[MOC] Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II - Alternate Build of 75440 AT-AT

[Wurger49]

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter. While the F-22 Raptor remains the premier air superiority platform, the F-35 is designed as a versatile, sensor fused strike fighter with advanced networking and data sharing.

It emerged from the Joint Strike Fighter program to replace the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, and AV-8B Harrier II. Australia has received 72 F-35A aircraft, with one squadron based at RAAF Base Williamtown, just north of Sydney.

I found the nose of this stealth fighter particularly challenging to design. I spent far too much time refining that section to achieve an acceptable shape. As soon as I felt satisfied, the next problem appeared, the cockpit windscreen.

I experimented with yellow cheese slopes paired with trans clear tiles, but in the end I chose the only dark bluish gray slope from set 75440. It gave a cleaner and more aggressive profile that better matched the F-35’s faceted look.

To overcome the restricted choice of only 1x1 cheese slopes, I used hinge bricks to create angled plates as a substitute for curved slopes. That adjustment helped capture the sharp stealth geometry without breaking the part limitations.

With those challenges resolved, I focused on refining the aircraft’s distinctive features:
 

• Forward pointing air intakes
• Portside cannon
• Trapezoidal wings
• Outward canted tail fins
• Larger horizontal stabilisers
• The tucked in exhaust nozzle

As the most advanced fighter in the world, it had to be swooshable, and it absolutely is. The fuselage and wings provide solid grip points for barrel rolls while blasting Danger Zone in the background.

I also built a substantial display stand, making use of the black bricks that were not needed for the jet. The AT-AT plaque remains on display as a nod to the donor set. A fitting presentation for a fifth generation fighter born from a galaxy far away and reimagined in modern airpower form.

Instructions are on Rebrickable: https://reb.li/m/250781