u/Aetherial_Wargamer

Today marks the release date of Ace Combat 8 and the start of spooky season. To celebrate, I couldn’t think of better models to share than these F-23A Black Widow IIs. These are the production-series jets as envisioned by Northrop Grumman had the YF-23 won the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition. F-23As can be distinguished from the prototype YF-23s by their longer fuselages and more streamlined tail geometry.

The F-23A STL was acquired from the skilled designer OKB-985 on Cults3D, resized to 1/100 scale, sliced into sections and keyed, printed entirely in PA12 SLS Nylon, and then assembled. I took inspiration from the black YF-23 prototype and added my own twist with red accents on the wings and vertical stabilizers.

The decal placement was the longest part of the build process. The US roundels and Shadow Company insignia are from a custom decal sheet, the ejection seat triangles are from Mark 1 Decals, the “TX” tail letters are from Circus City Decals, and the refueling port markers are hand-painted by me.

To commemorate the 250th Anniversary of American Independence, I decided to give my US forces some much needed air support. These are F-22A Raptors in 1/100 scale, and since I don’t have special stats for them they’ll proxy for Warthogs.

Like my SU-57s, the F-22s were bought off Etsy as 3D-printed full-color kit cards. After competely painting over the original outline, I landed on a pattern that blends elements of the standard F-22 coating and the experimental chrome coating used by the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron.

To commemorate the 250th Anniversary of American Independence, I’m proud to present this 3D print of battlecruiser USS Lexington. This specific design represents a hypothetical 1940s configuration of the vessel, with a modernized secondary battery and AA layout complementing an Alaska-style superstructure.

The model itself was 3D-printed in SLS Nylon and purchased off of Shapeways. I kept the camo simple by painting the ship almost entirely blue, replicating the US Navy’s Measure 21 pattern. To make the coloration more visually interesting, I detailed the rafts and boats in white.

The model used is the 1/1200 CC1 Lexington 1944 - Late War 20x 5/38 by Roe Tengco (Tiny Thingamajigs).