (Mach 1.6), and common parts and electronics for many of the missions of all three services. it is also a single seat, single engine aircraft.

This description is about the Carrier based F-35C Lightning II for the US Navy, to become the principle strike fighter operating off of US Navy nuclear powered aircraft carriers.

Specifically, expectations of the F-35C are that it will provide strike, attack, and air defense missions for the US Navy that exceed the existing F-18C/D Hornet aircraft which it will replace, and compliment the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft that it will fly along side. This includes superior maneuverability and sustained high-g performance, superior stealth, payload, internal fuel range, avionics, operational effectiveness, supportability, and survivability.

The F-35C has a larger wing and control surface area than the F-35A and F-35B aircraft. This was done to provide it with superior slow speed handling when operating off of aircraft carriers, and to increase its range and weapons load. In addition, befitting a US carrier aircraft, its landing gear has been strengthened as has its frame, and it has a strong carrier arrestor hook built into it that can withstand the repeated pressure of "grabbing a wire," when it lands on the carrier deck.

This naval variant is expected to be procured in numbers approaching 350 aircraft for the US Navy and for the US Marines. Eight squadrons of ten aircraft will be operated by the US Marines to replace their current F/A-18C/D Hornets. The US Navy will operate at least 260 aircraft as US Navy strike fighters for the carriers and for training, testing & Evaluation, and from shore based airfields.

The first production F-35C aircraft rolled out of the production facility in Ft. Worth , Texas in July 2009. In November 2010, the first F-35C arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. On July 27, 2011, an F-35C test aircraft completed the first steam catapult launch of the aircraft at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst, NJ. On August 13, 2011, it successfully completed jet blast deflector (JBD) testing at Lakehurst. Then on November 18, 2011, the U.S. Navy launched the first F-35C using its new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) at Lakehurst. MNumrous tests have ensured with every conceivable load out for the aircraft and varying conditions tested.

On June 22, 2013, Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-101, the famous Grim Reapers, received the Navy's first fighter squadron F-35C at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

On November 3, 2014, the much anticipated, first at sea deployment of the F-35C aboard a US aircraft carrier began. Two F-35Cs of the Navy's flight test unit, made theirs first landings and take-offs aboard the USS Nimitz, CVN-68 for a two week deployment. This initial deployment was completed very successfully on November 14, 2014.

The US Navy has now taken deliver of twenty-one aircraft and has stood up a testing and evaluation squadrons and the initial fighter squadron.

The US Navy is planning on the F-35C reaching initial operational capability (IOC) when the first operational carrier squadron is equipped with 10 aircraft, and Naval personnel are trained, manned, and equipped to conduct basic air operations off of the carrier in a contested environment. The US Navy expects to meet this condition between August 2018 and February 2019.
Aircraft General characteristics:


Crew: 1
Length: 50.8 ft
Wingspan: 43 ft
Height: 14.2 ft (4.33 m)
Wing area: 620 ft²
Empty weight: 34,800 lb
Loaded weight: 49,540 lb
Max. takeoff weight: 70,000 lbs
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney F135 afterburning turbofan
- Dry thrust: 28,000 lbf
- Thrust with afterburner: 43,000 lbf
Internal fuel capacity: 19,624 lb
Maximum speed: Mach 1.6+ (1,200 mph) (tested to Mach 1.61)
Range: 1,400 nmi on internal fuel
Combat radius: 610 nmi on internal fuel
Wing loading: 107.7 lb/ft² max loaded
Thrust/weight:
- With full fuel: 0.75
- With 50% fuel: 0.91
Maximum g-load: 9 g

Armament:
1 × General Dynamics 25 mm (0.984 in) GAU-22/A 4-barrel Gatling gun, under carriagepod mounted with 180 rounds
2 x Internal Bays with two pylons in each with a total capacity of 3,000 lbs together
6 × external pylons on wings with a capacity of 15,000 lb
- Total weapons payload of 18,000 lb
Missiles:
Air-to-air: AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-9X Sidewinder, IRIS-T, MBDA Meteor
Air-to-surface: AGM-88 AARGM, AGM-158 JASSM, Brimstone missile / MBDA SPEAR, Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM), Storm Shadow missile, SOM
Anti-ship: Joint Strike Missile (JSM), Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM)
Precision Guided Bombs:
Paveway laser-guided bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), AGM-154 JSOW, Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)
Bombs:
Mark 84 or Mark 83 or Mark 82 GP bombs, Mk.20 Rockeye II cluster bomb, Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) capable, B61 mod 12 nuclear bomb

The Kit:
To date, there is only a single F-35C injected molded kit in 1/72 scale and that is this one, from Orange Hobby. Others are expected out in the future, but I decided to go ahead and get this one.

Orange Hobby is a Chinese model company. They are well known for making numerous after market add-on sets and pieces from gun barrels, to antennae, and various weapons systems in 1/35, 1/72, 1/700, and 1/350 scales. They have also made several models (usually resin kits) for 1/700, 1/350 and 1/72 scale ships and aircraft. My 1/72 scale X-47B UCLASS aircraft build was an Orange Hobby model. There kits have always been top notch.

This is one of their 1/72 scale injected molded model kits and it includes a lot of detail and options, as well as additional parts

The model can show the gear either up or down and has detailed weapons and landing gear bays.

The model can show the main wings either folded or down for operations on the carrier deck.

The model can show the canopy in either the open or closed position.

The model can show the arrestor hook either extended or stowed.

There are two sets of decals for the model, either showing it in the CF-03 test aircraft configuration for the US Navy, or in VA-101 Grim Reapers air wing configuration with production aircraft 101.

There is also a nicely detailed aircraft tug included that can be shown towing the aircraft into position on the carrier deck.

I intend to show this aircraft as one of the Grim Reapers, VA-101, and have it being towed in place with the tug, with its wings folded and its canopy open. The idea is to make it as realistic as possible preparing for launch off of a US carrier.

There are five frets of gray injected molded parts, a fret of clear parts for the canopy, and some photo etch parts, particularly for the aircraft tug.

The parts look very well molded with no flash and very decent and smart attach points. The two sets of decals look very complete, and the 1st aircraft of the Grim Reapers includes the higher contrast, color markings seen in the pictures above.

Instructions are in Chinese, but appear intuitive. The paint scheme leaves a bit to be desired. It is in black and white (gray scale) and does not point out specific vendor colors but uses fairly generic terms like, "Dark Gray." That's alright, I know what colors they need to be in any case.

Orange Hobby does sell a masking kit for the distinctive markings on the F-35 and I will probably get it. I may use it to try and add these markings to my already completed USMC F-35B and USAF F-35A as well.

Here's how all of this looked out of the box:

...and here's the complete instruction set with the paint scheme for the Grim Reaper aircraft shown last:

u]The Build[/u] Weapons Bay, Intakes, Landing gear bays - May 20, 2015

I started off by assembling the various parts for the weapons bays, the landing gear bays, and the air intakes. The interior spaces are in flat white, and the exterior of the aircraft, like the USAF aircraft, is in Gunship Gray.


That's all I had time for in this first session. I am ordering the mask set and will proceed in the next session to do the cockpit, paint the internal portion of the bay doors (and assemble them) and then put the basic fuselage and control surfaces together. Hopefully, by the time the next session is done, I can have the mask set in to paint the markings on the upper fuselage.

The Build Engine. Stabilizers, Cockpit, Fuselage, landing gear, Bay doors, Folded Wings - May 22, 2015

I started off this session by painting, assembling and then gluing the engine into the lower fuselage. I then added the vertical stabilizers to the upper fuselage and painted and prepared the horizontal stabilizers.


Next, I painted, gathered, and assembled the various parts for the cockpit. I then glued the display into the upper fuselage and added the main panel decal for the instrumentation. I then glued the rest of the cockpit together and added it to the lower fuselage.

At this point I was ready to glue the upper and lower fuselage together...which I did. While it was drying I painted and assembled the three landing gear. These landing gear are visibly more hefty and beefy than the F-35A or F-35B landing gear...of course they have to take the stresses associated with landing on the carrier deck, and of being slung by the front gear down the carrier deck by the catapult.

Once these had dried and the fuselage was dried, I glued the landing gear into place.

At this point it was time to paint and assemble the various bay doors and the various hinging systems and support that this kit includes. Some good detail, particularly in the weapons bay doors which other kits have not shown.

Once those were together and dried I glued them onto the model. I also glued the wheels into place (which I had already painted) and glued the horizontal stabilizers in place. The weapons/armament will come later.

At this point I also assembled the wing sections that can fold. Since I intend to show them in the up position allowing for better storage and more room on deck, I configured the assembly accordingly. I also added the under wing pylon for these outer wing sections (those Pylons will carry my AIM_9X Sidewinder missiles). I then glued these to the aircraft in the appropriate position. At this point I did an initial paint of the canopy and also a dry fit in place. This is how all of that looks:

Now that is looking really good. You can clearly see the distinctions between the "Charlie" F-35 and the "Alpha" and "Bravo" versions. The double front wheels, the heftier landing carriage, the significantly larger wings, the folded outer wings. Yes, she is definitely the F-35C.

In my next session I will paint, build, and add the weapons. I will also build the aircraft tug. At that point defending on if my "mask" has arrived, I will either use the mask and paint the markings with it, or I will add what decals I can and continue waiting for the mask.

Coming along nicely, Mr. Head!

Blackstone said:

Coming along nicely, Mr. Head!

Click to expand...

Thank you my friend.

I hope to get all of the structure (including the tug) done this weekend and a few of the decals.

but I am waiting on a special mask I bought to do all of the special markings you see in lighter gray on the actual aircraft. if it works the way I hope, I will then go back to the F-35A I just did and add them there too.