Hobby Model F-22 Raptor

[FARVA809]

Hi Everyone,

The Hobby Model F-22 is my first "detailed model" I recently purchased it, and it should be here any day. I can't wait to get started, and I will keep ya'll up to date with the progress. I purchased the plasitc canopy to along with it as well. I'd love to hear some suggestions for this build. ie What type of glue works best, should I use a knife, should I spray it with anything special etc... I have built tons of download models, but this is my first ordered one! Let me know your ideas please!

[spencermitchellmusic]

I can't wait to see how this goes together. The only suggestion that I have is that you scan a copy of all of the pages (maybe even build from a print of those scans as often as possible). As I have found from the f-18 that I am building, you never know when something will go wrong and you will need to remake a part. I had to build the wheel wells of my f-18 four times before I got them right. You can look at my build thread, it tittled "My fly model f-18 build". Good luck, cant wait to see how it turns out.

[GreMir]

Hi,
Whatever tools/glue you used for the downloadable models will work for the printed model.
Scanning the model is a very good idea as the F-22 is one of the older ones and might require some special attention to make the parts fitting each other...

[FARVA809]

thanks guys, i feel stupid, I was worried about messing a part up and figured that was that, never thought about scanning! lol 'dur' haha thanks, should arrive in the mail tomarrow, for now, off to fly my RC!

[FARVA809]

Actually, I'm thinking I might scan the tail section, and give it a little art... much like the tail art I designed on this F-15.

I made it as a fictional design of the 809th Raging Peckers. the 809th is stationed at Elmendorf AFB AK. though it isnt real, it is a fun comic strip, called Air Force Blues. check it out at www.afblues.com Its about a fighter pilot who has a huge ego. Its great, although you have to read all of the sripes from the beginning to understand the story line. Right now they are being transferred to the F-22 form the F-15, so its all good fun, check it out!

[lee4752]

Originally Posted by FARVA809

Its about a fighter pilot who has a huge ego.

An AF fighter jock with an ego? who'da thunk it?:D

[cdavenport]

If you want the vacformed canopy ultra clear, dip it in Future Floor Wax and allow the excess to drain. It will harden and hide any inperfections. Don't touch the canopy as it will show any fingerprints. If you need to handle it further, wear cotton gloves.

The F-22 canopy has a frame. A common error I have noted is that paper modelers will glue the frame part unmodified to the canopy; don't do this.

First: separate as much paper from the paper frame part as possible. In other words, all you want to glue to the clear canopy is that part of the frame that has the color imbedded in it.

In essence, you have stripped away all the underlying layers of paper and are left with a very thin paper decal. Glue it on the canopy with Aleens or Tacky Glue or whatever you like. Future Floor Wax is water soluble, so the glue will adhere to it just fine.

[FARVA809]

Thanks Maj, I'll give that a try, sounds like a challenge! and who am I to turn that down. lol.

@ lee

I have since forgotten the website, but the ISS you are building, is that the one on the website with the mobil launch platform and the crawler? I built both of those and a shuttle about a year ago, I have wanted to start the ISS, but I want to build the whole thing, not just the current one.

[cMags]

Looking forward to your F-22 build. And just wanted to say that the AFBlues comic is great! I definitely spent hours yesterday going thru the entire story lol.

[cdavenport]

Originally Posted by FARVA809

Thanks Maj, I'll give that a try, sounds like a challenge! and who am I to turn that down.

Ooops! I didn't mean for it to sound like a challenge to accomplish. In fact, it's the essence of simplicity. It's so simple and the results are elegant. Here are some shots of an FJ-1 I did that show what it looks like. Notice that the canopy frame is quite thin after the underlayers are peeled away. It was very easy to handle, too.