Mike C Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 (edited) I've been working on this thing as side project for a while, but since the kit was so bad, and I made quite a few mistakes, I wasn't sure if I was going to finish it, so have not bothered to start a thread until now... I bought this kit quite some time ago (can't remember where from exactly, but could be Lucky Model), not knowing that it was reboxed Italeri. Everything about this kit is quite bad. The fit, the raised panel lines, molded in antennas.... The list goes on. I originally planned building it as CF-18 with special markings commemorating 100 years of flight. But since the kit is so bad, I didn't want to waste the CF-18 100 years of flight decals on it. So, I'm looking at one of the following 3 options: RAAF 20th anniversary of Hornet operation - I have two sets of these, so I don't mind "wasting" one of such a bad set, as "practice run". CONA F/A-18A River Rattlers CONA F/A-18C VX-31 Dust Devils I have so many different CONA decals, "wasting" one set won't make a difference. Also, I realise that this kit won't be an accurate one to use for any of these decal options. But.... I don't particularly care. At this stage, I'm leaning more and more towards the RAAF markings, since I can use this project to get the right dark blue shade for the CF-18 100 years of flight as well. Anyway... here are some pics that I took when I started this project. Here you can see the bad "step" when joining the two fuselage halves together. I've since puttied and sanded it smooth. You might also notice that I broke the little antennae there (which was not the correct shape for my purpose anyway). I think I have a spare one from Hasegawa kit. The nose section all puttied up. I've since sanded it, obliterating many raised panel details along the way (which I won't bother recreating). You might also notice that I also broke off the little antenna there. One of the parts I hate the most about this kit is this.... Where the heck is the gun port???? Also, I really hate how Italeri designed their Hornet kits. The LEX didn't fit that well. I had to use lots of pressure, Tamiya extra thin cement, then putty and Tamiya surface primer there. Since the fit was so bad, I decided to basically putty up the spine completely, obliterating virtually all of the panel lines there. Once again, I broke off the spine antenna! Screw it! Now, would you look at that wonderful gap on the joint between the front and rear fuselage... Beautiful, ain't it? Continued... Edited June 7, 2014 by Mike C Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 (edited) Wings installed. Needed lots of putty for the seam lines there. Cheek mount points installed. As you can see, I'm building this bird in-flight. That's where things are at right now. BTW, I should especially thank one of our members, Emil (Emvar), for sending me his spare MLG covers. I somehow lost one of mine. 'Later! Edited June 7, 2014 by Mike C Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Emvar Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Take your time don't let it frustrate you. If I were you I'd just do a simple RAAF operational scheme and use the other decals for a better kit. I also have that RAAF 20th anniversary sheet, 2 of them just in case I mess one up I have a backup spare. If you do purchase future kits in 1/72nd scale may I suggest in order: 1)Academy 2)Hasegawa 3)Fujimi 4)if you can't get those don't waste your money. Even the Hobby Boss kits are crap. As for helping you out it is no problem, I have been the recipient on many occasions and just pass it forward. Emil Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 Nice one! I have one of these that I'm using as a 'victim kit' to work on my re-scribing technique. It is not all bad: the wheels and landing gear are way better than most 1/72 Legacy kits, and at least the gear bays have some depth and a few features... I'm planning on a BMF 'sun shield' inside the canopy to avoid having anything to do with the 'pit, and will likely use the CONA orange/grey scheme by TwoBobs. That will be once I finish re-scribing my *OUCH* damn fingers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 Take your time don't let it frustrate you. If I were you I'd just do a simple RAAF operational scheme and use the other decals for a better kit. I also have that RAAF 20th anniversary sheet, 2 of them just in case I mess one up I have a backup spare. If you do purchase future kits in 1/72nd scale may I suggest in order: 1)Academy 2)Hasegawa 3)Fujimi 4)if you can't get those don't waste your money. Even the Hobby Boss kits are crap. As for helping you out it is no problem, I have been the recipient on many occasions and just pass it forward. :cheers:/> Emil Thanks Emil. I was frustrated at first, but I'm over it now. I'm just focusing on working on the kit. I've also just been thinking more about the marking this morning, and I agree with you. I'll probably also save the RAAF 20th anniversary decals for my Academy "A" (Blue Angels boxing). So, my choices are now down to the two CONA markings. I agree with you on the choices of 1/72 Hornet kits. I purchased this before I knew about Academy's fantastic kit. I currently have 2x Academy Hornets (1x Blue Angels "A", and 1x Chippy Ho "C"). I also have 2x Hasegawa "C" (Golden Dragon). Nice one! I have one of these that I'm using as a 'victim kit' to work on my re-scribing technique. It is not all bad: the wheels and landing gear are way better than most 1/72 Legacy kits, and at least the gear bays have some depth and a few features... I'm planning on a BMF 'sun shield' inside the canopy to avoid having anything to do with the 'pit, and will likely use the CONA orange/grey scheme by TwoBobs. That will be once I finish re-scribing my *OUCH* damn fingers! Hmmmm.... Rescribing victim... You got me thinking there.... I will also do something similar with the canopy actually. I'll most likely use Mr Metal Color Stainless. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted December 2, 2013 Share Posted December 2, 2013 (edited) Nowadays it looks like Academy all the way. The Has kit will have you in a long dispute with the horizontal fuselage join; the Fujimi efforts have shape issues and nowt but a strange waffle pattern in the gear bays (although they alone feature full-length intakes). There was an interesting 3-way comparison build somewhere on this very site a while back, and the Academy just came out looking soooo Hornet! Edited December 2, 2013 by ChippyWho Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 2, 2013 Author Share Posted December 2, 2013 (edited) Nowadays it looks like Academy all the way. The Has kit will have you in a long dispute with the horizontal fuselage join; the Fujimi efforts have shape issues and nowt but a strange waffle pattern in the gear bays (although they alone feature full-length intakes). There was an interesting 3-way comparison build somewhere on this very site a while back, and the Academy just came out looking soooo Hornet! I agree with you there. I have built Hasegawa's before ("D" version), and found the horizontal fuselage join on the nose was very difficult to get rid of. The only reason why I bought the 2x Hasegawa Golden Dragon boxing was because of the price. They were on crazy 55% off from HLJ. Even including P&H, it only cost me around $13 a pop. I've seen that 3-way comparison build article too actually. Might be one of the pinned threads, come to think of it. EDIT: here's the pinned thread http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=156380 Edited December 2, 2013 by Mike C Quote Link to post Share on other sites
White Wolf Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Ouch, looks like a bear of a kit. I saw this kit in the local hobby shops, but after seeing this I think I'll stay clear of it. Good luck with the build! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thorsten Wieking Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Thanks for the pics, good thing is that I only have 2 kits of those molds in my stash. Cheers Thorsten Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 14, 2013 Author Share Posted December 14, 2013 (edited) I'm doing things a bit differently for this kit. Usually, I'd install the pitot tubes and the fin antennas right at the very end. But for this one, I decided to glue them up first Installed the canopy and windscreen. I sprayed the inside of both with a thin layer of Tamiya Titanium Gold followed by Tamiya Smoke. Now, since I did this after masking the canopy, I couldn't tell if I sprayed a bit too much or not. I also installed the FEX fences and the two bumps (GPS?) on the spine. Initially I was planning to build this bird clean, but I changed my mind. I think I will load this up with 2 gas bags, LANTIRN (or ATFLIR?? Whatever the pod that came with the kit), a Harpoon, a HARM, a Sparrow, and a couple of 'Winders (on wingtips). Gas bags are all glued up. Love those seam lines! 'Later! Edited June 7, 2014 by Mike C Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rocat Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 nice work so far. are there any good kits of the same aircrat, in 1/72? thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChippyWho Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 nice work so far. are there any good kits of the same aircrat, in 1/72? thanks. Currently, the various Academy editions have the edge. Have a look at Mike C's post (above) with the comparison build link. However, even those have shortcomings for a relatively recent tooling -it would seem that manufacturers are becoming content to supply 'base kits', and the dynamic aftermarket scene must be relied upon to produce an acceptable representation of more complex subjects like the Hornet. I guess that's the only way these things can be made economically. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share Posted December 15, 2013 are there any good kits of the same aircrat, in 1/72? thanks. Best one is Academy, by far! Hasegawa 2nd. But, that's just my opinion. As far as Academy goes, try to get the "A" boxing, since it comes with all the parts to build either "A" or "C". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JackMan Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 I would suggest the CONA F/A-18A River Rattlers. The dark blue will help to hide any sanding flaws. Cosign with the others: Academy 1st, followed by Hasegawa as a close 2nd. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted December 15, 2013 Author Share Posted December 15, 2013 I would suggest the CONA F/A-18A River Rattlers. Actually, I just changed my mind to using the CONA VFA-106 Gladiators scheme. Also overall dark blue but a "C", rather than an "A", since the kit is a "C". The dark blue will help to hide any sanding flaws. My thought exactly! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 (edited) Things have progressed quite a lot since my last update, although I had a 4-week break over XMas/New Year on overseas holiday. I guess I've been too lazy to take pics... Gas bags all painted up, ready for gloss clear and decals. I think I've done really well with these considering how bad they were to start with. All painted up, with post-shading. Ready for gloss clear coat then decaling. At this stage, I'm not sure if I'm going to replace the fin aerials on the spine and chin with the spare ones from Hasegawa "F" Super Hornet (which seems to always come with at least 2 extras). EDIT: BTW, forgot to add... I'm using Gunze Aqueous H54 Navy Blue. Seems to be a fairly decent match. 'Later! Edited June 7, 2014 by Mike C Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike C Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) FINISHED!! More pics on The Display Case HERE Thank you all for following! 'Later! Edited June 7, 2014 by Mike C 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.