USAF B-2 Bomber

Academy, 1/144 scale

Reviewed by John Miller

The small scale of 1/144th is not part of my normal modeling diet, which consists of predominantly 1/72 and 1/48th scale aircraft. In my limited experience, building a 1/144th scale kit takes a skill set that is different from the skills required to build in a larger scale. I learned this the hard way when building and painting the 1/144th Svezda I-16 Rata. That said, 1/144th scale is great for aircraft that are too large for a 1/72 or 1/48th kit to fit in the average the modeling cabinet.

 
I like the lines of the B-2 and wanted one in my cabinet but the B-2 is a large airplane; a bit too large for my display cabinet anyway. For this reason, I was jazzed to see the new-mold Academy B-2 on the shelf of my favorite local hobby shop, Skyway Models. Needless to say, I had to give one a good home and I wasn’t let down. This is a nice, weekend kit that will result in am very atractive model when completed. Thanks, Academy!

Background

The Northrop B-2 Spirit is an American heavy strategic bomber that uses low-observable stealth technology to penetrate sophisticated anti-aircraft defenses. It is often referred to as a stealth bomber.

A subsonic flying wing with a crew of two, the B-2 was designed by Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) as the prime contractor, with Boeing, Hughes Aircraft Company, and Vought as principal subcontractors. It was produced from 1988 to 2000.

The bomber can drop conventional and thermonuclear weapons, such as up to eighty 500-pound class (230 kg) Mk 82 JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen 2,400-pound (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only acknowledged in-service aircraft that can carry large air-to-surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.

Text and pics edited from Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_B-2_Spirit

In a rather larger box for a 1/144th scale kit are 5 sprues (A, B, C, Dx2, and E). The five sprues convey a surprising total of 135 styrene parts; 134 grey and one clear. Included are a die-cut sheet of windscreen masks and one decal sheet with airframe stencils and markings for five B-2 airframes. 

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Assembly begins with the basic cockpit followed by the left and right intake ducting assemblies and engine exhausts. For those that want to build their B-2 with the bomb bay open, a nicely detailed rotary launcher is included along with an ordinance load-out that includes BGU-31’s, GBU-57’s, and Mk.83 1,000lbs bombs. The assembled bomb bay is trapped in between upper and lower fuselage halves, which feature nicely rendered inscribed details. Add the left and right inboard/outboard elevons and the airframe is mostly compete.

Next up are the landing gear, composed of the twin-wheel nose gear and 8-wheel (4 per side) main gear. The gear legs are crisply molded and will look good under paint and a wash. All the wheels are single-piece and the gear doors are nicely detailed as are the inner faces of the bomb bay doors.

Clear Parts

The single the windscreen part is crystal clear and well-molded.

Die-cut vinyl masks are provided.

The masks are nice considering the multiple curves on the windscreen that have to be masked prior to priming/painting. 

Color and Markings

The recommended color is Gunship Grey per the instructions. The decals, designed by Crossdelta and printed by Academy, are crisp with good color density.

Airframe stencils for one airframe and markings for five aircraft are provided. The airframes covered are the Spirit of Nebraska, Spirit of New York, Spirit of Arizona, Spirit of Texas, and Spirit of Ohio. 
 

This is a nice kit and one that just screams “weekend build.” If you opt to build the kit with the bomb bay doors closed, I suspect the kit will build up quickly and serve as something to cleanse the modeling palate versus more complicated models.

Nicely done, Academy!

Keep your airbrush wet!

John

For more on this review visit ModelPaintSolutions.com.

https://modelpaintsol.com/reviews/academy-144-usaf-b-2a-spirit-bomber-12645

Review Text and Images Copyright © 2025 by John Miller / Model Paint Solutions
Page Created 31 October, 2025
Last updated 1 November, 2025

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