RoG 1/72 F-22A kit preview pics.

[Habu]

http://www.revell.de/en/products/model_kits/services/info_channel/picture_galleries/f_22_raptor/?id=802&L=1




Doesn't look half bad!

[ViperEnforcer]

No it doesn't, though there are some problems with it.

The Achilles’ heel to this kit is the cockpit, which is totally wrong. The seat is pretty lousy too, which I found surprising.

The canopy looks free from any major distortions, but that could change to really know that, you’ll need to have one in hand.

The wingtip light lenses (NAV/Anti-collision) unfortunately are molded solid gray with the wing. These are large (for a NAV light) lenses on the real jet and even in this scale are quite noticeable.

The shape looks pretty good (or a hell of a lot better than the Italeri kit), despite issues I noted from the built up version in Hyperscale.

http://hyperscale.com/2007/galleries/f22a72dw_1.htm

A nice feature Revell added, was full run intakes. Usually in this scale, that’s far from an option.

The nozzles aren’t really right, but at least they got them in the ball park, as opposed to the Italeri kit. Still, much room for improvement, if you know what I mean. One thing that’s odd is that one nozzle shows full deflection, and the other about half way? Whether or not the builder did this to display the nozzles positions, or that’s how it is built up; either way it’s wrong.

What really looks good are the main weapons bays. They actually have the intake as pat of the forward upper bay ceiling, nice. The detail is a bit sparse, but probably adequate for most modelers building in this scale. The only real problem with the weps bays are the multitude of nasty punch marks, though mostly hidden if the AIM-120s and JDAM are loaded. I think they could have done a better job on the AIM-120s, AIM-9s, and JDAMs though, as they are just plain generic.


The landing gear is well done and nicely detailed, which is in strike contrast to blank voids of the wheel wells. Talk about inconsistency, but at least it’s something to work from. I like the wheels too, as Revell did a good job capturing the wheel hub pattern.

Overall it looks good and I’ll be picking one up, though it's still going to need some work.

Mike V

[Habu]

That's about what I expected to hear, Mike I think the AM makers will have a field day with upgrades though, hopefully fixing at least most of the shortcomings, as ever.

Ok, here's a chance to give a good, qualitative review of an anticipated kit, and all he says is

I like this little Raptor, because it is very finely detailed and it fits together very well.

The original F-22 is finished in metal-flake-paints, so it appears different in changing light and angles.

I am very pleased with the way the kit looks.

Guess he just doesn't know the subject well, which is aeeight, too.

[ViperEnforcer]

Yeah, there's more to a new kit these days than "looks like" as well as other simplistic charateristics that just about very other kits has.

At the end of the day though, it's still miles ahead of the Italeri POS!

Looking forward to producing some upgrades for this and an eventual 48th scale kit

Mike V

[Habu]

At the end of the day though, it's still miles ahead of the Italeri POS!

Or that HobbyModel or whatever kit!

[ViperEnforcer]

That be Aeroplast, another Chinese crap entry into the industry.

BTW, did you see the breaking news at Nuremberg

http://ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen ... index.html

Told ya it was coming

Mike V

[Habu]

Yuppa. Not only that, but the 1/48 Raptor as well. Though I'm not holding my breath for that 1/72 Viper. But might as well get the word out. New thread coming..

[ViperEnforcer]

Yeah, I meant, the 48th Raptor too

Ditto the 72nd Academy F-16. So far it looks scaled down from their 32nd kit, though they did fix that horrible glare shield some. The intakes still look fubar'd.

Mike V