Academy F-22A Air Dominance Fighter

Reader Reviews
First of all, this isn't exactly a toy, but a model airplane that you have to glue together and paint yourself.Now, this is the 2nd model plane I've ever built and it was a LOT easier and came out looking better than the Revell F-15E. Splitting the plane right down the middle horizontally helped reduce the amount of seam filling greatly. Parts fit into each other just fine for the most part, but I found myself shaving off bits once or twice in order to fit some parts perfectly. One thing I really, really liked about this kit was that it gave me the option to have my weapon bays, landing gear, and even that hook brake open or closed. I decided that since I was given the chance to show them that I would. It was a lot of work, but I'm happy I did it.I can't say how accurate this specific model is to the actual F-22 Raptor, but I don't see any areas that look awkward.The camouflage was a bit tricky to put since I was using spray cans. I barely managed to put them on the plane using paper cut outs and tape. So, I can't say I'd recommend this (or an F-22 model in general) as someone's first ever model plane. Although it fit together better than the F-15E, not to mention less decals to put on, the F-15E had a much more simple color scheme, which was pretty much the same color all over.Speaking of decals, the decal sheet that came with the kit was huge. But only 1/4 of the sheet is used by everyone that makes the kit, the other 3/4 is just markings for different squadrons for different Air Force Bases. You use about 1/12 of the 3/4 part of the sheet. As for the decals themselves, they seemed like they were of very good quality. I can't really explain very well why, but I will say that it looks nicer and was a lot easier to put on than the Revell F-15E's.My one complaint about this kit is the decal placement guide, hardly something to take out a whole star, but it is annoying. For example: The military markings with the star came in fours. Two of them were a pair that are placed across from each other on the bottom of the plane. The other two go on the wings of the plane, one on the left wing facing the plane from the top and the other on the left wing facing the plane from the bottom (with both perspectives having the nose of the plane pointing up or away from the modelers body). The guide tells you what decal to put on what area using numbers to identify which decal it is on the sheet. The guide gave me a number to put on the topside left wing, but it was one of the pair that go on the bottom of the plane (you can tell because the pair is smaller than the other two and the topside left decal is colored differently due to the camouflage that's supposed to be there). I just disregarded the numbering for that part of decaling and thought it through to put the right decals in the right places. Also, I was missing a couple of decals, specifically something marked "C" on the sheet and number "73" (I believe).I'm not sure if I just ended up with a bad sheet, but that's what I encountered. If it is a universal issue, it's not a HUGE one. You'll just have to really look at what you're putting on your plane and figure out if it looks about right, which is something I only did about two times anyway.Overall, a fun plane to build and very nice to look at on my shelf.