Tamiya 60763 - 1:72 F-22 Raptor

Plastic model kit of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fighter in 1:72 scale

Tamiya 60763 depicts the F-22 Raptor – a U.S. air-superiority fighter designed with stealth technology. Its angular shape and careful airframe shaping serve to reduce radar detectability, while two high-thrust engines give the aircraft high performance.

The kit is based on Italeri tooling offered under the Tamiya catalogue in the War Bird Collection and depicts an early aircraft. The decals let you finish the model in one of two schemes of prototype/test examples.

What's in the box:

• Plastic sprues with fuselage, wing and tail parts
• Clear canopy parts
• Waterslide decal sheet for 2 schemes (prototype/test aircraft)
• Illustrated assembly instructions

Model specifications:

• Scale: 1:72
• Item number: 60763
• Manufacturer: Tamiya
• Assembled length: approx. 263 mm, wingspan: approx. 188 mm
• Skill level: beginner/intermediate

Note: glue, paints and modelling tools are not included. The model is intended for self-assembly.

Building the model:

Assembly is approachable, but the tooling needs dry-fitting of the fuselage halves and the intakes. Paint the cockpit before closing the fuselage.

F-22s usually wear a two-tone, low-contrast grey finish. Lay the decals over a gloss coat to prevent silvering, then finish with a matt or satin varnish. The instructions provide paint references.

Tools you'll need:

• Modelling nippers for removing parts from the sprues
• Hobby knife or scalpel
• Files and sandpaper for cleaning up sprue-gate marks
• Plastic cement (e.g. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement)
• Brushes of various sizes and modelling paints (acrylic or enamel)
• Panel-line wash to emphasise detail and recesses
• Gloss varnish for the decals and a satin coat to finish
• Optional: self-adhesive canopy masks

About the aircraft – Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor:

The F-22 was developed as a new-generation air-superiority fighter combining stealth technology with very good performance and advanced avionics. Its weapons are carried mainly in internal bays to reduce radar detectability.

The prototype aircraft first flew in the 1990s, and the type entered regular service in its production form in the mid-2000s. Thanks to its high-thrust engines, the F-22 can sustain supersonic speed without using afterburner.

Original aircraft specifications (F-22 Raptor):

• Length: approx. 18.9 m
• Wingspan: approx. 13.6 m
• Height: approx. 5.1 m
• Max take-off weight: approx. 38,000 kg
• Powerplant: 2 Pratt & Whitney F119 thrust-vectoring turbofans, approx. 156 kN each with afterburner
• Max speed: approx. Mach 2
• Armament: M61 20 mm cannon; weapons in internal bays
• Crew: 1
• Feature: stealth technology, supersonic flight without afterburner

About the manufacturer – Tamiya:

Tamiya Corporation is a Japanese model company founded in 1946 in Shizuoka, regarded as the heart of Japan's model-making industry. It launched its first injection-moulded plastic kit in 1960 and over time became one of the most recognisable brands in the hobby, known for precise tooling and a broad range of accessories: paints, glues, tools and brushes. Alongside its own-tooled models, Tamiya offered a range of 1:72 aircraft in its War Bird Collection based on Italeri tooling – this kit belongs to that group. Today the company operates in dozens of countries and remains a benchmark for the whole of scale modelling.