Subject: Re: F-22A Raptor Submission
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:27:28 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
ARC Air - Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.arcair.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: [email-masked] 
  To: Aircraft Resource Center 
  Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 1:42 AM
  Subject: F-22A Raptor Submission

  "1/72 Scale Academy F-22A Raptor" 

  by "Burt Gustafson"
  --------------------

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  For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of my 1/72 scale Academy F-22A Raptor. Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the F-22 Raptor is a single seat, twin-engine fifth-generation super maneuverable fighter aircraft employing stealth technology. Designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles.

  Construction
  This kit goes together easily because the parts fit is excellent, requiring very little filling and sanding. The part fit was so good that I didn’t install the vertical stabilizers until after the rest of the model was built and painted. The vertical stabilizers were masked, painted, and decaled separately. It was so much easier to do it this way. One thing I found quite interesting was that Academy molded the missile bay doors in clear plastic. Note that in building the cockpit and landing gears there are parts that are tiny and are difficult to handle.

  The kit provides a number of options: open or closed canopy, open or closed exhaust nozzles, open or closed missile bay doors, and a tail hook the can be posed extended. I chose to go with a closed canopy, closed missile bay doors, and the tail hook retracted. 

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  Painting
  There is a lot of talk in the modeling world on how to replicate the Raptor’s metallic sheen. I chose not to worry about the sheen and painted my Raptor using Model Master Enamel paints for the three primary colors: Medium Gray for the overall color, Dark Gray for the camouflage pattern, and Light Ghost Gray for the leading edges of the wings and control surfaces. It looks simple to paint but don’t be fooled. I spent a good amount of time painting my Raptor.  Most of that time was spent masking the leading edges of the wings and control surfaces to replicate the distinctive paint scheme.

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  Decals
  Academy provided markings for four different aircraft. I chose to use the decals for the Hawaii Air National Guard. The decals performed flawlessly, settling with just a touch of Micro Sol—no silvering whatsoever. Additionally, the kit provides 6 decals that represent the multi-function displays on the cockpit front panel—very tiny but nice. Trouble is with a closed canopy you can hardly see them.

  Comments
  This kit was a nice easy build. The parts fit was excellent, the detail is good, and the decals were superb. The overall quality of this kit is excellent. I am pleased with the finished model. Enjoy the photos.

  "Burt Gustafson"

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  Just delete any of the boxes below you don't need.....it's not important to include them.....they are there to give you an idea of the finished article.  It is best to limit your article to no more than 60 or so photos, so the finished webpage won't take too long to open.

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  Photos and text © by "your name goes here"