The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation, stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed
for the United States Air Force.
Join me in this video as I build and review the Quickbuild Model Kit of this advanced
fighter jet from Airfix.
Hello, and welcome to Model Minutes,
In this video I build and review the Quickbuild Model Kit of the F-22 Raptor from airfix.
The quickbuild line of model kits is a more recent addition to the Airfix catalogue, with
the first examples dating back to around the year 2012.
Before we begin, airfix recommends this product to those aged 5 years and older, due to the
presence of small parts.
The box comes with a rather eye catching orange and blue aesthetic.
An image of the F22 takes up the majority of the front of the box, and a smaller exploded
image shows the style of construction.
It appears from first glance that the parts come pre-painted or coloured, as some text
on the front says: "no glue, no paint, just build!"
As you can see from the price tag, the recommended retail price is £13 at the time this video
was made.
The rear of the box contains another exploded image of the construction kit, and a picture
indicating that a display stand is included.
Also, there are various specifications about the actual F22 raptor.
I found these a little hard to understand, having to decipher and
interpret the images in order to understand what the actual fact was.
It's interesting to note that a flying hour token is also included with this set.
These tokens can be redeemed against more model kits if you're a member of
the airfix club.
Although the box artwork is very eyecatching, I do feel that the box itself is made from
quite thin cardboard, and is not as sturdy as the material used in the more
traditional kits in the airfix range.
Moving onto the contents of the box, inside you'll find a double sided A3 instruction
sheet, which is printed in full colour with easy to follow exploded diagrams.
One side of the instruction sheet contains an image of some of the other products in
this range that you might want to add to your collection.
A small sheet of self-adhesive stickers is included, which adds some colour and detail
to the model.
The stickers appear well printed if a little simple.
A clear plastic bag contains the 24 lego-style components of this construction kit.
As I progress through the build I will inevitably compare it to a lego
set as that is what it is most similar to.
Construction begins by following the numbered stages in the instructions, snapping the underside
of the fuselage together, with the orange internal bricks.
The plastic feels reasonably hard, perhaps slightly harder than the type of plastic used
on their more traditional construction kits.
This being said however, it doesn't feel as hard or robust as a normal
lego set.
I imagine that it would be quite easy to bend some of the components if it is subjected
to rough play.
The majority of components are molded in grey, whereas the internal blocks are orange, and
the canopy and display stand are a tinted black colour.
As I progress through the build of this kit, it presents few challenges providing you take
the time to look over the instructions and correctly identify the next
part of the assembly.
Some of the parts are similar or symmetrical, so can be easy to put the wrong piece in the
wrong place.
Whilst you watch a little more of the assembly, I'll tell you some information about the real
F22 Raptor.
Entering service in December 2005 with the United States Air Force, this air superiority
fighter features stealth, intelligence, ground attack and electronic warfare
capabilities.
It's two Pratt and Whitney turbofan engines feature thrust vectoring, which gives this
aircraft exceptional agility, and an estimated top speed of 1500mph, but i'm
sure that the actual top speed is classified.
The Raptor features an internal weapons bay, so as to help preserve its stealth capability,
and it can be outfitted with various munitions for air to air, and air
to ground missions.
Additionally, it can be fitted with external hardpoints for additional drop tanks or weapons
if required.
A 20mm Vulcan rotary cannon in the right wing root provides extra firepower for close range
engagements.
In september 2014, the Raptor saw its combat debut as it took part in the Intervention
in Syria, bombing Islamic State ground targets.
Each aircraft is estimated to cost over 150 million US dollars, and in order to get value
for money they have a projected service life up until 2060.
The F22 is not available for export sales to other countries, as a result, other nations
are able to purchase the F35 Lightning II which borrows many of
its design features from the F22 raptor.
Construction of the kit is almost complete, the wings and rudders of the model are all
single components.
All of the parts have quite good clutch, that's the
force they use to stick together and stay assembled.
Having completed the build of the aircraft, the display stand comes in three parts and
again, just click together.
The stickers can then be applied, they peel off the backing paper easily and adhere to
the model well.
And that's all there is to it.
This model took less than 10 minutes of construction time, and provides a reasonable representation
of the real F22 raptor.
I've got my reservations about this kind of model, as i'm sure its meant to be an introduction
to scale modelling, but I feel it's more of an introduction to
the Airfix brand rather than the actual hobby.
It seems to me, that Airfix are trying to cash in on the lego style constrcution kit
popularity, but from my experience the transition between lego and scale modelling
is quite a big one.
The revell snap kits would be a better transition, as they introduce you to more elements that
are familiar to scale modellers, such as sprues and cements etc, but being able to achieve
good results without too much painting practice.
The model is reasonably sturdy when constructed, and would hold up to some rough play, but
as previously mentioned, the plastic is not as tough as I would expect
it to be, and I feel that if its played with too roughly, elements of the model could bend
or snap.
As far as detail goes, it's virtually non-existent, there are some panel lines but they are simplified
and faint, instead the model relies on the rather bland
stickers to add a bit more colour to the model.
I'm not sure if this kit is meant to be to any particular scale, as I couldn't find one
on the box or on the airfix website.
Perhaps the retail price of £13 is a little expensive, particularly considering the short
amount of time it took to construct, but I imagine for a child there would
be an element of play value after it has been assembled.
So, in conclusion, I have my reservations about this kind of product and its suitability
as an introduction to the hobby.
Perhaps i'm a bit cynical and it actually sparks the imagination of the younger generation
to then take up a tube of cement and a paint brush and start their first real scale model
kit.
I'd be interested to know how many modellers were introduced to the hobby as a result of
this line of kits, so if you got started on these kits let me know in the
comments below.
All in all, its not a bad product, I'm just not sure i'm entirely convinced of the concept.
As always, let me know what you think of my build and the finished product in the comments
below.
I'm also keen to hear your suggestions as to other kits that you'd like to see me build
on my channel, so feel free to post that too!
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