Trumpeter 1/144 F-22A Raptor
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Overview
The need for an advanced interceptor to replace the F-15 led to a competition
between the F-22 and F-23 in the 1980s. While the winner from that competition
was the F-22, the long development time kept the type from entering service
for over a dozen years. Changes in the world scene have resulted in a
significant reduction in the production run, which has caused the fly-away
cost to soar. Still, the aircraft has incredible performance, both in
flight and in electronics, and it will form the mainstay of the USAF fighter
force for many years to come.
The Kit
 Trumpeter’s
1/144 F-22A is a welcome surprise for small scale modelers. When first
announced, many wondered if it would be another prototype model and therefore
useless to those wanting to build a production bird. Luckily this is not
the case, and what we have is one of the most exquisitely detailed 1/144
models out there, in addition to it being a production F-22 kit.
Molded in gray plastic, the kit comes with a surprising number of pieces,
over 60. Most of these pieces make up the various interior bits, from
the cockpit to the wheel wells to the weapon bays. There are no separate
clear parts, as the canopy is molded in place with the upper fuselage
half. While this makes assembly very simple, it also makes it almost impossible
to open the canopy to show off the detailed interior. A decal sheet provides
markings for four aircraft.
 The
assembly for this kit is much like you would find in a 1/72 or 1/48 kit,
just much smaller. The cockpit has a separate seat, instrument panel,
tub, and instrument panel coaming. Be ready with a small brush here, as
there is petite detailing throughout that should look nice with some careful
drybrushing and shading. This assembly fits onto pegs on the lower fuselage
half. Moving further back, there are also inserts for the intakes, main
wheel wells, and outer weapon bays. A turbine piece fits at the back,
and that rounds out the interior additions.
Once the interior bits are in place, the assembly is fairly straightforward.
As the wings are molded integrally with the upper fuselage piece, just
by joining the fuselage together leaves you with an almost finished model.
The vertical stabilizers are separate, and have no locating pegs or tabs.
As these are canted outwards, it would be advisable to set up a simple
jig to make sure both have the same angle. The horizontal stabilizers
have round pegs to aid in attaching. Separate intakes complete the main
assembly, and these will likely have the toughest fit out of the entire
kit. With both interior and exterior seams, getting these to look right
will be challenging. To further add to that challenge, the F-22 has the
interior of the intakes painted white, which will be hard to do once these
pieces are in place.
 Should
you wish to build your F-22 with the weapon bays closed, the final assembly
is very simple: just glue the one-piece doors in place, sand smooth, and
you’re ready for paint. Given the amount of detail present in the
bays, as well as the weapons themselves, this kit cries out to have all
those doors opened up. To simplify this, the kit comes with different
doors for the open option, complete with mounting attachments. For the
lower bay, there are six AMRAAMs to fill the space, while Sidewinders
are provided for the outer bays. For those who want to display their F-22
in a ferry mode, wing fuel tanks are included as well. As the missiles
are quite nicely done, it would be tempting to close the bays & save
those for another aircraft. Or just build two F-22s (my personal choice,
as this is a kit worth building twice).
 For
marking options, the small decal sheet provides operational markings for
a 1st FW aircraft, as well as test aircraft from Edwards and Nellis. The
fourth option has the F/A-22 logo on the fin. All of these are camouflaged
in the same two shades of gray, with the radome and edges of the flying
surfaces finished in a third shade of gray. The decals are well printed
and should have no problems in application.
Conclusion
This is an excellent addition to Trumpeter’s 1/144 line-up, and
easily the best F-22 in this scale. If Australia and Japan get their wishes
and get an export version of the F-22, the marking options will greatly
increase (can you just see one of these things in a JASDF aggressor scheme?).
And when the Revell 1/144 C-17 comes out, I dare someone to build six
of these in Thunderbird markings, with the C-17 painted up as the support
aircraft. I especially dare the United States Air Force!
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