Fans of Lockheed’s singular F-117 have a great reference in this ‘new’ book from the renowned US publisher.
Since it was revealed to the public in 1988, the F-117 Nighthawk has captivated many aviation enthusiasts and modellers. It’s such a fascinating subject – there being nothing else like it (that we know of) – it was always going to be a worthy modelling subject.
The latest softback release from Detail & Scale offers a wealth of visual reference and helpful text/captions, for anyone building Hasegawa, Academy, AMT or other manufacturers’ kits of this unique flying machine. However, it’s not entirely new, as it is a reformatted version of a Specialty Press book first published in 2006. Detail & Scale’s version is larger, allowing the photos to ‘breathe’ more, but there is also a scattering of colour artwork representing non-standard/special schemes on F-117s. These include the now famous stars and Stripes airframe and the skunk-adorned Nighthawk painted to mark the 1990 retirement of the then ‘Skunk Works’ president Ben Rich.
Multi-faceted coverage
While pegged as a developmental history, this 118-page book offers a plethora of imagery, all in colour, which is a boon for any modeller building the F-117. To those who prefer more traditional aircraft the Nighthawk looks simply like an angular black lump. Detail & Scale’s study disproves that theory, as its photos show the various subtle nuances of the jet’s surface, as well as its weaponry and different unit markings. Interestingly, one photo shows the livery worn by the first F-117 on its maiden flight, echoing the mid-green, light earth and pale sand colours echoing those adorning Israeli combat aircraft. Another notable inclusion is imagery of an Eglin, Florida-based USAF Systems Command F-4D Phantom II carrying a Beam Approach Seeker Evaluation System pod. This would be a great model to accompany an F-117 build if you want to tell a fuller ‘scale’ story of the Nighthawk programme (you’d have to scratch-build the BASES pod though). Coverage of the type’s participation in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom is also provided.
See more about Detail & Scale's A-6 Intruder book
This is an excellent book if you need reference for any F-117 build. It’s good value at $21.99, available from Detail & Scale. Note there are digital versions too, for Apple Book and Amazon Kindle, at $14.99.
F-117 Nighthawk Stealth Fighter
An Illustrated Developmental History
By: Yancy D Mailes and Tony R Landis
Format: 280 x 217mm
ISBN: 978-8-3710986-5-8
