F-35B
Italeri

Time for the 'Battle Penguin'. I've had this for a while and been daunted by the masking. I bought the Eduard masking set, but now I come to study photos of the actual aircraft it seems that in recent years the UK have found a paint and tape scheme with little to no contrast! In fact what colour variation there is seems to vary from aircraft to aircraft or probably with viewing angle. I bought a light ghost grey especially for this kit so I will try this with a medium sea grey initially to represent the aircraft as they went into UK service. This should fit with the panel outline decals in the kit. If this does not look good I can always default to a more recent darker colour with little or no visible tape. The fit of the upper and lower fuselage halves is so good that I think I'll paint them before assembly. This will also allow the engine, lift fan, main undercarriage and cockpit to be painted and fitted during final assembly which will simplify masking. The F-35B is an ideal candidate to have external stores fitted magnetically as I did with my recent Buccaneer: 'Beast Mode' or clean would then be alternative display options. The F-35 wings are thinner than the Buccaneer's, however, so this may not be possible.