1/72 Hasegawa F-35A

Gallery Article by Erik Boynton on Feb 3 2021

 

      

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.

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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:

  • After priming, I painted the entire model FS36270 (I used Mr. Hobby H306)

  • I then masked the model and painted the radome, control surfaces, and wing leading edges aluminum (I used AK Xtreme Metal Aluminum)

  • 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:

    • 2 Parts Tamiya XF-24 Dark Gray

    • 2 Parts FS36081 (I used Gunze H301)

    • 4 Parts Aluminum (I used AK Xtreme Metal Aluminum)

  • I finished with satin varnish (Vallejo)

Overall this was a fun, quick build, and I was happy with my “HAVE GLASS” effect.

Erik Boynton

Photos and text © by Erik Boynton