Northrop YF-23 ATF 1/144 scale models, decals.

Revell was the first company in the world to release a model of the YF-23 in 1/144 scale. It appears to have been a scaled down copy of the Italeri 1/72 tooling; it is very similar with a parts layout done in almost the same way. The contours closely match the Italeri 1/72 tooling, so everything said about that applies to this. The decals were an improvement on the 1/72 scale kit funnily enough, and were very crisp; however, the greys used for the national insignia were still too warm.

In late October 2013, Caracal Models announced the release of a brand new decal sheet for the YF-23 prototypes. Initially the plan was to produce this sheet in 1/144 scale as well but Caracal have changed their mind and decided not to do this. You can see his explanation of why here. This has been very disappointing news but if you still want 1/144 scale decals I suggest you lobby Caracal using their forum. Shown above in the thumbnails are alternative options for some of the markings: AFFTC badges can be found on the Superscale T-37 sheet (72646), and good TAC badges can be found on Italeri's F-5E decaL sheet. Avigraphics and Liveries Unlimited have both made 1/144 decal sheets for airliner engine logos, which are ideal for the P&W and GE logos found on the YF-23.

Trumpeter also released a kit of the YF-23 which was a different tooling. Like Revell, they seem to have made a direct copy of the Dragon kit, so theirs inherited all the mistakes of the Dragon tooling; thus it had some serious contour innaccuracies and is not worth bothering with. It should be considered as no more than a toy. A picture of the Trumpeter tooling is included here so that the modeller can learn the difference between the two.

A petition has now been set up on the Revell ideas site for a brand new 1/144 tooling. Please take the time to vote for this new kit, interest is growing rapidly.

	1/144 scale models
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	Revell was the first company in the world to release a model of the YF-23 in 1/144 scale. It appears to have been a scaled down copy of the Italeri 1/72 tooling; it is very similar with a parts layout done in almost the same way. The contours closely match the Italeri 1/72 tooling, so everything said about that applies to this. The decals were an improvement on the 1/72 scale kit funnily enough, and were very crisp; however, the greys used for the national insignia were still too warm. In late October 2013, Caracal Models announced the release of a brand new decal sheet for the YF-23 prototypes. Initially the plan was to produce this sheet in 1/144 scale as well but Caracal have changed their mind and decided not to do this. You can see his explanation of why here. This has been very disappointing news but if you still want 1/144 scale decals I suggest you lobby Caracal using their forum. Shown above in the thumbnails are alternative options for some of the markings: AFFTC badges can be found on the Superscale T-37 sheet (72646), and good TAC badges can be found on Italeri's F-5E decaL sheet. Avigraphics and Liveries Unlimited have both made 1/144 decal sheets for airliner engine logos, which are ideal for the P&W and GE logos found on the YF-23. Trumpeter also released a kit of the YF-23 which was a different tooling. Like Revell, they seem to have made a direct copy of the Dragon kit, so theirs inherited all the mistakes of the Dragon tooling; thus it had some serious contour innaccuracies and is not worth bothering with. It should be considered as no more than a toy. A picture of the Trumpeter tooling is included here so that the modeller can learn the difference between the two. A petition has now been set up on the Revell ideas site for a brand new 1/144 tooling. Please take the time to vote for this new kit, interest is growing rapidly.
			Revell box art