1/72 Hasegawa F-117A Nighthawk

Gallery Article by Justin Hetland on Dec 10 2009

 

Hello from the States! This is my first submission to ARC I hope you all like it! I built this kit about three years ago mostly out of the box with some aftermarket decals from TwoBobs and their 'Kosovo Bandits' decal set which is very nice. I have always liked this airplane for its unique and menacing shape, not to mention its significant place in military aviation history.  It seems that no matter what angle you look at the F-117A, it takes on a different shape. Some really great shadows appear on the aircraft depending on the light and the same goes for the kit!

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Overall I don't recall having any real issues with this kit and remember it being rather easy and enjoyable to build. As far as I can tell it is the most accurate Nighthawk kit available. It certainly captures the shape of the real aircraft. Perhaps the cockpit could be a bit more detailed, but I'm sure there is an aftermarket set for that. With the canopy closed it doesn't really matter that much. I suppose the most challenging aspect of this kit is the seam that is present where the wings meet the fuselage, it requires a bit of filling and sanding down but that's about it. I chose to leave the bomb bay closed this time but the option is there to have it open.

For the markings I chose to use Two Bobs 'Kosovo Bandits' set. It gives you the option for 4 different airplanes, I chose the aircraft from the 8th Fighter Squadron based at Holloman Air Force Base. The decals are great and went on with out a hitch with no silvering. Painting the kit was very simple, its covered in Model Master Flat Black. A few coats had to be applied to give it a good 'flat' look as the plastic is molded in gloss black. The only other color used on the airplane is for the exhaust area which was painted using the Exhaust color of Model Master's Metalizer line. 

Well that's it for now, a great kit depicting this striking airplane, goes well next to my other Air Force jets!

Justin Hetland

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Photos and text © by Justin Hetland