X-47B
Posted: 24 Sep 2014, 18:12
New site, new blog! Instead of trying to finish something I already have half built, I have decided on a fresh start with a new model. And to break tradition, it is going to be a wingy thing -- Freedom Model Kits' 1/48 scale X-47B UCAS.
According to Wikipedia, "The Northrop Grumman X-47B is a demonstration unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) designed for carrier-based operations. Developed by the American defense technology company Northrop Grumman, the X-47 project began as part of DARPA's J-UCAS program, and is now part of the United States Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The X-47B first flew in 2011, and as of 2014, it is undergoing flight and operational integration testing, having successfully performed a series of land- and carrier-based demonstrations. Northrop Grumman intends to develop the prototype X-47B into a battlefield-ready aircraft, the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) system, which will enter service by 2019. In August, 2014, the US Navy announced that it had integrated the X-47B into carrier operations alongside manned aircraft."
This kit is the first release from Freedom models, and it is a pretty good one. There are 6 sprues in total - 2 large ones for the fuselage halves, 2 large for wings and flags, and 2 medium sized for other details, such as stores, landing gear, etc. There is also small etch fret, a comprehensive decal sheet and a folder A3 full colour painting and decal guide.
The moulding looks crisp with only some small flash on one of the sprues. The details are excellent and the more complex parts looks to be well engineered. Some of the attachment gates are a bit thick, but they look to be placed with some thought and it appears that you're not cutting near detail when removing the parts.
The instructions have you first building the landing gear, followed by the wings. Next up is the air intake and fuselage assembly. This is followed by the landing gear doors and, depending on the order you build, stores and bomb bay doors. The final stages are adding the various sensor pods and then fixing the wings, either folder or deployed. For reasons I'll explain in the text I'll be building a little out of order, and leaving off most of the extras (landing gear, doors, stores, wings) for ease of painting.
Looking over the kit and checking reference photos, it looks to be a very good reproduction of the aircraft with limited options for adding detail. One area where we can detail is the landing gear by adding the various cables and pipes, and we can add some details into the wheel and bomb bay areas. I'll may also be looking for options to replace the kits GBU-32 bombs with resin replacements, but there doesn't seem to be much around.
As for the build, I will construct with landing gear down, bomb bays open, wings folded, air brakes deployed and flaps down. It will end up being a little more complicated, but I think will give a more interesting looking model.
According to Wikipedia, "The Northrop Grumman X-47B is a demonstration unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) designed for carrier-based operations. Developed by the American defense technology company Northrop Grumman, the X-47 project began as part of DARPA's J-UCAS program, and is now part of the United States Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System Demonstration (UCAS-D) program. The X-47B first flew in 2011, and as of 2014, it is undergoing flight and operational integration testing, having successfully performed a series of land- and carrier-based demonstrations. Northrop Grumman intends to develop the prototype X-47B into a battlefield-ready aircraft, the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) system, which will enter service by 2019. In August, 2014, the US Navy announced that it had integrated the X-47B into carrier operations alongside manned aircraft."
This kit is the first release from Freedom models, and it is a pretty good one. There are 6 sprues in total - 2 large ones for the fuselage halves, 2 large for wings and flags, and 2 medium sized for other details, such as stores, landing gear, etc. There is also small etch fret, a comprehensive decal sheet and a folder A3 full colour painting and decal guide.
The moulding looks crisp with only some small flash on one of the sprues. The details are excellent and the more complex parts looks to be well engineered. Some of the attachment gates are a bit thick, but they look to be placed with some thought and it appears that you're not cutting near detail when removing the parts.
The instructions have you first building the landing gear, followed by the wings. Next up is the air intake and fuselage assembly. This is followed by the landing gear doors and, depending on the order you build, stores and bomb bay doors. The final stages are adding the various sensor pods and then fixing the wings, either folder or deployed. For reasons I'll explain in the text I'll be building a little out of order, and leaving off most of the extras (landing gear, doors, stores, wings) for ease of painting.
Looking over the kit and checking reference photos, it looks to be a very good reproduction of the aircraft with limited options for adding detail. One area where we can detail is the landing gear by adding the various cables and pipes, and we can add some details into the wheel and bomb bay areas. I'll may also be looking for options to replace the kits GBU-32 bombs with resin replacements, but there doesn't seem to be much around.
As for the build, I will construct with landing gear down, bomb bays open, wings folded, air brakes deployed and flaps down. It will end up being a little more complicated, but I think will give a more interesting looking model.