F-19 Stealth Fighter
Frisbee

available online from Squadron.com

This is the old Testors (Italeri) 1/48th scale F-19 Stealth Fighter. The kit is long out-of-production, but I've had one sitting in the attic since back when the kit was new. It is a very unique shape, and I always wanted to build it but never took the time. While looking for something different (and quick) to build, I came across this kit in the attic and decided it was time to finally build it.

It is a shame that this model is hypothetical. It has some really great lines that I would love to have seen a full-size aircraft use. The name "Frisbee" comes from Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising book. The stealth fighters used in the story are described as looking like the Testors kit, and the pilots are said to refer to the aircraft as the "Frisbee". I liked the analogy.

It is a very simplistic kit. The cockpit is only four pieces. After constructing the cockpit, you sandwich it between the two main pieces (top and bottom) that construct the entire airframe. Then you insert the engine exhausts and add the "vertical" tails. Adding the landing gear, horizontal tail slab, and assorted minor details completes the kit.

As simple as the kit was to build, I couldn't resist doing some easy modifications, hence the model is not built out-of-the-box. I made the following changes to the kit:

• I incorporated an old Model Technologies cockpit etchings detail set (#MT061) which includes (mostly) a lot of cockpit goodies:

  • Canopy Details (latch hooks, hand grips, etc)

  • Forward Instrument Hood Cockpit Sill Details

  • Cockpit Side Walls

  • Head-Up-Display (HUD)

  • Tie Down Lugs for the Landing Gear

  • Wheel Door and Weapons Bay Door Actuators

• I further enhanced the cockpit details by doing the following:

  • I increased the cockpit sills to match the Model Technologies side walls.

  • I increased the size of the instrument hood to fit the base of the Model Technologies HUD.

  • I added the canopy seal around the perimeter of the entire cockpit sill.

  • I reworked the kit ejection seat to provide better detailing.

  • I added True Details etched harnesses to the ejection seat.

• Inspired by lots of "concept drawings" from the 1980s, I relocated the kit provided forward stabilizers to new positions along the fuselage chine, below the cockpit. This looked better to me than the location the kit uses sticking out on top of the engine intakes.

The kit provides two AGM-65 Maverick missiles to hang inside the weapons bay. While not as nice looking as the Hasegawa weapons set missiles, they are not bad. My trouble was time. I needed to complete this project within a short three week period and did not feel I would have time to do the work for having an open weapons bay with weapons. Hence, I pushed the bay doors into place (they fit tight enough to not need glue) and finished the model with closed bays. I may someday pop the doors off and place weapons in the bay, but I have not done so yet.

For the camouflage, I used Testors Model Master enamel and Floquil Military enamel paints.

I find overall black to be a boring camouflage. As this is a hypothetical aircraft, I planned out a hypothetical low-visibility camouflage pattern using European Gray (F.S.36081) and Flat Black (F.S.37038). I actually used Black-Gray (RLM 66) for the black as this provided a good "scale black" color.

In designing the camouflage, I had to keep an eye on where various markings would later get applied. I wanted the aircraft to have a "positive/negative" look, but I did not want to try to find gray markings to match my paint. So, I planned the camouflage so that the points were markigns would go were all painted in gray. It was a challenge to make the pattern look random but still have the gray apprear in symetrical locations for the markings on the left and right.

The interior areas of the split rudders and wing spoilers are Gunship Gray (F.S.38118). The landing gear and wheel well interiors are gloss white.

The markings are a mixture of SuperScale decals and custom printed decals from my PC and laser printer. I used various decal sheets looking specifically for decals pertaining to attack units. The majority of the unit markings came from SuperScale sheet #48-069 (Early A-10 units), with the markings being those of the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing. I could not resist adding my own name on the canopy trim.

Weathering is done with thinned down enamel paint washes and air brushing to highlight the few panel lines that exist. For a more complete discussion of what I do to weather my models, see my posting on "Weathering Aircraft".

This is a great little kit that (in spite of being "stealth") really stands out on my model display shelves. I have a couple 1/72nd versions of the kit stuck away in my stockpile. I will have to dig them up someday and make a diorama or something.
 

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Project Statistics Completion Date: 1 November, 1998 Total Building Time: 33.3 Research: 2.1 Construction: 7.2 Painting (includes creation and printing of custom decals): 13.0 Decals / Markings (includes creating and printing custom decals): 6.3 Extra Detailing / Conversion: 4.7