Hasegawa 1/48 F-22 Raptor USAF

Model was fairly easy to assemble. Had only one issue trying to fit the main cockpit assembly in between the upper and lower body parts. Required some Dremel work, but it turned out beautifully. When building models keep one thing in mind... Make it to suit your likes... Not someone else's and have fun!

I've posted pics of my finished model...I built this "box stock", but still, this is super detailed model - even though it did not include any photo etched parts1) Each landing gear bay consists of 20+ parts - gear, doors, struts, interior parts, etc.2) Each missile fin gets a "NO LIFT" decal.3) Fit and finish are SUPERB, very little putty needed.4) Took 3 weeks to complete. In comparison, Revell F-15 only took me 1 week to complete.5) I did the wash in the landing and missile bays, but didn't add weathering, yet. I just wanted to be done for now.6) But I wish they would have made the 20mm cannon doors to be open or closed.Painting:For the edges - Light Ghost Gray FS36375 (enamel) - added no sheen.- Let it dry THOROUGHLY for a couple of days, masked the edges using low tack masking tape.- If you want the edge color to match some of the decals - i.e. between the engines, mix Light Ghost Gray with Radome Tan and flat white - I had to do this because part of the decal between the engines came off a bit and had to fix it. It's really hard to tell the difference between the fix and decal.Sheeny light gray - 5 parts Light Ghost Gray FS36375 (enamel) + 1 part 5-N Navy Blue USN (SG) (enamel)Sheeny dark gray - 1 part Light Ghost Gray FS36375 (enamel) + 3 part 5-N Navy Blue USN (SG) (enamel)- I printed the PDF of the paint instructions on to card stock. Increasing the print size until it matched the model, then cut out the darker gray areas and used it as a template so I can achieve the soft edges.To add the "sheen" - 5 parts Testors Airbrush Paint, Clear Gloss (Acrylic) + 1 part Parma Faspearl Silver (acrylic) + 3 parts thinner. Airbrushed 3 thin coats.After the Gloss, removed the masking off the edges, applied the decals using Solvaset, airbrushed 3 thin coats of Testors Airbrush Paint, Clear Matte (acrylic).Hasegawa water slide decals tend to be fickle. When using very warm water, takes about 15 seconds of submerging. Luke warm water, it takes 20+ seconds. Room temp water, it's nearly impossible to slide.All in all, it was a great model, as detailed as it was, it wasn't that frustrating to build, just took a lot of patience. End result was worth it!

I’m built this kit for my stepson as I usually build only WWII kits. It had a lot of parts and they fit pretty well but there is also a lot of clean up when removing parts from the trees. (There are many additional mold injection junk).The majority of detail is in the weapon bays and undercarriage landing gear areas I recommend modeling the plane with those areas open, showing all the details. The build wasn’t an easy one but with patience is was worth it. I suggest building subassemblies separately when possible. I also recommend painting with an airbrush. The plane is mostly made up of three colors, each mixed 50/50 from two other colors. (Listing is in the instruction sheets) and a few highlight colors in the black cockpit, white in the wheel carriage, weaponry bays and some other areas. The pilot figure didn’t fit despite scraping stock off. I opted to order a photo etched seat belt kit from Eduard as the kit doesn’t supply one. It is certainly not a kit for beginners, but with supervision by an experienced builder, a newbie can enjoy it.

How about noting what adhesives, paint and tools work best.

I found this model to be the best and most detailed model I have ever built. It is true quality, having most pieces fit perfectly! Some of the decals are (like most) not the best. You must be very careful with them and use correctly. Also the fuselage will sometimes be barely warped. You can possibly fix this by trying to bend it back. Other than that NOTHING to take away the five stars. It is naturally shiny and streamlined with immense detail to every part. I would recommend this to a experienced modeler or one who can take almost up to 400 parts that can be very small. The worst part of the construction for me was the landing gears. There is almost a ridiculously weak way of how they are built. Don't let this stop you from trying though, There is multiple different pieces that allow it to be closed or open even after you may have failed to build it. This model says to mix paint to the perfect color. I found that simple Ace spray paint and Testors enamel works best just the way it is. I think that this is a AWESOME model and love it. All the models pieces fit perfectly with each other. Even with 368 pieces you can still easily find the correct one to use. The directions can be difficult at times but overall are easy to use. It is naturally shiny so if you desire a even more shiny look then use gloss colors. The cockpit is extremely detailed like the rest of the model. You even have a choice of which pilot helmet may be worn by the pilot. This kit comes with it all Two AIM-9 Sidewinders and 6 Aim-120 missiles. cool product to buy!

Found this plane for 24 bucks which is a seal compared to local hobby shops or online model vendors. The modeling community complains mostly about the excessive raised RAM material on the surfaces of this particular model but its a mere oversight as far as Im concerned. It can easily be modified down with a bit of priming and sanding. Overall this beats Academy out for their version of the F22 and you won't he disappointed with the fit at all. Theres a lot of internal support structure to keep the plane from being so hollow after completion which is great. The painting is a bit tricky..especially since Hasegawa uses Mr. Color paint references. But you can match up colors to pretty much any paint yiu use by converting them via [...]. There are a couple of tricks to add the elusive sheen for the raptor but there are products out there to assist in this. Overall a great model.