1:32 Lockheed Martin F-35 A Lightning II wheels and canopy paint mask outside only (for Italeri 2506 kit)

The one-piece cockpit of a fifth-generation machine

The Lightning II in the A version is the land-based form with conventional takeoff and landing, that is the one most users operate, including European air arms. The shape of the airframe is dictated by the effort for a low radar return: the edges are aligned into just a few directions, the weapons disappear into fuselage bays and the cockpit is covered by a single molded part without a transverse frame. For a builder that brings good news and a task at the same time.

There are few frames, but the transition between the canopy and the fuselage spine has to be absolutely clean, because nothing masks it or breaks it up visually. The package covers the outer surface of the cockpit and the wheels of both the main and the nose landing gear.

• A one-piece canopy without a transverse frame
• The wheels of both the main and the nose landing gear
• A cut for the kit in the large scale
• It covers the outside, with the inner surface left free

Take the film off before the final matte varnish goes onto the model. A step forms under a covered area which further coats only emphasize, and freshly sprayed paint peels more readily than paint that has been hard for several days. The right moment comes a matter of hours after the last coat of the frame shade, not once the whole model is finished.

The livery of the machine makes high demands on the surface. A gray coat with a low sheen shows every unevenness and every fingerprint, and because there are almost no pronounced panel lines on the airframe to distract the eye, the surface has to be absolutely even. A closed cockpit and closed wheels let the whole model be sprayed without the interruption that is a frequent cause of patches.