prototype
Italeri: Boeing X-32 JSF
Scale 1/72
Kit no #1208
price: around US 10,00
issued: November 2000
NOTE: some photos in this modelling report are small, made with the first generation digital JPG camera more than 15 years ago!
The Italeri kit of the X-32 is the
first in this scale of the JSF. The kit is of the Boeing concept demonstrator,
the actual JSF if selected of Boeing will be different, so you can only
built this demo version.
The kit is typically Italeri with good parts and the usual instructions.
However, unfortunately the kit has some serious errors:
1- the size and shape of the vertical fins is entirely wrong.
I would recommend that the average modeller substitutes the two vertical fins with 2 new ones from card. That will definitely give a major improvement to this kit.
Shown lower kit part has the wrong
chord and wrong sweep angle.
.......... 
uncorrect (too wide) 2 x 2mm slots cut in
2- the intake is 4mm to width at the bottom; It is really not so difficult to correct and it will improve the look of this kit. Make two cuts as shown, bend together and glue together again. Looks difficult, is easy!
corrected with putty put on
4- the tail area with the exhaust is not entirely right but is difficult to correct. Also the vertical fin should be nearly flush with the aft fuselage section. Difficult to correct.
Making a new one is recommended!
- The cockpit fairing on top of the fuselage is a little to "steep", but best to leave it that way otherwise you will have to make a new canopy.
- The cockpit will benefit from adding some more detail.
- The weapons bay can (after being positioned 6 mm more foward) be further detailed. It is necessary to fill the seam between the fuselage and parts no #22B and 23B. Do this before going on with assembly of the weapon-bay's doors. When you want to have these doors closed, you will need to fill the seams.
- The lower wing seams at the tips and the slats lower panelline needs to be filled with putty.
- a nice touch are a number of modern USAF weapons included with this kit.
I personally cut-out the outher 2
slats and the avionics bay to give some more details.
Well, I overlooked
a big error in the wing position, so to get better results..
don't hesitate and cut-off the wings!
The wing should
be set 6 mm more forward relative to the
fusealge. Also, the right main weapons bay should move with it!
The wing should also be a little
more rounded and curved, but this can be left as is as it is virtually
impossible to correct. Some sanding can improve the look though.
The weapons
bay on the right side should also move 6 mm forward (with the right wing...)
, so I decided to cut "around it" as seen.
I removed the glued on vertical fins and flaps again so....
The wing should be:
- positioned
6 mm more forward on the fuselage..
- wing trailing edge of the inboard
flap reduced 2 mm in size to correct for the too large root chord.
The nice thing is that you can now
also correct the shape at the vertical fins, which in fact should run flush
with the fuselage. Sand flat...
The right side
fuselage weapons bay has also been moved forward. The part removed forward
of the bay has been re-used to close the new gap at the rear.
No putty is set yet, but is needed
to close all gaps and to get a smooth result.
I also picked out some leading edge panels in another light grey color. The avionics bay is also seen.
The Boeing aircraft is a real prototype aircraft; if the production version is build, it will have a horizontal stabilizer added...
Note cut out slats and dropped flaps
on the model made.
. 
.
And there it is... ready for virtual take-off..
In November 2001, the DoD selected the Lockheed-Martin design as the JSF winner for Full Scale Development and System demonstration. Checkout my F-35A JSF model from ACADEMY here....
Now lets check
out the 1/72 Italeri X-35 kit JSF
- More info about the real thing at www.boeing.com!
- Air international December 2000
(c) Copyright Meindert "designer"/ All rights reserved. Your comments are welcomed by webmaster
Created December 10, 2000