HobbyBoss 1/48 USAF YF-23 Kit 81722

The Northrop/McDonnell Douglas YF-23 was a prototype fighter aircraft designed for the United States Air Force. The YF-23 was a finalist in the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter competition.  The YF-23 lost the contest to the Lockheed YF-22, which entered production as the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.

The YF-23 was designed to meet USAF requirements for survivability, supersonic cruise (supercruise), stealth, and ease of maintenance. Designed with all-aspect stealth as a high priority. The YF-23 was an unconventional-looking aircraft with trapezoidal wings, substantial area-ruling, and a V-tail. Similar to the B-2, the exhaust from the YF-23's engines flows through troughs lined with heat ablating tiles, which shields the exhaust from infrared (IR) missile detection from below. The wing flaps and ailerons deflect inversely on either side to provide roll. Pitch was provided by movement of both V-tails, and yaw was supplied by opposite movement. Deflecting the wing flaps down and ailerons up on both sides simultaneously provided for aerodynamic braking。

This kit from Hobby Boss is moulded in light gray styrene and presented on five parts trees plus a small tree of clear parts. Given that this is a model of a prototype aircraft, the kit is simple in layout and detail. Among the features and options in the kit:

• Detailed cockpit
• Positionable canopy
• Nicely detailed wheel wells and landing gear
• Positionable ruddervators

The intake trunks are the right shape and depth, the afterburner chambers not so much, but these can be corrected easily enough. The weapons bay isn't represented except for the door outlines under the fuselage. The flaps and ailerons are all moulded in the up/neutral position. Again, some careful work can change these as well.

Markings are provided for a notional F-23A assigned to the First Fighter Wing at Langley AFB. The decals also have basic airframe stencilling included.

Model Dimension: Length: 445mm   Wingspan: 292mm