Check out the new Reference Pages section of the site. It contains a list of aircraft type (e.g. Fw 190A) and links to a page for each, where a more comprehensive collection of resources can be found. Walk arounds, model builds, videos, web sites, etc. can be found. There are currently very few craft listed but I will attempt to add to them over time into what will hopefully be a useful resource for model builders.
Like the F-22 Raptor it's taken me some time to warm up to the design of the F-35. It probably derives it's stealth from the fact that it's so boring and featureless. Kind of like the butler or post man in a murder mystery. They are there but so mundane and everyday they escape notice.
The design is actually growing on me though ... so I suppose I'll get some research done for the inevitable moment when I finally look at it and think ... "Damn, that's a sexy plane" ... Kind of like that awkward girl in middle school that no one noticed until high school when she suddenly became drop dead gorgeous.
I suppose this was better, aesthetically speaking anyway, than Boeing's behemouth (yes "mouth") entry into the competition ... the XF-32, whose design was some weird cross between the space shuttle and a basking shark ... maybe it would have been designated the F-32 "Shuttle Shark" ...
Space Shuttle
Basking Shark
Separated at birth!!
Boeing YF-32 "Shuttle Shark" Nom nom nom
Anyway, I'm not going to bust on Boeing. At least they performed their R&D within the allotted budget and the taxpayers didn't have to "eat it" the way we did and continue to with Lockheed. Bah ... whatever. No politics ... Let's talk about models!!
Yuck ... not THOSE models!!!
I'm not allowed to talk about THESE models!!
Yeah ... THIS Model!!! My wife lets me talk about this model!
I digress ... REALLY digress ...
Anyway, I have managed to find some videos on the F-35; some airshow footage and a nice little documentary. Gonna keep looking for walkaround videos and sites. Will probably be adding to this list as I get closer to building one myself, but here's a small compilation for now in case you've started without me.
I don't know the political implications of F-22 Raptor or the F-35 Lightning II but they are the subjects of several model kits so they have a place here.
I honestly was not a fan of this new "stealthy" design. Compared to the F-15, F-14 ... even the F-18, the F-22 lacked any real character or... "architecture", for lack of a better word. The shape has grown on me over time however and I am now working on my first Raptor model.
OK OK ... it's actually the Revell Snap-Tite 1:72 scale YF-22 prototype which has some differences but it's close enough for now. I can see me doing more in the future and that's really the important thing right?
I managed to find some relatively nice to entertaining documentaries and performance/demo videos of the actual F-22 Raptor. Hopefully these will provide some helpful information for you on the history and details of the Raptor aircraft.
Playlist Home Page: Reference: F-22 Raptor Number of Videos: 8 Playlist Duration: approx. 2.5hrs
Some of the most aesthetically appealing fighters in my opinion started with the MiG-29 and continued on with the Sukhoi SU-27 air superiority fighter. Absolutely stunningly beautiful aircraft.
I actually do not have any models of this plane yet to work on but it is on my short list of planes to build. Several fantastic documentary videos on this plane exist and I have managed to capture a couple of them here. As I like long stints in front of a show whilst modeling the 2.5 hour program, "Building the SU-27: The Best Fighter Jet in the World" is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy this video as well as the other shorter videos in the collection as well.
German MiG-29 - GADF assumed possession of 24 East German MiG-29's upon reunification in 1990
Since I began modelling airplanes I have always been in love with the MiG-29 and the family of Sukhoi (SU-27 - SU-35) fighters. I love their shape and the streamlined aesthetic of the fuselage. Having what I think of as a "goose-neck", where the cockpit seems almost cantilevered above and in front of the engine intakes, in contrast to the F-15 and F-14 where the cockpit extends nearly straight out from in between the engine intakes, endows the craft with a visual velocity unlike any other plane I have seen yet.
I purchased an Airfix 1:72 scale MiG-29 Fulcrum to scratch my itch with ... and as usual I dug up as much reference material as I could find on You Tube and collected it here into a playlist. There are some interesting documentaries here and worth sitting through the 4 hours of video. It makes great company while building your MiG-29 model!
