AMT 1/72 F-117 Quick Build

Started by Spiros Pendedekas · 47 · 3 years ago · 1/72, AMT, Ertl, F-117, Lockheed
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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Hi everyone!

    This is my quick build of the AMT 1/72 F-117. This is going to be offered as a present to a 6yo nephew, as it was his wish to have a stealth fighter by his bed. I happened to have the AMT kit in my stash, so I decided to build it for him.

    The kit itself is toyish and simplistic, and not an accurate representation of the Nighthawk. Its general shape only distantly resembles the real thing. This is understandable, as it was conceived in 1989, with only a couple of pics of the real thing being then available. But, this kit can produce a nice stand model, any shape accuracies might be excused!

    Here are the kit parts:

    Instructions are nice for this basic construction:

    Here are the decals:

    and here is the progress so far:

    I tinted the window with clear paint, painted the cockpit gull gray and attached all underside doors shut.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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    John Healy said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Cool! I built one of those back when it was new.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Thanks my friend @j-healy! It looks inaccurate enough to be a better candidate for a dramatized Luft 46 project!

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Here she is glued, after pilot was painted, attached onto his seat and the cockpit was attached from the inside. Not a lot is visible in the cockpit, so just basic detailing there. Fit of the two halves was positive, but gaps were humungus; liquefied stryene took care of them...


    Thanks for stoping by!

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    George R Blair Jr said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Interesting, Spiros (@fiveten). It looks bigger than 1/72. Being a stealth airplane, once you paint it you won't be able to see it, right?

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    Erik Gjørup said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Now, that could pose a problem. . . .

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    John vd Biggelaar said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    This is indeed going quick, Spiros @fiveten
    Lots of grinding coming up.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Thanks my friends @gblair, @airbum and @johnb!

    Yes George, it's not small, looks more than 1/72, but, again it's not an accurate model. Once painted it could only be seen from specific angles, and, indeed, Erik, this might be s problem...

    John, yes, some serious grinding is coming up, but it's a most quick build so far.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Moving on


    Coarse sanded, then filled with putty and (at some still rough spots) liquefied styrene, fins added. Her she is: Ihave to admit that wheels up does bare a resemblance to the original (ok, vaguely...).
    Thanks for stopping by!

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    P.S, Strange thoughts crossed my mind on transforming it to one of the "Have Blue" prototypes (the size would be quite right for 1/48), but I restrained myself from being carried that far away...

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    John vd Biggelaar said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Getting improved, Spiros.
    Serious work on those edges.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Thanks my friend @johnb!
    Today my nephew (6yo) visited me and saw the in-progress work!
    He is really excited, impatient to see it painted, decalled and delivered!

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    George R Blair Jr said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    It is certainly starting to look the part, Spiros (@fiveten). Have Blue would allow you to use something other than black paint.

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    Spiros Pendedekas said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    Thanks my friend @gblair!

    It would require quite a lot of transformation, in order to barely come close to a Have Blue.

    The only Have Blue I know is the 1/72 resin, expensive Pegasus Hobbies one, which it is reported to have its own inaccuracies...

    I might tackle the 1/144 Nighthawk by Revell someday, to create a1/72-ish Have Blue. But it will take some extremely serious butchering!

    As you pointed out the Have Blue was not black: one of its schemes recorded was that amazing 4-color dark gray/light gray/tan/black...

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    George R Blair Jr said 3 years, 5 months ago:

    But that's the cool part, Spiros (@fiveten). Once it is finished and painted it will become invisible, so no one can say it doesn't look right. :o) I have also looked at the Have Blue model, which is cool, but expensive.