YF-23 Blackwidow
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Hobby Boss
YF-23 vs. YF-22. Interesting debate. Both prototypes meet the Air Force requirements. No direct fly-off competition occurred. The YF-22 was the more mature prototype where the YF-23 had new and innovative design features. It was assumed that the YF-22 was more maneuverable due to the vectored thrust. Test pilots that flew both debate that. Pointing out that the large tail surfaces (as big as an F-104 wing) with a high slew rate provided excellent maneuverability while conceding that the vectored thrust might provide an advantage at very low speeds.
In either case, I personally think the YF-23 was cooler looking aircraft.
The Hobby Boss kit is relatively simple, built here out of the box. But the gear bays and the cockpit are well detailed. The latter is highly visible through the large canopy. Care is needed for the main gear support struts as instructions are not clear and mounting points are not present. Wing attachment requires some filler and sanding. Panel lines are recessed but shallow. Given a second chance, I would rescribe and deepen the panel lines. I was given a set of Tru-Color Modern Radar Dispersion paints. An interesting feature of these paints is that they contain small metallic flakes mimicking the appearance of prototypical radar absorbing coatings. I find that thinning the Tru-Color paints provides better airbrush flow and finish. Decals are from various sources as kit decals are not that great. I finished mine as if in service. All in all a nice quick build.
