Scalemates 5th Generation, UAV, and Stealth Groupbuild 2021

Slavo Hazucha
So here we go!

My humble contribution to the 5-th gen GB. Originally, I wanted to build it along with a Hasegawa F-22. But things being as they are with time & mood, I´ll better take it lightly.. Just this one. No aftermarket (not that there would be much in this scale...). Just one man and his kit... 🙂

For the title pictures, I - with kind permission of the authors - use a set of mock-up CG renders of how the service F-23 would have looked like.

The link to the full series of images is here:
artstation.com/artwork/YaxG2d

And there is more cool aviation CG from the same guys here:
artstation.com/hangarb

Thanks again Hangar B for the permission to use this rather epic-looking 3D stuff here!

Daniel
Cool idea! also from what I have seen the kit is perfect for a short little intermezzo build. Looking forward to your rendition of raptor sheen and the usual 5gen blingbling 🙂 👍

Sergej I
Grabbing a seat 🙂

James C
Nice, will be watching this one 👍 Have you decided on Pav 1 or Pav 2, or going with a "what if" scheme had it gone into service?

Konrad -
Count me in here as well 👍!

Sven Schönyan
I´m in! Can´t miss this.

Antoine Meylan
Je suis!

Nathan Dempsey
I'm in 🙂

Kerry COX
I have a new chair and comfortable. 👍
I'm in. 😉

Nathan Dempsey
Your build combined with that artwork is going to force me to buy this kit 😄

Slavo Hazucha
Welcome Gentlemen! (still waiting & hoping for the ladies...😉 ) glad to see the trusted advisory board assembling! 😄 👍 The thing is so big it fills the view screen even from the last row!

Started today and instantly feel it was the right choice. Love the MiG´s, but I needed something with "a light at the end of the tunnel" to re-ignite the mojo... This project seems ideal. In-flight F-23 with the promise of a big canvas to play with during painting & weathering...

First few pics - the box is really full of plane! My 4th HOBBY BOSS kit and I´m really starting to trust & like what they do in the clear-parts department. Excellent work on all the models I had. In terms of non-warping with complex rounded shapes, better than stuff generally considered a league above (GWH, eyes on you...) Also started prepping the wings for some action.

@James - "what if" service version. The two prototypes never developed the degree of surface look I love & fancy on jets. Guess I had an "Armata" moment when choosing what to do 👍

@Kerry - maybe a nudge to kick your 35B back to active?😉

Daniel
here we go, getting the popcorn 🙂 quite big, the russians on the upper right look like 1:72^^
Considering HB clear parts: Most seem to be perfect (like this one 👍😢, but their D-hornet canopy really really sucked though...

Palo M
Following

Spanjaard
i am in 🙂

Maciej Bellos
Joining in! Probably the most beautiful aircaft ever. Size does matter, otherwise we wouldn't have the Tomcat.

Looking forward for the What-if and all the paint fiddling you will do!

Ali Yulianto
Watching!

David Taylor
I'm in.

Michael Phillips
Oh you know I am in! This is going to be EPIC!!!

Lode Schildermans
I'm in for the ride, Slavo

Kerry COX
Hobby Boss have become one of the 'must have' kit makers. I was converted with the 1/48 Aussie 'pig' F-111. Now you have me looking at an other HB Slavo. Cheers and happy gluing. 👍 😉

Zsolt Czegle
Following!

Slavo Hazucha
Welcome mates, I am very happy so many approve of the choice - I also think the F-23 would have created the best looking 5-th gen fighter, recent mock-ups of the FCAS & Tempest included! That´s why I´m attempting this, the 2 prototypes paint-jobs, and particularly the pristine (boring) condition just would not do the airframe full justice...

It allso allows me not to care about any failings of the kit in details + gives me the opportunity to add some artistic freedom 🙂

So here we are, one-pic update, but this is what I´ve been working on - a proper 5th gen pilot! Starting with the Hasegawa materials from the 80´s the helmet went through a series of light modifications, mostly using bits on the table and leftovers from older builds. It should not be any particular current helmet, It´s a free "what if" interpretation as the rest of the build. Was fun... 🙂

Konrad -
Nice mods on the pilots helmet 👍!

In my eyes this bird is one of the coolest looking designes for an air superiority fighter!

So I'm really excited what you're doing with this one 👍! Looking forward to every single update mate 👍!

Palo M
That paintbrush + goggles, wow! And very well done with the hourglass badge!

Daniel
Cool idea! Also the badges are a nice+fitting detail👍

Best looking 5th gen? Dunno...in my book this design would be codenamed "F-23 Flounder"😉
but tastes differ and it does look pretty UFO-esque, that's true 🙂
Looking forward to your further voyage into artistic freedom! 👍

David Taylor
F23 Wraith sounds a good name to me.

Maciej Bellos
Nice job on the pilot. You should give a proper name to the F-23, we can post our ideas if you'd like.

James C
This is going to be awesome and I'm really keen to see where you go with this one. Cool looking pilot👍

Nathan Dempsey
That figure looks great Slavo. Nice mods & detail work!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Konrad, Palo, Daniel, David, Maciej, James & Nathan!

Glad you approve of the DIY helmet & stuff - This was my last pilot from the Hasegawa box! (1xF-18, 2xF-111, 2xMiG-31 and one for this F-23...) It's a shame so few manufacturers bother to put a pilot in a kit... All kinds of stuff that will get wasted if one does an in-flight, weapon choices to arm 2-3 planes, but to add a dude that is actually very useful for several types of presentation... nope!

@Daniel - c'mon, you got to agree it looks like James Bond in a tuxedo on those service-camo pics!😉 😄

@David & Maciej - you're welcome to contribute, I thought I'd go for BW II to get a chance to apply that badass red hourglass, but realistically, it's unlikely it would finally be called anything with a 2 in the name, such uninspired approach had no place in the 90's and is currently reserved only for the F-35...😉

In the meantime, I'd look for some more (realistic!) artistic freedom!

Lode Schildermans
Slavo, what to say...You hit'em again. Your feeling for detailing, realism, finding solutions to improve is beyond. Well done, sir

Daniel
Ok, I upgrade to F-23 Halibut 😄
can't argue that the artwork is quite cool 👍
Ok, F-23 Stingray 🙂

Absolutely agree on the pilot shortage in most boxes...sucks

bughunter
Is that a comfortable seating position for a pilot wearing the most expensive helmet ever, on a roll of Tamiya curved tape?😉 Well done👍

Maciej Bellos
Behold the F-23A Peregrine! Sleek, reeling in on her prey from afar and finally striking with unprecedented speed. The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on earth easily reaching 200 mph on its dive. There was a recorded speed of 242mph!!!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Lode, Daniel, bughunter and Maciej - both for the approval & superb motivation and the innovative naming proposals! 🙂

I finished the cockpit in a quick & dirty pass, all OOB + a few leftover PE bits on the otherwise fairly frugal seat. It was all rather good fun:

A; The joys of doing a classic old-school hand-painting job on a reasonably detailed surface
B; The fact it´s a what-if freeing me from meticulously researching and modifying every other switch felt very liberating 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Looking at the photos I realized the helmet effect was not good - I wanted something that will look a bit like carbon-fiber, so I´ve re done it a bit now... not nearly 100% good, but this will do...

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Great job on the office and the pilot, Slavo. 👍
It looks kinda spacious.

Hanno Kleinecke
Your pilot obviously likes to wear Chucks, Slavo, very likeable ! 🙂 He looks very convincing in his office, good work !

Konrad -
LOL Hanno I thought the same about the shoes 🙂!

Anyhow nice work Slavo as always!!

Slavo Hazucha
Oh, I left out those spots on purpose - need some free areas to test Daniels recommended nail-polish range!!😉

Konrad -
Ahhhh!
That makes sense 😉

bughunter
Slavo, pic10 is out of order in your album.
I have the same problem, reported already to Tim - you know my user name - with some analyze what happens (from the user point of view of course, no access to the software). You may check here (and comment, if you have the same behavior): SCM Newsfeed

Jeramy Boileau
Very nice so far. I like the idea of drop tanks, which pylons are you planning on using?

Tobi
Awesome work on that pit 👍

Jos Jansen
Nice pit Slavo...!

Daniel
Why only the shoes?

[img1]

Daniel
Pit looks great, exaggerating the highlights is a great idea, curious how this will look later with the tinted glass 👍

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks friends, I am happy you like the little office effort!

@bughunter - I actually think this time it was my mess-up, but I have experienced that pics are placed around the album in strange order particularly with bulk-uploads...

@Jeramy - originally, I was thinking about a sleek, streamlined in-flight with closed bays and no externals, but thinking over it now it could be cool setting up pylons and tanks as an option - will look into it, ideally removable via magnet connection...

@Jos - not as neat & clean as your recent Phantom pit, but it was good fun just doing a quick hand-paint job here.

@Daniel - unfortunately I´ll go for in flight, otherwise we would have a ground crew!

@Roland - it was a group effort - Hobby Boss made up the details, I made up the paint-job 😄

David Whiteley
Always found this to be far more aesthetically pleasing than the F-22 - and you reinforced that tremendously. Sadly this fighter program's down select didn't involve aesthetics (OR head to head performance) - politics, politics, politics.

David Whiteley
Maciej - I'll second your Peregrine designation!

David Taylor
Beast mode would look so good,pylons etc.

James C
Very impressive work on the cockpit... It really pops out at you👍

Slavo Hazucha
@ sashaturbo - yeah, they could have forced Lockheed to make the F-23... With all due love for it, I do not think after the way the B-2 was going at the time, it would have been a good idea to give the Northrop guys a fighter project at the same time... But we can still enjoy what could have been 🙂

@ David - depends on how far the magnetic pylons idea will work... I definitely want to keep an option for a clean in-flight one.

@ James thanks bud - once again I got one of those lucky crystal clear HB cockpit covers so there will actually be plenty of inside visibility... Unless I mess-up the coloring. Only got one (Hasegawa F_22 gives you 2 - a clear & a toned one...)

bughunter
Don't use MRP clear paints on the clear parts! I ruined it nearly on my F-35 egg with MRP clear yellow.

Slavo Hazucha
Have been mildly busy on the project:

- reworking the intakes and ducts. Quite a fun job, gave me the opportunity to finally use the new Dremel tool, which performed its job adequately. I wanted to achieve the B-2 look, also seen on the inspiration pictures I use. May have been performed with more competence and refinement, but in any case it´s a definite improvement vs. the kit´s offering.

- HB proved that while they do provide some internal structures such as the ducts, they really do not care about sizes & proportions all too much. While the Hasegawa F-22 I also have seems to follow the internal structures quite precisely, HB provides ducts which could hardly feed the engines of an L-29 Delfin... 🙂 But things should be OK in the end...

- I also fixed the pit into the upper fuselage, added side panels from leftover PE (not visible anyway) and created a fantasy HUD - drilled out hole for a lense from clear sprue + added a round display... all in the good assumption that this entire cockpit is completely made-up by HB - feel free to express your opinions 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
@bughunter - thanks for the warning! - had the same experience with the same color "clear" does not quite cut it in the MRP range... but it would be good for one of those heavily yellowed soviet-era pits... 🙂

- since then, I test everything that should go on clear on a sheet of clear plastic first!

Nathan Dempsey
Love that work on the intakes! Very cool 🙂

James C
Nice progress Slavo. The modified intakes are a nice touch👍

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Nathan & James - glad you like them - there´s still a fair deal of filling and sanding on the ducts and it will take a special session of airbrush yoga to get all inside angles painted, but I´m glad I took the path I did, makes the F-23 much more aggressive in appearance than the original "yawning comodo dragon" shapes... 🙂

Meanwhile I got another "Artistic Freedom" idea running, we´ll see around the weekend...

Donald Dickson II
Marvelous work as always. 🙂

Daniel
Wow, that HB canopy looks fantastically clear
intakes: 👍 muuuuch better than those uninspired holes before that, nice dremeling!

Christian Bruer
Excellent work so far 👍

Alexander
Taking a seat as well, can't miss this as a fan of modern, futuristic aircraft myself. Everything I've seen so far looks great as expected from you and I like the artistic choices with the helmet and the intakes - can't wait to see the final aircraft in the F-22 paint scheme. 👍👍

Eric Thornton
Can't miss this one, following!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Donald, Daniel, Christian, Alexander and Eric - & welcome on board!

As things go, I like looking at the happening around the engine department in particular detail... and I was not amused by what I saw the kit offered. That plate with some geometric positive lines just won´t cut it... Luckily, even with a few models built, I assembled a reasonable collection of nozzle parts that were replaced by resin, so I started to look for something more suitable - and this is where the journey took me... 🙂

An important special note too:

bughunter, seeing my peril with plain transparent HUD-pieces offered and sent me a piece of Hasegawa TF 902 sheet (pink/green), which catapults the HUD two generations up - see on pic 29!

Many thanks to a friendly helping hand, three cheers for bughunter!!! 🙂

Daniel
Holo ftw! Really love the effect on HUDs! (awesome move bughunter! 👍 )it does also look great on mfds -if you were provided surplus material 😉
Exhausts look def. more interesting now, but in defence of HB - the reality of stealthy exhausts does look boring...

[img1]

Slavo Hazucha
Cheers Daniel,

Thanks for the input - Ineteresting pic you got there - maybe that is just the vectoring part and a mock-up of the engine? - on most pics I could research, there was still clearly perceivable depth and a fan visible through & behind the injectors. As well, I really wanted to have that rectangle/circle transition clearly there... I only posess a shallow knowledge of western engines, so this is interesting!

[img1]

f-16.net/forum/downl..d=7099&mode=view

What I really do have wrong at this time is the number of injectors - should be 16, not 6... maybe will still think of something 🙂

bughunter
Slavo, You're welcome!

Daniel
No engine expert by any stretch as well, just stumbled on this during my research for the f 35 engine (which is completely shrouded by a radar blocking grid) Your pic is from the prototype, judging from the single side mounted front wheel - I assume further improvements in shrouding the blades in operational jets

Palo M
I think it looks exactly like on production F-23 machines 🙂 Interesting about F-35, do you have more interesting pics on that one?

Slavo Hazucha
Daniel all very interesting - I´d really like to see some pics too and learn about the topic... I was not aware any grid could survive in that environment... If there is anything available, I´d love to see & understand that - is there a grid between the fan and the injectors? fixed/variable - how would an in-flight profile look like..? I have the assembly still open, so changes are easy, was thinking about cutting open the injector rings and making 16 "sticks" anyway, so any further insight is welcome! 👍

And Palo I agree it is clear that a 100% true to original production-series F-23 engine is being built here!😉

Daniel
Actually all the pics I found on the f-35 were video stills, guess that's one of the more classified parts on the jet and documentation (I could find) is zero. But here you can see them multiple times starting at 3:00 min, a fixed structure behind the rings that even survives full reheat take-off...dont know how
Youtube Video

Daniel
Prototype also didnt have those - and without it also looks pretty much like the actual f-23 production engine you recreated here^^ 👍
[img1]

Maciej Bellos
Great job on the flameholders, as per the real production engines😉

My two cents, since the F-23 could as well be powered by the F-22's current engine, you could look for the F-22 exhausts.

Jeramy Boileau
Love what you are doing!

HSC1932
I really love this "what if idea", are you going to lengthen the fuselage like the F-22 did from the YF-22?
[img1]
thedrive.com/the-war..-the-atf-competition

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Daniel & Maciej for your constructive contribution - it bore fruit within hours... 🙂

Jeramy Thank you, I´ll try not to disappoint further down the road!
Otto unfortunately in your case I have to disapoint - I started this project as a +/- easy run to get back to the hobby-bench and extending the fuselage simply is not on the table here. I however do have a few (simpler) modification ideas accentuate the "series" nature of the final result...

So I gave the engine (the injector ring, specifically) another round of attention. This is what I really like on sclaemates... sometimes I do something and fell like "...yeah, perhaps..." but then some well meant comments put me in the "...nah, actually..." direction, which usually results in a much better result 😄 I hope this is what happened here - the rings definitely lost their MiG-feeling now.

Also, the shrouding was not used on the series F-23 engines, since the position of the exhausts on top of the fuselage already naturally covered them from most low-frequency radars and the shrouding proved detrimental to the supercruise performance, which was one of the key of the F-23 mission capabilities...😉

Alexander
Looks much better now, very convincing shape. 👍

Jos Jansen
Nice detailed modeling report again Slavo, it is a joy to follow.

Daniel
...and of course the optional low observability exhaust kit can be fitted by maintenance in 30 minutes for high threat real world missions.😉
The extra bars made this rear end look more convincing and even more interesting -good stuff! 👍

Lode Schildermans
Slavo, every build you do, you amaze us, mortals. And each time, I think that I've seen all what is possible. But that when one does not count on the master plane builder. You keep pushing the limits and you go beyond. it is such a pleasure to see how you deploy your talents and share it with us. I'm just in awe to see another magnificent build coming to life. Keep on posting, mate

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Alexander, Jos, Daniel and Lode! After your comments I realized the engine department needs some additional love... Found a nice site that clarifies all (for the prototypes at least...):'

yf-23.webs.com/galleries/trough.html

Pity HB apparently did not, or decided to widely ignore it... 😄 I had to add further detail into the afterburner chambers and the tiling was not present on the sides (only lines, no tiles) so there was work there...

I wanted to represent an engine of a service aircraft with some use & abuse, but nothing totally neglected. Considered several methods, finally decided for this - basic MRP metals airbrushed, followed by semi-dry-brushed color variations and some streaking with oils followed by a light-grey pin-wash...

Konrad -
Wow! Awesome looking nozzles👍!!

Hanno Kleinecke
When words fail...... incomparable „engine bathroom", Slavo. Did you have to scribe that tiled looking area ? I hope not, because it would make my scribing look even more crude than it already does...... 🙂 👍

Gary Kitchen
Wow. That tiling looks better than my kitchen At home Slavo. 👍 very impressive as always.

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Outstanding work with the tiles. 👍
You should build a Space Shuttle some time in the future.😉

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Konrad, Hanno, Roland, Gary & WhiteGlint!

@Hanno - no worries, only the sloped lines on the sides were scribed fully new. (still 4 sides that need to look roughly similar...) The HB kit, while not being in the league of the later AMK "technology show-offs", is generally good and the plastic reacts to attempts of modification in a welcoming & benign way...

@Roland - it´s actually following the secret re-entry heat-signature reductive plating, but I can´t talk about it too much here...

@Gary - would make your kitchen an instant hit with every home-insurance agent! 👍

@WhiteGlint - was thinking about the shuttle a lot - but will wait until a 48-scale model and a decal sheet with individual stencils for the tiles are available 😉

[img1]

Maciej Bellos
Amazing job on the exhausts Slavo! I am speechless.

Alexander
Looks phenomenal, as always. 👍

Spanjaard
@Slavo, 1/48th Shuttle with individual stencils... make that dry transfer and that would be real fun (wet transfer with HGW kind of decals, and it can be done in no time 😛 )

Daniel
Stunning work there slavo! heavily inspired by the minstry of magic I guess? 😄 Looks absolutely convincing and really catches the eye 👍

In the light of our earlier rear-aspect-low-observability-discussion I cant help but wonder how these walls of perfect rectangular bricks would show up on a pursuing Su-35's radar scope...me and my heretical thoughts 😄

Nathan Dempsey
I absolutely love this solution for the exhaust area. Very fitting for this aircraft. Inspiring us once more Slavo! Bravo!

Juergen Klinglhuber
👍 great

James C
Once again, you continue to impress with your ultra realistic fine detailing! Just awesome Slavo!👍

Sergej I
Love the ceramic tiles job 👍, I thought you were recreating a YF-23 hangar-toilet 😄

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Maciej, Alexander, Spanjaard, Daniel, Nathan, Juergen, James & Sergej! Very happy you approve 👍, I was thinking a lot how to adress this, pictures of 48-scale YF-23´s I found did not convince me completely and a "traditional exhaust" look seemed too bleak a prospect... No idea if the Tiles used on the prototype would make it to series, but hey, now they did! 😄

Daniel - The Su-35´s seekers would be mislead to think that it sees an emergency jettison of the bathtub from a sekret Soviet space-station😉

Sergej - only when there is some serious hot sh*t going on! 😄

bughunter
Sensational! Masterful paint job 👍

Erik Leijdens
Jawdropping...

Mirko Römer
How I could I miss this? Stunning all the way!

Jos Jansen
The eye of the master...your detailing is extraordinary good! Beautiful exhausts...👍

Lode Schildermans
What to say...I'm quite speechless looking at these last photos. There is no comparaison this level of detailing. I know what detailing means, but never seen such keen work, Slavo

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks bughunter, Erik, Mirko, Jos & Lode - I stand humbled & honored by the people I regularly steal tricks & inspirations from & get away with it😉

Tim Heimer
You're work is always amazing!

Black Baron
I love YF-23. The design is so beautiful. Been thinking for years should I get this kit. The exhaust bit is quite challenging and the wing to body seam has gotten a bad rep. Now you're saved me the trouble and I can just sit back and enjoy this build! Looking real good, as always. Converse on the pilot 😄. The HUD film looks great!

John Thomas
Nice work

Gidge
Loving your work and your refusal to accept the limitations of the kit

Alexander Grivonev
I like your "problem solving" approach and the thorough explanation. The exhaust tiles look amazing too👍

Slavo Hazucha
Tim, Black Baron, John, Gidge & Alex - thanks for visiting mates & leaving words of motivation, most appreciated & needed!

@Black Baron & Gidge - I think the kit more than delivers for the sub-40 € price - what´s there is OK+ and while it is a plain base that needs work, what is in the kit works together just fine, particularly the fit and easy assembly... Rest depends on where you want take the journey to 🙂

@Alex - the freedom of doing a "what-if" F-23 really helps - I think I would have more trouble trying to find all spots & details to make a 100% correct version of one of the actual prototypes 😄

Slavo Hazucha
So, some work has been going on, all in departments that needed time...

- Intakes... working out to be something of a nemesis of mine. Getting these to be smooth took 4 filling, filing & test-painting passes. Then there were the tubes, ending in a diameter that would hardly suffice a T-38... Creative solution with off-center applied Su-35 fans did a job here.

- Canopy - I got some nail holo-powder from Amazon, the stuff that looked most promising and hell, would it look good on nails... on transparent canopy though, it was either flaky or it created a layer that was not translucent enough - will have to try more products, I like the technique... I used the second best method then, with some colored Emsal (EU "Ersatz"-Future) dips... Sources say the F-23 canopy was about to look exactly like this... 🙂

- Wings - Cutting 16 parts from original 4 took some time, but the butcher´s business is done now and some interesting detailing and fitting together in "action" positions can start

Alexander
Really nice work so far, like the image with the cut-out control surfaces - looks like a very clean surgery! 👍
I guess the canopy is fine, I can imagine it being hard to get a satisfying result. For my F-22 I plan on trying out the "Interference Gold" pigments from Pearl Ex, they seem to have worked for some with the combination of Future. Maybe that's something you could try out as well if you plan on doing another stealth-fighter in the future. But it will look very nice on the finished model, I'm sure. 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Alexander, I´ve got a Hase F-22 in the stash - on that one, some solution for the "purple going gold sheen" needs to be implemented - no way around that since that´s how they are in real life 🙂. Luckily, I´ll have more time to try different products + the kit actually provides 2 sets of canopies (clear and toned). Wish more kits did that, really...

Lode Schildermans
Slavo, your play with colors is already known, but this one, I didn't see yet. Keep challenging that talent of yoyrs and let us enjoy the trip

Slavo Hazucha
Cheers Lode,

Building this kit compares to the AMK & HB MiGs cca. like building an Alfa-class submarine would to your Battleships... In acute lack of given sub-assemblies & details, one starts creating his own ones 😄

HSC1932
What stand do you intend on placing this on? Acrylic rod?

Black Baron
How did you cut the wings?

Bill Gilman
Just caught up with this one. The YF-23 is one of my favourite modern jets, and I so much wanted it to win the ATF competition. Oh well...in any case, the paint work you've done on the exhaust tiles is exquisite. You've really captured that look.

Slavo Hazucha
@Otto - I will use a metal rod & a wood base to have some weight at ground level - it´s quite a big model & I found this method working rather fine for me.

@Black Baron - deepened the lines a bit with a carving needle & then went through with a JLC razor-saw. the small angles were carefully cut through with a hobby knife

@Bill - in terms of shape innovation it keeps up even with the "6th-gen" concepts coming up now in the 2020´s... thanks - I went along the excellent sources from:

yf-23.webs.com/galleries/trough.html

I´m sure you´d manage the same in 72-scale 😉

HSC1932
Is this project on hold?

Nathan Dempsey
Hopefully it is just a video game that has stolen Slavo away.

Gary Kitchen
Awesome stuff Slavo. I know that canopy isn't what you planned but the clarity and shine on the pre-dipped plastic is astounding. What treatment did you give it please. 👍

bughunter
Oh, Slavo is back? There are new pictures - Slavo is back 👍

Slavo Hazucha
sooo... life-signs - weak and long-apart they may be - I´m still sort-of in the hobby...

@Nathan, unfortunately, no video-game based fun was the culprit - in home-office, the creep of constant zoom/teams/discord & you name it meetings got me - every day sitting longer & longer behind the Notebook, endlessly talking to people, but losing own productivity so my working hours just stretched & stretched - hardly leaving time & energy to see & do something with my kids, let alone think about the hobby... 🙁

I apologize to you all - I just was not really able to pick anything up for a time, but last week finally, I managed to raise up to the challenge and hit the table yet again and produce something.

So here we come:
- small details here & there
- "Raptor" or in this scenario "Widow sheen" experiment (tailfins first)
- Painting the whole big thing (flat-colors, more coming!)

All in all, good fun! I am now in good faith that I at least manage to finish this lady in a timely manner, fingers crossed!

Slavo Hazucha
and I got to go through some 600 bells on projects I followed... 😄 + look for new ones at the "ususal suspects" - will take some time, but we´ll get there!

Maciej Bellos
Good to know you are ok Slavo. That's what matters.

Robert Podkoński
Fantastic effects, I am deeply impressed. And welcome back!

Neil
Oh my! Fantastic work!

James C
Cool to see you back at the bench mate 👍

Alexander
Take your time Slavo, nothing good comes out of unmotivated work. Better to wait weeks for updates, that are awesome then. As can be seen here, amazing use of your try at a sheen technique to get a very lifelike paint effect! 👍👍

Spanjaard
be careful with that spiral downwards Slavo... it does not lead to any place you want to be.... Take good care of yourself, and of those around you. you and your family first, then work.

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Welcome back, Slavo. 🙂
This looks great!

Juergen Klinglhuber
Take your time Slavo - escecially private time with family & kids.
The progress and quality on your stealth bird is just stunning... 👍 👍

Bernhard Schrock
Nice to see again in the workbench Slavo! The finish is extraordinarily! Looks more true than the original!!

David Taylor
Good to see you back.

Nathan Dempsey
Nice update Slavo. A ghostly look that I rather like ?. Good to see you back and take care as this work from home can be a bit taxing for sure.

Lode Schildermans
Welcome back, Slavo

Daniel Klink
What kid of slots are those and does it have USB 3.0 and Wifi on board..
Looking spectacular that ehm Aircraft!? oops...🙂
Welcome back Slavo and stunning progress!!!👍
The suface is looking so smooth and clean wow!

Jens
Hello Slavo, I almost overlooked your new work and immediately found another great idea for you 🙂 Thanks for the Clear Color idea 👍 really super easy to implement, the good is often so close and yet is not recognized: - ) Your fire effect on the stern is also a work of art in itself, but I wouldn't have the patience to make each tile individually, another 10 out of 10 points 👍

Neuling
Bravo Slavo! Kids first, then kits ........ Welcome back .... watching ....

Slavo Hazucha
Thank you all for the kind words and "acceptance" back into the community 😉 👍

You're more than generous with your judgement, but I'm pretty much looking forward to experimenting further with the sheen on the major canvas (which the YF-23 totally is...). Weekend should bring some progress, let's see...

And I'm trying to get kids & kits together, but it's a hard competition against the digital world... but I'm not giving up!

Anyway, have to get this monster done so that the MiG's get back on the bench too! 🙂

Kerry COX
I do hope it was not Covid19 related that had you on leave Slavo. ?
It's good to know that your back and as complimentary as ever. 😉
Cheers. 👍 🙂

Konrad -
That looks awesome like a 5th Gen. Fighter has to look like!! I'm really looking forward to this one in its final flyout position ?! ??????

Gidge
It looks like the end results will more than be with the wait.

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks a lot Kerry, konrad & Gidge! Thing picked a pace now, updates following soon! 😉

@Kerry - break not Covid related in terms of actually being sick, but changes in work/life due to Covid, home office & work structure made the hobby (actually any free time, or better said the absence of such) sour for a time... Hope you're doing fine, enough whining from me, better get to some new ideas & trial-error episodes 😄

Sergej I
That's it! Slavo is back 😄 👍

Palo M
Love the color scheme, a beautiful what-if. Looks much more interesting than the more boring F-22. A fun thought to imagine these against some crazier Su/MiG designs with a 20 years longer cold war. I guess Ace Combat lets us experience that.

Black Baron
Sometimes you're not feeling it or life gets in the way and modeling is on hold until the stars & cards are right again.
Welcome back. "We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own."
You're painting is looking marvelous as always. What varnishes are you using, MRP?
I'm waiting to get "that feeling" back to go back to my "artesan studio"

Michael Papay
Wenn ich deine sehe will ich meine weg werfen..... Mega Lack

Erik Leijdens
You always amaze me with your paint skills Slavo..! A joy to watch, again.

Daniel
the man is back in town!! And with quality updates 👍 looks like your absolutely nailing the look of pic 1-3
And pic 4 might suggest some incoming hornet style leakage on the underside. Which for me - being a fan of clean+hygienic - would of course ruin the model (-not!) 😉

Lode Schildermans
Slavo, I scrolled through all photos from beginning till the end....several times and I'm in awe. This is your talent in building, painting and most of all, subtle weathering at it's best. So difficult to improve a previous build, you manage to do it every time. Masterclass.

Kerry COX
I can't help but agree with ALL the above. 👍 🙂 Bravo Slavo. 🙂

Arif Saeed
That paint job is amazing, great build ?

Robin (WhiteGlint)
I am looking forward to the final presentation.
You really wanna make me build one myself, Slavo.

Slavo Hazucha
Sergej, Palo, Black baron, Micheal, Erik, Daniel, Lode, Kerry, Arif & White Glint - thanks mates for all the magnificent support - this really kicked me into a long-unseen frenzy (& also the curiosity to see how this will turn out 🙂 ) with the sheen and the other layers over the upper fuselage...

So here we stand, thanks to MRP-colors drying so fast I was able to do several steps in every session... the sheen is on all over - I tried to capture the different degrees by angling the model & camera... also the matt/gloss varnish effect I find rather interesting.

I tried to capture the step-by-step approach applied - had a lot of fun here.

I call the upper side done, should look decently weathered, as if this was a service aircraft for some time...

Now it´s time to flip the Crêpe and treat the other side... And yes Daniel, I have taken notice of the "potential" in those pictures! 😄

Mirko Römer
Totally agree with Kerry Cox ?

David R. Meizoso
Excellent work with one of the trickiest paint schemes. Thanks for not stealthing it from us!

Alexander
Awesome work Slavo, definitely an eye-catching surface! 👍
We can certainly learn a lot from your skills with oil paints.

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Mirko, David & Alexander!

Truth be told, it´s more "painting by impulse" than any meticulously pre-planned affair as some old pro´s can muster here - but it´s all good fun & I am happy you like it - nothing I do is really hard to replicate, just trust your eye and have courage with the material 😄

Alexander
"Not hard to do" is always something that sounds right, but once you try it out yourself, it becomes more difficult due to various reasons. I guess it's at least experience in your case, that helps you in that regard. 🙂

Slavo Hazucha
Alexander it surely was not meant in the sense of someone who plays a classic piece on the piano then smugly says "This one's not that difficult"... 😄

What I do is apply concepts from 3D graphics, where I work (not making actual 3D, but I understand at least a bit) - and it works... 🙂 Thinking in layers and effects/colors/combinations and testing - once the idea is prototyped, the actual execution really is nothing technically hard to do.

Slavo Hazucha
@ Michael Papay - nichts wegschmeissen! - sollte doch alles schiefgehen, taugt siemzum. für einen robusten Tischtennis-schläger! 😉 😄

& danke, gebe mir mühe & macht Spass!

Daniel Klink
Alter !!! 👍👍👍

James C
Superb paintwork...simply stunning! 👍
Your natural talent, patience and imagination really shines through on this one.

Daniel
Well the impulse driven modeling sprees usually give the best results, when you are "in the zone", proof seen here - looks amazing ??
Using a light gray wash and not sticking with the usual dark dirt was a great idea, enhances the space ship look quite effectively 👍

Jeramy Boileau
Love it! awesome work!

Hanno Kleinecke
Wow, what a breathtaking result ! Very convincing metallic like effect !

Erik
The metal effect is first class! 👍 I have never seen the technique before.

Chris Church
Really inspiring work. Well done!

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Daniel, James, Daniel, Jeramy, Hanno, Erik & Chris for the finish-line motivation!

aaand - it´s totally over! done, base, hole & plane on a stick! 🙂

@Daniel - had some real fun with the belly, as you see - realizing that I´m not likely to do anything vaguely similar anytime soon, I went full-steam ahead on tones, oils & what have you... 😄

Finished album here:

F-23 hommage | Album by slavatarko (1:48)

Palo M
Congrats on finishing!

Maciej Bellos
Wow!!! That's some grime... Mightily impressive!

Sergej I
wow... awesome! 👍

Spanjaard
amazing finish Slavo

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Palo, Maciej, Sergej & Spaniard!

Happy I made it, sorry for the huge break in the middle... Re-commiting on the MiG-31 couple soon 😉

Neuling
An elegant model with an unsurpassed surface all shining, iridescent and shaded. Excellent. As expected.

Never a Pro
Brilliant effects with oil, I should try some of that.

Daniel Klink
The Black Widow mark👍

Juergen Klinglhuber
A perfect build and the surface appearance is just awesome!
g'scheid leiwaund - sozusagen.

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks Neuling, Never a Pro, Daniel & Juergen!

@Neuling - I could imagine you would have your fun taking pictures of this one 😉 The methods worked better than expected, landed some lucky hits...

@Never a Pro - Oils are a blessing IMHO, improve anything if handled well...

@Daniel - could not resist 😉

@Juergen - you nailed it - this model is 85% paint-job, but an entertaining one - while generally flat, the upper surface has a lot of "muscle" to outline, highlight, support - was all great fun.

tyu
I understand this is a what-if build but praising this paint job has more to do with personal preference than fidelity. If one would build this as the closest thing in real-life like the F-22 or F-35 it wouldn't look like this, these stealth jets were kept immaculate, one of the things that kept these jets stealth in the first place. The achieved effects would be more appropriate for 4th gen. So IMHO: it looks nice but not accurate for the stealth jet generation.

Vincent
Really nice result and inspiring build. Really shows the beauty of these stealth fighters. Also amazing modifications.

Slavo Hazucha
Thanks tyu and Vincent!

@tyu I understand where you are aiming & there certainly is a lot of material showing stealth jets in pristine conditions - but:

F-35´s are pretty much right out of the blister pack looking new because they are new (same for J-20)

F-22´s on the other hand show a lot of wear in recent years. Problems with stealth paint degradation, raising cost of maintenance & I have read that there is at least a discussion that only a part of the fleet needs to be kept in 80% stealth coat condition, part in 50%+ and a part even below 50% Also the type seems to be in discussion for retirement around 2030 for ..."reasons"... 🙂

Here are 2 pics of an apparently real used F-22 (same plane - 156):

- tonal variation on single panels
- paint cracking
- visible rivets & dark streaks
- wear & grime around intake & different panels
- different levels of sheen (LG door, airframe, panels)
- completely different tones & darkening wear on the side-weapons-bay doors

[img1]?quality=60

[img1]

So if we take the scenario with the F23 replacing the F22, they would face the same issues. With the 23 shape being more stealthy than the 22, the coat may even be somewhat less important and may be renewed less often. My specimen flies from Alaska, weather & all = even more strain & wear. So fantasy yes, but not unplausible - at least so I dare think 😄

tyu
Just stating my 2 cents Slavo. YMMV but my search google.com/search?q=..imgrc=ZbDCbD_uaCDxEM does not reveal results anything like your build. And your build does not look at all like the images you provided. But as long as you are happy with the results, that is fine with me, it is what matters in the end. It is a what-if, right?

Slavo Hazucha
Just to be clear - I totally appreciate the comments, and agree that I have not seen any stealth plane displaying this, or close to this exact effects in the flesh. I just enjoyed the freedom of the scenario, experimented with all kinds of things & landed roughly here, going broadly along the lines of the 3D renders used as inspiration. I even used different colors to those recommended for Raptors, so pure fantasy/impression from render pictures here...

I still like the discussion though - absolutely in a positive attitude - regardless of the What-if-23 here (old over-weatherer 😉 ):

I did a bit of study on the stealth coating and it´s behavior and found a very wide variety depending on what I assume is light conditions and actual state of coating/degradation - while most times, especially on the ground in clear light, Raptors look like those in your article (cool show on the runway!), variety seems to go really wide:

i.e. Interesting pics i.e. here:
militarywatchmagazin..remains-low-part-one

F-35 new vs (still good looking) Raptor already shows aging difference + picture below shows some more serious degradation...

Apparently, the real-life range is from this:
[img1]

to this...:
[img1]
(I´d love to actually make this particular F-22, as seen on this pic one day 🙂 )

Also, there is some possible "action" going on in the engine-section of the belly:
[img1]

The IMHO most likely explanation from how far I came is that with age, the Raptor skin degrades severely and the planes grime/darken/leak & do things which planes do and it´s worsening these years and becoming more of an issue + together with Raptors not being as secret as they used to be, pictures pop-up as parts of the fleet are being left less attended (cost) so we now see these and other pics. I actually like the "new look" and would love to know more

Thanks for any further constructive insights!