Metal Earth F-22 Raptor Airplane 3D Metal Model Kit Fascinations

This model is by far one of the best challenges I've had in a while. The model has apparently been updated from this one. The thumbnail showing an open cockpit is the new model, while the old one appears to have a one-piece cockpit.Anyways, the entire sheet is a single CD-sized piece of easily foldable metal. The pieces are attached free-floating with the exception of two to four little nubs of flash, that can be easily clipped with hobby nippers.The instructions, as mentioned in other reviews, aren't great, so you will have to do some trial and error to get everything looking right. Additionally, a lot of the tabs are super-tiny (about 1mm wide) so it will be very difficult for children to assemble. I'm 26 and this thing took me an hour to assemble, and is my first foray into these types of models. Some of the pieces do come perforated for easy folding, but I have a feeling that people who may make a few too many mistakes may accidentally crease these to the point that they'll fall off. I would advise going very slowly with the actual assembly to reduce the chance of something breaking permanently.The assembled model is the size of a credit card and should probably not be kept in the reach of children. It is a nice display piece, however, for your office as long as you don't have to worry about something heavy landing on it and crushing it.

This is the 5th Metal Earth model I have completed and I am hooked. There is something very satisfying about bending tiny pieces of sheet metal and painstakingly assembling them together using the tiniest little bend tabs and slots you have ever seen. The quality and detail of the laser engraving and cutting is incredible. I can understand why some people are frustrated if they are not into this kind of miniature modes, so be warned. The packaging says "Pop out the pieces". Nope, no popping them out, it's more of an adventure in stress hardening by rocking tiny pieces back and forth until the little connections that hold the part in the sheet fails.I wanted to comment on this model in particular because based on previous review comments, Fascinations has completely overhauled this F-22 model. Mine looks quite different, and better, than the photo here or on their website, especially the forward fuselage. Someone mentioned there were only 8 pieces. My kit had 12.I am looking forward to the F-35 model that is "Coming Soon".

As with all Metal Earth kits I found this one rewarding to put together. But I took away a star for two reasons. The instructions were a bit vague at certain points which caused me to have to interpret them. I also like to refer to the detailed picture on the Fascinations website, but the picture on the website was not the same version that I was putting together. Not a big deal, but not worth 5 stars. Still, it was fun and I would buy it again.

I have done over 20 of these kits abut this one gave me fits. The two halfs did not fit together very well and I nearly distroyedt the pieces trying to do so. This is not a good one to start with. It needs a serious redesign.This product and all of the Metal Earth items are not toys. They are an intricate model that takes patience and skill to complete. They were not FUN to put together but challenging. The result s very satisfying and the models striking. Do not give this to a child or anyone who has a short attention span or gets frustrated easily. They are fragile before you start building, during the building process and after. The metal bends very easily and care must be taken to properly shape those pieces that require shaping. The right tools are essential. You will need fine needle nose pliers, tweezers, straight edges for bending, a shear cutter to remove the pieces from the metal sheet and a good magnifying lamp. The effort will be worth it. For your first model you should choose an easy one such as the Washington Monument. Then you can graduate up to the more difficult . Stay away from the tanks until you have gained some experience. These are not your everyday kits.

This was my first model I made from Metal Earth, instructions could've been a little better but otherwise it's an amazing model. It wasn't the easiest model to make but well worth it. I found it very hard to make the cockpit.Bought a tiger I model along with this 1, after making this F22, I think I'll buy some other models and practice some more before trying the Tiger I model.Overall good model and fun to build.

Too fragile, if one piece bends the wrong way the entire thing is done for.Hard to build, the tiny parts are difficult to manipulate and better suited for a watchmaker or possibly a brain surgeon.

This product is beautiful when finished I do hope they improve the cockpit as it seems to throw it off a little but it still looks great it’s semi challenging too build and it does require patienceTip: use needle nose pliers to help tighten the tabs together and use something the shape of a cylinder to shape some items.

This was our first metal earth kit. It took me and my husband about 2 hours. I had needle nose pliers and round nose ones, which were infinitely more useful. The cockpit strip was the most difficult, since I swear it was too long for what the instructions were prompting. We wound up snipping it and tucking it in further so it didn't look like a tumor on the jet.I'm looking forward to trying out some other metal earth kids.