Hasegawa 1/72 ASF-X Shinden II Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | March 2013 | Manufacturer | Hasegawa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | ASF-X Shinden II | Scale | 1/72 |
| Kit Number | 64702 | Primary Media | Styrene |
| Pros | Beautiful design, nice details | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Basic | MSRP (USD) | $64.99 |
First Look
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For some background on this subject from the world of Ace Combat, look here.
Hasegawa has released the ASF-X in 1/72 scale and I just had to take a closer look. When I saw the images of this aircraft, I wish that this would have been one of the Joint Strike Fighter designs! When you look at the layout of the airframe, it looks just right. Of course this concept is a hybrid of several previous designs including the nose and thrust-vectoring nozzle of the F-22, the wing layout of the X-29, the engine intake from the notional F-19, the tails of the YF-23, and so on.
The kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on seven parts trees plus two trees of clear parts. For a notional fighter aircraft in 1/72 scale, Hasegawa put a lot of detailing in this box.
Among the features and options in this kit:
- Movable thrust vectoring petals in normal flight configuration
- Choice of normal or STOVL nozzles
- Engine compressor face inside intake duct
- Movable vertical stabs
- Positionable outer wing panels
- Positionable canards
- Choice of landing gear raised or extended
- Detailed cockpit
- Optional pilot figure
- Positionable canopy
- Optional display stand
- Choice of six missiles or four rocket pods for externals
The decal sheet is also impressive as you paint the aircraft overall dark gray and the details do the rest of the work. The RAM patches and conformal antenna dielectrics are all provided as decals and I wish Hasegawa had done this with their F-22 Raptor kit instead of the raised RAM patches on the airframe surface.
You can build this aircraft straight out of the box and you'll have an impressive model on your shelf. For those wanting a little 'what-if' fun, you can do this model using spare USAF, IDF, or other markings to render some interesting possibilities. Hasegawa had previously released this kit in JASDF markings.
This is a very nice kit and I only wish this were also available in 1/48 scale, but this is a great start!
My sincere thanks to Hasegawa USA for this review sample!