Monogram F117 Nighthawk 1/48

[yak face]

"ANY COLOUR YOU LIKE ,AS LONG AS ITS BLACK!"

Hi all , heres a bit of a change for me , the Monogram 1/48 F117 Nighthawk. I picked this up for about £7 off Ebay and have been eyeing it up in the stash for a while. Its a nice looking kit with a small etched fret included and some funky looking yellow transparencies!! This is not a Mega detailed, all panels open type of kit (ie. the bomb bays are moulded in the closed position) but what detail there is is very acceptable. This suits me fine as i dont often have open panels etc ,preferring for the most part to see the clean lines of an aircraft. The cockpit is quite simple but this reflects the real thing, the ACES 2 ejector seat also being quite clean looking in real life. Heres the pics of the box and contents . cheers tony

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[Dave W]

An unusual aircraft Tony.Saw one fly over when I was working in Saudi in the 90's.Strange looking aircraft.One of my fellow British Aerospace employees got sacked for taking a photo of it on the ground !.Lucky thats all he got I reckon,as it was very secret at the time.Look forward to seeing this go together.

 

[Ian M]

If you don't fancy a black one...

Lockheed F-117A Stealth Fighter

scroll down to the bottom 1/3 of the page...

its an interesting read actually

Ian M

 

[michaelm]

Nice one Tony, looking forward to watching this go together. I too have seen these in the air while working in the Middle East just before in the Iraq invasion. M

 

[yak face]

Cheers Ian , yes its a fascinating aircraft , ive been intrigued by it since it first came to light in the late 80's, and especially after its performance in Desert Storm in 1991. For me its got to be the iconic black scheme , it totally suits the stealthy , shadowy role it carried out so effectively. Its hard to believe that an aircraft so futuristic in looks was in service from 1983 for 25 years until all being retired in 2008 . Tony

 

[yak face]

Cheers dave and michael, I only saw it in the air at the waddington airshow in 1995 ,where one did a brief couple of flypasts , tony

 

[papa 695]

Will watch this Tony iv'e got the Revell 1/48 one looks just like yours

 

[colin m]

Skill level 3 Tony, watch yourself.................

 

[yak face]

Cheers guys , yes i'll have to be careful colin! LOL, and Ian , I think yours will be the same kit , has it got the little etched fret ? Its a nice simple looking build that should turn out quite impressively sized , you dont realise how big the aircraft actually was! tony

 

[yak face]

Well ive started the nighthawk this morn. All the large bits that can be stuck together now (wing halves ,rudder halves , elevators) have been glued and left to one side to set. One point for anyone who gets this kit- there are a few ejector pin marks on the mating faces of the above mentioned parts , make sure you sand these off to ensure a nice fit ,it only takes a few swipes with a heavy duty nail board. The cockpit is very simple ,only about 6 pieces in all including the pilot! Speaking of which ,he's not getting a ride in this plane , he looks a bit weird ,all big balloon head and massive right arm!!! The ACES 2 ejector seat is a reasonable attempt with moulded on straps to which are added buckles off the photo etched fret. the rest of the tub is ok too , the actual cockpit wasnt that busy , so a bit of careful painting should give the right impression. Tony

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[papa 695]

Hi Tony yes it's the same you get three figures the above pilot then one standing with case and a ground crew. Nice start from you, will watch what you do with this and get some tips

 

[yak face]

I only got the pilot with mine!

 

[andyrobs]

Hi Tony, I've built the revell version - there is a build thread I think. If it is the same kit I had loadsa troubles with fit and gaps between the body and wings. Lots of filling was needed!!!!

Cheers, Andrew

 

[Caledonia]

Looks an interesting one Tony - not your usual line of work. Cheers Derek

 

[yak face]

Hi Tony, I've built the revell version - there is a build thread I think. If it is the same kit I had loadsa troubles with fit and gaps between the body and wings. Lots of filling was needed!!!!Cheers, Andrew

Cheers andy , i remember yours it turned out great. One thing , did you find that it needed nose weight , i notice in the kit they supply a rod to support the rear end? cheers tony

 

[andyrobs]

Morning tony, I tried fitting nose weights but due to the construction style and lack of space I was unable to. Ended up using the clear support rod!!!

Cheers, Andrew

 

[yak face]

Latest progress , the wings have been fixed to the lower fuselage ,as has the nose undercarriage bay complete with DLIR and tinted window. The cockpit tub has been painted and should be fine , and the ejector seat has been painted and is in the middle of having the PE buckles added . Ive also got the main undercarriage legs painted , these are very nice with moulded on brake lines .A benefit of the black plastic is that you can cheat a bit with the u/c bays and legs , one thin coat of white primer and the black shows through , highlighting the detail , saving me from giving them a dark wash later - brucie bonus!!! heres some pics , tony

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[papa 695]

Nice work Tony. Think i may get mine out of the stash

 

[Vajled]

great work so far Tony... and great choice

I like a lot this aircraft, mybe it's first of a kind of stealth... but shape is fantastic... like some star wars stuff

Roman

 

[yak face]

Its a bit of a slow burner this one , but heres the latest bit of progress. I'm calling the seat done , ive added the P.E. buckles ,and a couple of little additions - the 2 ears on the headrest and the main ejector rail on the back . Painting and washing takes care of the rest and it should look fine once its in the pit. The next thing is the instrument panel , this has 2 multifunction screens on it but it should be 3 so ive got to make another one , i'll be using a small piece of holographic confetti and a bit of careful painting. Heres the seat pics , cheers tony

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