This is Hasegawa’s 1/72
F-35A. I wanted a quick “pick me up” Covid project and have also
always wanted to try my hand at re-creating the “HAVE GLASS” paint scheme
found on US stealth fighters. Although the kit comes with great decals to
replicate the famous “RAM tape,” I decided to use the newer F-35 paint
scheme where the RAM tape matches the overall airframe color.
Click on
images below to see larger images
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I built the kit out of the box, with the exception of the Eduard cockpit set, which can barely be seen at 1/72 scale. The kit lives up to Hasegawa’s reputation for high quality and excellent fit. After some experimentation, I based my HAVE GLASS paint job around YouTuber “Peri’s Models” technique:
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After priming, I painted the entire model FS36270 (I used Mr. Hobby H306)
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I then masked the model and painted the radome, control surfaces, and wing leading edges aluminum (I used AK Xtreme Metal Aluminum)
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I removed masking and sprayed a thinned coat of the following mixture until the desired blending/effect was achieved. 60% Mr. Color Leveling Thinner mixed with 40% of:
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2 Parts Tamiya XF-24 Dark Gray
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2 Parts FS36081 (I used Gunze H301)
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4 Parts Aluminum (I used AK Xtreme Metal Aluminum)
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I finished with satin varnish
(Vallejo)
Overall this was a fun, quick build,
and I was happy with my “HAVE GLASS” effect.
Erik
Boynton