I saw this kit this weekend. Amazing decision of HAsegawa to raise the panel details to the extend they have.

It makes the model of a plane that counts on an untra smooth surfazce for stealth purposes totally unrealistic.

If I may believe internet reviews, there is no kit availabel in this scale that is any better, the Italeri being of a prototype, and the academy have a wrongly shaped nose.

Has anyone tried sanding this raised sections away?

What a shame in this day and age for any mainline kit manufacture to do raised panel lines when there aren't any on the real aircraft.

Off topic, but I was fishing local waters a few days ago, and we heard a few really loud jet engines, nothing like the usual commercial traffic, so we looked up and out over the Long Island Sound just in case an aircraft was in trouble. What we saw was two F-22 Raptors heading to NJ ANG station for the air show at Jones Beach later today. Gotta say that they really looked impressive.


Joel