1/48 Freedom Model X-47B UCAS

[DoogsATX]

Now that the MiG-21 and T-80BV are off the bench and the T-26 is stuck in friul tedium, I've got some room for some new faces on the bench.

First of those is the new kit from new kitmaker Freedom Model - the Northrop Grumman X-47B.



To date, most drones have been geared toward recon or light strike. The X-47B is pretty different. First, it looks like the B-2's mini-me. Second, it's designed to perform a traditional strike role, carrying ordnance in two internal weapon bays (the kit comes with two 2000lb JDAMs). Third, it's designed to operate from carriers and intermingle with manned aircraft.

So far it's been proving itself in various carrier trials, like unmanned catshots and traps and navigating the crowded flight deck.



I've never had that much interest in drones...but something about this subject and kit just scream "build me now!", and who am I to argue?

The kit itself is spread across six sprues and a PE fret. There are blissfully no cockpit parts and no clear parts to deal with!



Oh...and it's also HUGE. For scale, I layed the main fuselage of Academy's F-4B alongside.

[DoogsATX]

Tonight was mostly some part removal and test-fitting. I did some work on the nosegear, as well, but there's nothing worth showing yet.

First point of frustration - the size and location of the sprue tabs. These are like old-school Monogram sized, mixed with the "Trumpeter"-style where they land on the seam, requiring some careful sanding to remove without leaving a depression in their wake.

A few tabs do this in less-than-ideal places where it's tough to get tools at them - such as in the flap zone, or on the lip that slots the intake into the upper fuselage.





The initial fuselage sandwich? Promising. Everything fits up pretty well and feels VERY substantial.

[DoogsATX]

This one starts out in a weird place - the landing gear! Can't recall ever working on an aircraft that didn't take you straight to the cockpit, but I guess that's not really an option here!

Anyway, the landing gear is comprised of numerous small parts...the nose strut assembly is probably a good ten to twelve. But the engineering is inspired and many pieces lock together. It's also a very beefy assembly - no need to wander afield for metal struts here.



The nose gear looks like an amalgamation of several existing nosegears - including the A-6, F-14 and F/A-18.

More interesting, the main struts (not pictured yet since I've only done one) are absolute dead ringers for the main struts on the F-14 and A-6. Considering that the X-47B is a Northrop Grumman design, it seems they were reaching into the parts bin in this area.

More to follow...

[Medicman71]

Very cool! I'll definitely be watching this one.

[DoogsATX]

Got the legs knocked out in full tonight...but first wanted to share a bit of the assembly logic.

Here's the nosegear



Note the different struts for normal and take-off configurations. Part E4 slots into place in a press-fit and provides a ton of structural rigidity, and part E22 clips in place with two raised bumps that snap into two divots on the main strut.

The main gear are similar.



Part E21 is another snap-in component, which will be super nice for properly aligning it later in the build. The only complication comes with the fit of E32, which requires some bit of sanding to fit the marked hole, and the fit of the oleo scissors' outer hinges, which need some shaving. Overall, though, this thing has been thought out from an engineering, "how it goes together" perspective rather well.

The struts also fit into the fuselage with authority. Such a nice break from the Trumpeter MiG-21.







Next up - the wings.

[DoogsATX]

Short night at the bench last night, but I did manage to do a test-fit of the wings. This sucker has a broader wingspan than a 1/32 P-47...

[DoogsATX]

Last night I decided to work on the wingfolds. I'm still not sure if I'm going to build this sucker with the wings out or up, but it's engineered so that either option uses inserts and I can effectively make the decision pretty late in the game. Right now I'm leaning toward folding the wings.

Here are the main wingfold subassemblies. The instructions are missing a callout for the wing-side inserts, but it's obvious just by looking which parts are needed.

Essentially what you have here are four main parts per fold. The inner and outer wing inserts, the main hinge mechanism (three hinges connected by a rod), and a smaller mechanism that glues over the rod and helps provide some additional location. There are about five-six other parts, but they're secondary players and I was more concerned about the main wing alignment.



On the aircraft, as of now the inner inserts don't fit into the fuselage. Just a matter of some careful sanding. The outer inserts fit very well into the wings, but are definitely going to require glue , as the insert tabs are not sufficient to hold the wings and the wobble and fall off. I'm considering lengthening them for better support and, a guy can dream, the ability to remove the wings for transport to/from shows, etc.



Overall, it looks pretty flippin' awesome at this point.





For comparison, here's the real deal:

[Medicman71]

Man that's cool. I gotta get one of these!

[scorpiomikey]

Ive been following this on facebook too, loving it so far.
I think it looks better with its wings folded, particularly with the gear down, something about it makes it look like a roosting raptor.