Once again I break my pattern and offer you a non-German project this month. The Northrop YF-23, unofficially known as the Black Widow II, was one of the contenders for the Advanced Tactical Fighter. Able to cruise supersonically without afterburner and despite being somewhat "stealthier" it lost out to the YF-22 Raptor. To my eyes, it is a fantastic looking craft and it is regrettable that we will not see flyoffs like this in the near future again, due to the incredible cost of building flying test beds.

ITALERI Northrop YF-23

Type: injection molded plastic

Origin: USA Scale: 1/72nd

Appearance: gray styrene, two piece canopy, single sheet instructions, loosely packaged in a heat sealed plastic bag w/decals in a cardboard box

Comments: The single sheet of instructions gives both assembly and painting decal directions, complimented by some damn fine box art.

Assembly: As usual, we start with a cockpit tub, into which a three-part ejection seat, instrument panel and stick are added. Add a harness and do some detail painting and you are done with the cockpit. I assume that when a resin cockpit comes out for the F-22 Raptor, it will probably fit as well here. The interior of the two fuselage shells requires you to install the intakes (two parts) and the exhausts. The two part intakes are the only bad-fit in the whole kit. Definitely a place to practice you’re dry-fitting and filling skills! Add weight to the nose (I used lead shot), add the cockpit tub and close up. ITALERI does a nice job of providing the lower fuselage wing to inset the upper wing, which provides a scale thickness without a lot of grief. Last thing to do on the mainframe is install the stabilruddervators. These large fins serve all three functions and are installed in extremely shallow slots at the rear of the fuselage. Grab a reference to check out the angles. Now it’s decision time: do we choose landing gear up or down, and do we open or close the missile bay? The bay comes with a trapeze to hold the AMRAMM missiles out below the a/c. However, if you choose to close the bay (as I did), you’ll need to cut the tabs on the sides, place the doors across the opening, and do a fair bit of filling and sanding. The landing gear is nicely detailed and literally drops into place. Flip it over and install the back piece that will fit under the canopy.The canopy (two parts), is as usual magnificent. I have yet to see anyone injection mold a canopy as thin and clear as ITALERI does. The edges are well defined and make brush painting a dream. A dip in Future Floor polish and add away! You’ll love the view.

Painting and decaling: Two prototypes were built, each with a different scheme. I chose the overall Gunship Gray for mine. The other is Gunship Gray with some Desert Tan areas. One can just imagine this in Air Superiority Blue or Matte Black with the Red widow hourglass on the belly. They actually flew it with the belly marking but it was removed by the Northrop weenies prior to testing. The decals are very nice and complete (after all, two examples). A coat of gloss, followed by decals and a coat of Semi Gloss and the almost disappear.

Summary: This is an easy to build kit, of an extraordinary fighter. Alone or as part of a set (winner & loser) with the F-22 Raptor, it looks great on the shelf. Even a die-hard Luft fanatic like me enjoyed this kit, and I believe you will too. Very highly recommended for novice or pro.