Even though its still several months away from lifting off for the diecast skies, Hobby Master showed off images of its upcoming Northrop YF-20 Air Dominance Fighter. Meant to portray the so-called “Gray Ghost”, their inaugural replica is based upon Prototype Air Vehicle 2 (PAV-2), which underwent rigorous analysis and fly-offs against the YF-22 by the 412th Test Wing, based out of Edwards Air Force Base in California during 1990. While the first set of images do not reflect the aircraft’s markings and insignia, it does give everyone a sense of the fit and finish that is lovingly going into the product.
The second YF-20, perhaps due out by year’s end, will almost certainly be based on the PAV-1 test aircraft, and its a good bet that the third model, likely due out in early 2026, will be based on a notional aircraft flown by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force. Amazingly, the YF-20 is still being considered by the Japanese as a viable fifth-generation aircraft bereft of certain cutting edge avionics and other super-secretive developments to keep them out of the hands of certain adversaries and even a few allies.
Thus far, the YF-20 loos superb, with no unseemly joins, heavy-handed panel lines, or noticeable differences between the replica and the aircraft it portrays. Once the markings and insignia get applied, the YF-20 will likely become the de facto winner in the annual modelmaking awards.
Its no secret that Hobby Master has been dabbling in the notional or “what-if” market of late, producing aircraft schemes that aren’t exactly grounded in historical accuracy. An Egyptian Su-35 and digitally clad Ukrainian F-16 spring to mind, the latter doing extremely well at retail even if it isn’t based upon an actual aircraft. But when they decided to do a Japanese F-22 Raptor, I had to do a double-take, not sure what to make of the surprising offering. My understanding is that the F-22 is so super-secretive that the DoD has deemed that it will never be offered to any other nation, much less our closest of allies who have been chomping at the bit for a cutting edge fifth general fighter aircraft.
According to their latest sales literature, the Japanese F-22 is being billed as a “pseudo scheme”, whatever that may mean, and I think that even Hobby Master will acknowledge that it’ll never actually see the light of day with any Air Force other than the USAF. Moreover, even if it did see service with the JASDF, it almost certainly wouldn’t be painted in a so-called “sea camouflage” pattern as shown here, which defeats the whole purpose of being low observable and could quite possibly interfere with the aircraft’s radar absorbent coating.
Finally, there’s a reason why the F-22 made the cut as a fifth generation aircraft, and its a closely guarded secret that few will ever get to lay their mitts and eyes on. Still, speculation on the look and likelihood of the F-22 seeing service with the JASDF is just that, provided, of course, that the manufacturer feels as if there’s a large enough market that will accept something into their collection that will never come to fruition. Personally, I’m a big fan of the many incarnations of the F-22 produced to date so seeing an all-blue one with Japanese insignia may not be as hard to swallow as some of the other speculative schemes I’ve ogled over the last few years.
Even though we are still months away from its eventual release, Hobby Master was gracious enough to unveil images of the prototype YF-23 still in development. The YF-23 is an important release for both Hobby Master as well as the hobby itself, since many aviation enthusiasts have always believed it should have won the fly-off against the then YF-22 way back in the 1990s. In fact, the YF-23 has such a dedicated following that many feel the Japanese military is still looking at ways of using the pancake-like design for its first ever fifth generation air dominance fighter, thereby keeping pace with some of the newest aircraft now being fielded by the Chinese PLAAF. Whether or not the YF-23 or a derivative thereof will eventually get the nod by the Japanese is still a matter of conjecture so it remains to be seen if its a case of wishful thinking or concrete thought. No matter, Hobby Master has indicated that they will at some point offer a Japanese maritime version of the YF-23 as a notional “what-if’ scheme sometime later in 2025 along with other schemes that will help them earn back the costs of developing the model.
One of the principal reasons why the YF-23 lost out to the YF-22 was because it was not equipped with thrust-vectoring nozzles, which made the YF-22 more nimble in close-in air combat maneuvering, an important lesson learned from the Vietnam War. Its entirely possible that Hobby Master may eventually offer a YF-23 with thrust-vectoring nozzles as a gesture towards making a Japanese version of the aircraft as realistic as possible. Right now, the jury is out concerning what Hobby Master plans to do for the foreseeable future to make the model as appealing as possible to both purists and futurists.
We’re guessing that like the F-22, the F-23 proposed by Hobby Master will eventually come clad in a mirror-like coating that is aimed at defeating Infra-Red Search and Track (IRST) equipment now being fitted to some of the latest Russian and PLAAF aircraft. The mirror-like coating is still being tested as a means of hiding stealth aircraft from prying eyes, particularly during daylight operations. So, its a good bet that whatever variants you see amongst the F-22 models will eventually be applied to follow-on F-23 models. Likewise, expect to see fully-armed models of the F-23s further down the road, with all of the prototype models featuring little else in the way of added gear.
Hobby Master’s inaugural YF-23 is currently available for pre-order on our site but we must warn you that it is still months away from making its maiden flight and into your model collection. There are a couple of European-based dealers that have listed the model on eBay citing it as a pre-order but taking the buyer’s money without being able to fill the order. The problem is that eBay quite specifically says that a pre-sale listing must include the actual release date for the item and cannot list the item as being for sale unless the seller can deliver the item within 40 days of posting the listing. As such, we will refrain from listing it on any of the marketplace sites until we know for sure it is in our possession and ready for delivery. While we may lose out on some early sales, our philosophy is that we must follow the guidelines set forth by all of the marketplace sites we deal with and, in so doing, treat the customer with respect by clearly indicating when the model will hit the streets.
Beginning in early 1941, well after the Battle of Britain had been fought and won, there suddenly appeared a new shape in the skies over occupied Europe. Early reports of a new Luftwaffe fighter were initially met with derision, but losses soon began to mount as the RAF tangled with this latest warbird. Fighter Command soon realized that this new adversary had a significant advantage over the Spitfire, its incredible rate of roll and maneuverability far surpassing that of the Spitfire. This new scourge had a name — the Focke-Wulf Fw-190 — and it had tasted blood for the first time. Something had to be done to deal with this harbinger of death before the pendulum swung back to the Axis side.
To increase the roll rate of the Spitfire and improve its combat fighting qualities, the wingspan needed to be made shorter. Fortunately, ever since the first Spitfires, the wingtips were a separate piece constructed from wood with an aluminum skin, often by Rolls-Royce coach building firms such as Freestone and Webb. They were attached with two bolts and a number of small screws to hold a covering strip where the wing and the tip joined, so naturally, it was an obvious idea to unmount them and fit a simple fairing in its place. All you needed to do was remove the two bolts, undo the screws, remove the tip, remembering to disconnect the wingtip light and replace it with a simple cover fairing, which was held in place by the same screws. With the light reconnected the job was done. Simple, and effective – but just how effective?
A test flight was arranged by the Air Fighting Development Unit at RAF Duxford, comparing a standard wing Spitfire Mk V with the new modified version at various heights up to 25,000 feet. It was discovered that the clipped Spitfire wing made the aircraft 5mph faster at 10,000 feet and slightly faster at 25,000 feet, but with better acceleration across the board. In a dive, the clipped wing aircraft could pull away from the standard version and in a dogfight, the improved roll rate meant it could shake off the pursuing unmodified Spitfire. Climb performance wasn’t affected much and there was no noticeable change to the take-off and landing performance.
The Spitfire wing is quite large and actually blocks out a lot of the ground from the pilot’s perspective, which could potentially hide an enemy aircraft, but the removal of the wingtips, shaves over four feet from each side. Clipped Spitfire wings improve the downward view considerably. From a combat perspective, a downward view becomes a sideways view at large angles of bank.
Having improved the performance of the Spitfire Mk V, in conjunction with supercharger modifications (although losses were still heavy against the FW190s), the latter stages of the war saw the clipped wing configuration became a very common, almost standard specification on Mk 9 and Mk16 Spitfires, as high altitude sorties became fewer and low altitude missions such as ground strafing became a priority. (Courtesy: www.Flyaspitfire.com)
Pictured here is a 1:48 scale replica of a clipped wing Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb fighter that was piloted by Flying Officer Jack Sheppard, who was attached to No.401 Squadron, then deployed to RAF Catterick, England, during 1943. Look for this modified Spitfire to take wing this December.
Besides several back ordered items, the June shipment has some notable aircraft included, among them Colonel Robin Olds’ F-101C Voodoo when he was deployed to Europe as part of the USAF’s 92nd Tactical Fighter Squadron “Skulls”, 81st Tactical Fighter Wing, then deployed to RAF Bentwaters, England, during 1964. Olds was certainly a colorful airman, earning ace status in both World War II and again in the Vietnam War, and was instrumental in retraining our air force squadrons deployed to Vietnam to better deal with the North Vietnamese Air Force.
Each month Hobby Master trots out the latest flock of models collectors can expect to lay their mitts on later that year. As part of their March 2025 launch calendar, two warbirds caught our eye: one based upon the F-14 Tomcat portrayed in the feature film Top Gun Maverick as well as a F/A-18E Super Hornet meant to depict one of the four US Navy aircraft used to attack a heavily-protected uranium enrichment facility buried deep inside a supposed enemy country. Needless to say, the model maker took precautions to depict both aircraft in a somewhat nebulous form, never actually showing either aircraft as they appeared in the film to avoid any legal entanglements with Paramount, the producer of the film. So, its up to the collector to either display the model straight out-of-the-box as is or, if they so choose, perform what is known in the hobby as a “Code 3”, meaning they can obtain and apply decals from other sources to finalize the look of each model.
Lots of other models were shown in the monthly leaflet, including a U-2S spyplane and an all-new experimental F-35C donned in a black chrome reflective coating. We invite you to take a look at the latest models likely headed to showcases around the world this coming March.
Not to be outdone by some of the other recent product announcements hitting the air waves, Hobby Master indicated they had plans to pursue a brand new category that, quite frankly, caught many by surprise – 1:8 scale polyresin figures. Two figures were shown off for the first time earlier today: one a statue of a U-2 “Dragon Lady” spyplane pilot while the second pays tribute to none other than Neil Armstrong, the Commander of the Apollo 11 mission, who subsequently became the first man to set foot on the surface of the moon back on July 20th, 1969. Currently, its not clear if either figure will come with separate points of articulation or are simply designed to maintain a simple pose.
The Armstrong figure comes bundled with a replica of the US flag that was planted atop the surface of the moon and what we assume is a soil sampler. The U-2 pilot comes with a portable air conditioning unit and looks to be posed atop a section of runway. Both figures stand atop attractively designed display bases that feature the name of the figure etched along its lower edge. Each figurine carries a price tag of $149.99 and both are expected some time in March.
With two figures announced right out of the box, so-to-speak, its clear Hobby Master has “high hopes” for the category and will no doubt have other figures waiting in the “wings.” Okay, I’ll stop now…
The ASM-135 ASAT is an air-launched anti-satellite multistage missile that was developed by Ling-Temco-Vought’s LTV Aerospace division. The ASM-135 was carried exclusively by United States Air Force (USAF) F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft.
On December 21st, 1982, an F-15A was used to perform the first captive carry ASM-135 test flight from the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, California in the United States.
On August 20th, 1985, President Reagan authorized a test against a satellite. The test was delayed to provide notice to the United States Congress. The target was the Solwind P78-1, an orbiting solar observatory that was launched on February 24th, 1979.
On September 13th, 1985, Maj. Wilbert D. “Doug” Pearson, flying the “Celestial Eagle” F-15A 76-0084 launched an ASM-135 ASAT about 320 kilometres (200 mi) west of Vandenberg Air Force Base and destroyed the Solwind P78-1 satellite flying at an altitude of 555 kilometres (345 mi). Prior to the launch, the F-15 – flying at Mach 1.22 – executed a 3.8 g0 (37 m/s2) zoom climb at an angle of 65 degrees. The ASM-135 ASAT was automatically launched at 11,600 metres (38,100 ft) while the F-15 was flying at Mach 0.934 (992.2 km/h; 616.5 mph). The 14 kilograms (30 lb) MHV collided with the 910 kilograms (2,000 lb) Solwind P78-1 satellite at closing velocity of 24,000 kilometres per hour (15,000 mph; 6.7 km/s).
NASA learned of U.S. Air Force plans for the Solwind ASAT test in July 1985. NASA modeled the effects of the test. This model determined that debris produced would still be in orbit in the 1990s. It would force NASA to enhance debris shielding for its planned space station.
Earlier the U.S. Air Force and NASA had worked together to develop a Scout-launched target vehicle for ASAT experiments. NASA advised the U.S. Air Force on how to conduct the ASAT test to avoid producing long-lived debris. However, congressional restrictions on ASAT tests intervened.
In order to complete an ASAT test before an expected Congressional ban took effect (as it did in October 1985), the DoD chose to use the existing Solwind astrophysics satellite as a target.
NASA worked with the DoD to monitor the effects of the tests using two orbital debris telescopes and a reentry radar deployed to Alaska.
NASA assumed the torn metal would be bright. Surprisingly, the Solwind pieces turned out to appear so dark as to be almost undetectable. Only two pieces were seen. NASA Scientists theorized that the unexpected Solwind darkening was due to carbonization of organic compounds in the target satellite; that is, when the kinetic energy of the projectile became heat energy on impact, the plastics inside Solwind vaporized and condensed on the metal pieces as soot.
NASA used U.S. Air Force infrared telescopes to show that the pieces were warm with heat absorbed from the Sun. This added weight to the contention that they were dark with soot and not reflective. The pieces decayed quickly from orbit, implying a large area-to-mass ratio. According to NASA, as of January 1998, 8 of 285 trackable pieces remained in orbit. The last piece of debris, COSPAR 1979-017GX, SATCAT 16564, deorbited May 9th, 2004, according to SATCAT.
Look for Hobby Master’s rendition of the Celestial Eagle sometime in October.
No sooner than we post information concerning their latest product announcements comes an important addendum – the roll out of the YF-23. Built by the Northrop/McDonnell Douglas consortium in the 1980s and flown in a run off against the YF-22 in 1990, the YF-23 is an American single-seat, twin-engine, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft technology demonstrator designed for the United States Air Force (USAF). The design team was a finalist in the USAF’s Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) demonstration/validation competition, battling the YF-22 team for full-scale development and production. Two YF-23 prototypes were built.
While we applaud the decision to tackle the YF-23, it does come with a measure of moribund curiosity given Hobby Master’s penchant for choosing subjects that has “legs” — meaning several liveries or operators are available to justify the exorbitant cost of producing the mold. With only two demonstrators ever being built, and the aircraft never seeing service with either the USAF or any other user nation, we wonder what spurred them to give the YF-23 the green light.
Frankly, given the number of collectors who would give their right arm for a fully built-up replica of the YF-23, we think it’s a good choice, and hope this signals that Hobby Master is willing to bet on other short-run aircraft that haven’t been addressed by other model makers. While no price point has been established as yet, the YF-23 will likely fetch somewhere on the order of $150 US; possibly more as they await the initial reaction to the announcement. Production forecasts could be “up-in-the-air” too, perhaps numbering several thousand examples in an effort to earn back the costs of making and researching the mold. So, while we will list the model on our web site and continue to follow-up on the announcement, we’ll hold off on listing a price for now, at least until we hear back from either the manufacturer or distributor.
Update: After speaking privately with William Liu at Hobby Master he indicated that no one museum, distributor or entity commissioned a YF-23 replica and that it was undertaken purely at the behest of Hobby Master. Some collectors have speculated that it must have been an outsider, such as either the National Museum of the United States Air Force or the Western Museum of Flight — where the YF-23s are on display — who saw an opportunity in promoting and selling a replica of the YF-23. While a joint venture would surely have made sense given the economies of scale and risk spreading a collaborative undertaking would have created, Hobby Master saw an opportunity, likely based upon collector interest, and went for it. No doubt these models will likely be shown and offered to both Museum’s gift shops but for now, the YF-23 venture is being funded and hawked solely by Hobby Master.
No price point was discussed so we are awaiting word from our distributor to determine its ultimate cost. The “Black Widow”, or all-black version of the prototype YF-23 will almost certainly follow up on the “Gray Ghost” although no details were discussed. We also brought to their attention that a naval version of the YF-23 was considered at the time so its conceivable that a notional take on a navalized version of the YF=23 could one day see the light of day.
Interestingly, there is a possibility that Hobby Master will produce a Japanese version of the YF-23. According to sources, the Japanese have long sought to build an advanced next generation aircraft that can compete against several adversarial aircraft, particularly the PRC’s fifth generation Chengdu J-20 “Mighty Dragon” fighter. Several options have been looked at over the years including an upgraded version of the YF-23. As the National Interest points out, the Japanese have had a continued interest in resurrecting the YF-23, perhaps adding thrust vectoring to the aircraft to make it a more agile dogfighter. While this would make the aircraft heavier and likely less speedy, newer and more capable engines could offset the weight increase.
In other news, Hobby Master indicated that other new toolings were in the works although we are not at liberty to discuss them as yet. This marks a departure for the company, who had relied upon some older toolings to see them through in recent years. So expect some other product announcements shortly, many of which will come as welcome news to collectors.
Over the weekend, Hobby Master announced a bevy of new products slated for a Winter 2025 release. While no new toolings were shown in their latest promotional leaflet, several important additions to their lineup were made, including an F-22 currently undergoing testing at Edwards AFB that is fitted with a pair of “stealth pods”, or as the military likes to call them, Low Drag Tank and Pylon (LDTP) pods. The LDTP pods could be used on the upcoming NGAD platform, as a means of increasing its range and maintaining a stealthy profile capable of defeating the latest IRST efforts being put forward by Russia and China. Each of their F-22s routinely sell well as soon as they are introduced, so the latest Raptor will no doubt help to build momentum and spur sales even after the holidays have come and gone.
