YF-22A panel lines.......rescribing

I am building the Testors 1/32 scale YF-22A. The kit has a mixture of heavy engraved panel lines & raised panel lines....I have been sanding & re-scribing the raised lines - wings, horiz. & vert tails, exhaust and upper fuselage - and will fill in & re-scribe the very, very deep engraved lines on the nose.

I am in need of some good pics and or line drawings of the plane.....I have Googled and come up with many, but not enough to show all the panels on the bottom side behind the main gear wells and behind the weapons bays.

TIA

NOYFB

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N.O.Y.F.B.
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Probably the best reference work is the issue of World Air Power Journal, I don't have the volume number, it was in the 30's, they're still available from stores like Waldenbooks for around $5.

However, I may be able to save you a bit of work. Stealth aircraft in general do not have panel lines like we're used to seeing on something like an F-16 or a Tornado, most of the external surfaces are formed from large composite panels, and any joints that do exist are usually puttied and/or taped to preserve the "stealthy" qualities of the surface. From what I remember about the design of the F-22, access panels for airframe components that needed regular access or maintenance were designed to be opened and closed regularly, utilizing the "sawtooth" pattern, and items were grouped together inside of these panels to limit the total number of panels needed. I've seen the YF-22 prototype which the kit is based on in the USAF Museum in Dayton OH, and the one thing you notice is the lack of panel lines, compared to any pre-stealth plane, the airframe is rather clean. In my opinion, a better bet would be to use pastell shading of the various panels to break up the monotone finish, but not too much, these planes were kept rather clean.

Hope this helps, Ken

---------------- Ken Lilly snipped-for-privacy@technologist.NOSPAM.com

*remove NOSPAM to reply* When diplomacy fails, send in the B-52's
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Ken

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