Jim Barr Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 I pick up the great Fightertown 'Adversary Ghost ' decals and plan on doing the VFA 204 F/A-18 bird, the instruction say it's an 'A' and from what I can find on the www they are flying the A+; so what do I need to do to back date my Hasegawa 'C' to an A+? Thanks Jim Barr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 A couple other things but, do NOT add the lumps and bumps on the nose and behind the canopy. They are C/D specific. Also sand off the middle rear radar reciever from the top of the tails. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Replace the tails (you can't just remove the extra 'bump' on each fin as the remaining lower ones are in different locations amd different shape), leave off the extra bumps on the nose and the spine, add a GPS dome on the spine, check the style of comms antenna used (square or 'sharkfin' - one on the spine and two under the nose), add bird slicers in front of the windscreen if present. Those are the main ones, there are other minor ones, but nothing anyone will notice in scale. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Barr Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Thanks guys for the info; now anyone have a set of A tails from the Hasegawa F/A-18A/C kit they would be will to part with? Thanks Jim Barr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 (edited) Replace the tails (you can't just remove the extra 'bump' on each fin as the remaining lower ones are in different locations amd different shape) I am in a similar predicament (want to build an A from a predominantly C kit) -to be honest, the photos in the Coremans/DeBoeck "Uncovering The...(etc.)" show the lower (AN/ALQ-165 Low Band) blister in the same position on both A and C airframes -i.e. at the level of the red light lens. The C version blister is a bit fatter and has a sort of chiselled (for want of a better word) flat bit on the front edge... I have a feeling it may be easier to 'doctor' the C tails than to source new ones! Of course, you could always treat yourself to another kit -DAMN, that's a great idea -we'll re-boot the economy somehow! Edited October 7, 2012 by ChippyWho Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I am in a similar predicament (want to build an A from a predominantly C kit) -to be honest, the photos in the Coremans/DeBoeck "Uncovering The...(etc.)" show the lower (AN/ALQ-165 Low Band) blister in the same position on both A and C airframes -i.e. at the level of the red light lens. The C version blister is a bit fatter and has a sort of chiselled (for want of a better word) flat bit on the front edge... I have a feeling it may be easier to 'doctor' the C tails than to source new ones! Of course, you could always treat yourself to another kit -DAMN, that's a great idea -we'll re-boot the economy somehow! I do exactly that, even in 1/32 scale on the Academy kit. I remove the middle bulges, and it looks VERY close to the A tail. The lower bulges are ever so slightly different, but honestly they look so similar almost nobody would notice. Heck, I flew CF-18As for 10 years, and I never noticed the subtle differences in the C lower bulges until I saw this thread. The description of the difference quoted is bang on, after I compared two photos I took of A and C versions over the years. It all depends on how much you care. I've built 5 Academy 1/32 CF-18As, and about 6 1/48 Hasegawa CF-18As, most of which I've shaved off the middle bulges, and (my opinion) they look pretty darn close to A models. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kap64 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Here are a couple of pics from a walkaround I did of an A+ if you need them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CraigSargent Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 (edited) Then I guess it depends how accurate Jim wants to be building his model, or if he is happy to live with "close enough". The main fairings are a different shape and in a different location - compare the gap between large antenna and the fuel dump outlet beneath on these tails. You can clearly see the gap is significantly greater on the A tails than on the C, and that the fairing on the large ECM antenna is much narrower on an A tail. You can shave the extra bump off the C tail for close enough, but in the interests of answering the original question, there is a difference. F/A-18C/D tail F/A-18A/A+/A++/B tail (image copyrioght to Bill Spidle - here for illustrative purposes only) Edited October 8, 2012 by CraigSargent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Barr Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 Thanks guys for the great photos, really shows what the differences are. Regards Jim Barr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Here are a couple of pics from a walkaround I did of an A+ if you need them. Many thanks for the photos -THIS is exactly why I want an Adversary A! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dedalus Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Get the tails from Sierra Hotel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RiderFan Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Also note, that beyond the different locations and sizes of the ECM fairings and the stiffening plate patterns, that most current -A models have additional stiffening plates behind the formation strip. Not my photo but a good reference... http://hazersflightline.com/cf18-238.jpg I sell -A (early and in-service) replacement tails for the 1:32 Academy kit. The masters were created from the kits -C parts. To get accurate -A tails, there's more involved than just shaving off the 'middle' bump. thanks David Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Barr Posted October 8, 2012 Author Share Posted October 8, 2012 Get the tails from Sierra Hotel. Went to their site and saw nothing for F/A-18's, am I missing something? Regards Jim Barr Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Netz Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 They never made it to the web site, I have a pre-production set of molds that I can cast from. If you want a set contact me direct, they are $8.00. Curt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EX_Birdgunner Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 They never made it to the web site, I have a pre-production set of molds that I can cast from. If you want a set contact me direct, they are $8.00. Curt Netz, I'd be interested in a couple of sets if you are able to ship to Canada. PM me please if able. Thanks, Denis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.