SMN report: The aircraft are the Boeing X-32 and Lockheed Martin X-35B, two entrants in the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) competition.
Neither kit is new from Italeri, but releasing both in the same box adds a sense of perspective and scale, not least because JSF was held long enough ago to make these aircraft of historical interest.
Components for the X-35B (below) are neatly laid out on the runners. Note the dorsal fan and housing, used by this vertical-lift 'B' version.
The X-32 mockup (below, front) lined up next to a Boeing Hornet. Note that by this stage, the X-32 had grown a pair of tailplanes, perhaps to achieve the necessary angle of attack for proposed naval operations.
During the 1990s, the US Department of Defense launched the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter) contest to assign the production of a new 5th generation multi-role combat aircraft. Boeing produced the X-32 demonstrator, which competed with the Lockheed Martin X-35.
The Boeing X-32 had a one-piece carbon fibre composite delta wing, and a chin scoop to feed the single engine. The X-35 borrowed technology from the F-22 Raptor, and had relatively conventional looks.
The X-35 won the JSF competition, and has since been developed into the F-35 Lightning II. It is now entering service with various military force around the world.
Click here for more details at Italeri.
Click here for a detailed X-32 build review over at Modeling Madness.