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1/72 Academy F/A-18A+ Hornet


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This is my second Academy Hornet, finished late last year. They are an absolute joy to build! This one is an A model (with the A+ upgrade) in the markings of VMFA-232 "Red Devils" as it appeared aboard the USS Nimitz in 2007.

I added a Quickboost SJU-5 resin seat and Mk. 82s from a Hasegawa weapons set. Markings are MAW decals, which performed flawlessly - I highly reccommend them! The loadout is one that was suggested in the MAW instructions.

I appreciate any constructive criticism you can offer. Specifically, I'd like to know how I did with the weathering. I tried to replicate the dirty, grungy look of a modern carrier-borne jet with all its paint touch-ups. Not sure how well I did, though - please let me know!

- Justin

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Here it is next to my other one, an F/A-18C:

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Thank you for the kind words, everyone! :)

The only thing I notice is the white on the tails might be too white for a bird that weathered, but that is just my opinion.

Hi Matt, thanks for the input! In all the pictures I've seen of this plane, the tails look bright and clean even though the rest of the airframe is absolutely filthy. I don't know if that's because they use a different paint for the bright colors, or if they just cleaned the tails a lot, but that's why I didn't weather the white and red as much.

How did you accomplish the finish?

Hi Rumbling, glad you like it! Here's a brief overview of how I did it:

- Base coat of Xtracrylix light and dark ghost gray

- Lightened each color with white and sprayed in a random, mottled pattern over the base colors

- Mixed Tamiya Red Brown and Black 50:50 and thinned it about 80% - sprayed this in random patterns in the appropriate areas to simulate dirt, grime, oil, etc.

- Lightened Gunze light and dark ghost gray acrylics with white and sprayed them in small patches to represent touch-ups painted by the corrosion control crew

- Misted the same Gunze colors over the entire airframe to blend everything together and tone down the weathering a bit.

- Glosscoated the model with Tamiya clear acrylic and applied the decals

- Panel line wash with oil paints (Payne's Grey and Raw Umber, 50:50) thinned with lighter fuel

- Final coat of 2 parts Tamiya clear mixed with 1 part Tamiya Flat Base.

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Wow Justin. Great work! I just finished the same kit and didn't come close to your level of work. Did you have problems with the multipiece nose? I did a lot of dry fitting and still ended up with a step between the nose cone and fuselage.

Thanks for going into detail on how you did your weathering and finish.

Rodney

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Wow,

Fantastic little legacy Hornet. You really did both the plane and academy kit justice.

I love the weathering.

And this build really confirms me why all my Hasegawa 1/72nd scale Hornets either have been sold or are for sell. No regrets now..

Cheers.

Eric B.

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Is the kit the Academy C or A version?

Hi Michael, it's the A version. The kit comes with a complete C version, plus an extra sprue with the A tails and the other bits and bobs to make it an A - a great deal! I think I will always get this kit even if I want to build another C - that way I have the extra A bits left over and can convert a D (I have two in the stash) to a B if I want to! I suspect Academy will eventually release a B, though.

Did you have problems with the multipiece nose? I did a lot of dry fitting and still ended up with a step between the nose cone and fuselage.

Hi Rodney, yes, the nose was the only tricky bit of the construction. I did a lot of dry fitting, too, but when it came to glue everything together, I did it all at once (except the nose cone) with Tamiya extra thin cement. I then fiddled with it before the cement set, getting everything lined up as best I could and dry fitting the nose cone at the same time. I still needed to do a little filling, sanding, and a bit of re-scribing in the end, but it wasn't too bad. I plan on building several more of these, so eventually I'll get the hang of it!

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Holy cow this is remarkable!!!! You did a stellar job on the weathering, I still can not believe it is 1/72 scale, it is just amazing!! And thanks for "cheat sheet" on your weathering steps Justin, I've already copied them to my growing collection of model notes :D

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