I have held off building it for one reason or another. But with my recent move and seeing F-35s flyover and near my new home nearly every day I have developed a great fondness for this aircraft, and the urge to build one. I researched this kit and saw that it would be a huge project to make it into the production type. But with some minor tweaks, it is easily corrected into the flight test development prototype. So I raided another kit and obtained the long flight test nose instrumentation boom. And being an old So. Cal. native with personal and family connections to the aerospace industry there, as well as multiple visits to Edwards AFB, this project took root...
So I started this build yesterday, with the added impetus of trying out my recently acquired Micro Weld glue. (shameless self plug to read my review here) I started with the basic cockpit assembly yesterday. But I think that I’m going to dress it up a bit based off what little that I can see in photos of the X-35A and X-35B prototypes. Which are actually the same airframe, but after A flight test was complete, the aircraft was sent back to the plant for modification into the B configuration.
Anyways, here are the photos of my basic cockpit construction
And basic seat, which I’m going to modify
Stay tuned for more eventual updates...
