Lockheed F-22 Raptor Build - Introduction and Early Assembly

JAXCON 2017 is coming up of Feb 11.  Even though I build a lot of different things, I am best known in the scale modeling community for my 1/72 contemporary jets.  I make sure I get at least one done every year for the show. This year it looks like the only new one I am going to finish is a Air Force F-22 Raptor.

 

Kit is the first production F-22 kit offered.  It suffers from some minor accuracy issues, but but overall is a decent kit worth building.

Photo-Etch detail set by Czech company Eduard. My experience with PE aftermarket kits is that they give you way more than you really need to spruce up and add detail to your model.  I doubt that I will use even a third of the parts here.

The only problematic seam is the one separating the forward fuselage from the wing on back.  It requires careful filling, sanding, and re-scribing,

Fuselage joint seam is filled ad sanded.  Some of the photo-etch parts have been added on the form of some screens and vents ignored by kit manufacturer Italeri.

Instrument panel graphics came as a piece of film that is sandwiched behind a thin photo-etched cover.

Kit elevators are attached to the fuselage with fixed tabs that do not allow the drooped appearance yous see when hydraulic pressure bleeds after engine shut down.  I cut off the tabs, drilled some holes, and installed brass pins. We will see how this pays off later.

Various parts cleaned up and ready to prime.