bdt13 Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Three superbugs from Dragon. Two VFA-213 F-models One VFA-105 E-model (already build the Tomcatters bird) Evidence that these are not yet started: Yes, this is a LOT of sprues for one build! No aftermarket here, although I may put in some weapons from other Dragon 1/144 kits. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kingoalie Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 Awesome! These are great little kits. Although I will say the RoG F/A-18E does surpass the Dragon kits in detail, but it's also a different block of E model. Looking forward to your progress. John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 (edited) Good luck with these little guys, watching with interest! Building these tiny kits looks quick and fun, I need to add a few to my stash now! Can we call this build "three tiny rhinos"? :whistle:/> I'll see myself out... - JL Edited July 11, 2014 by plasticWerks_JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Building these tiny kits looks quick and fun No. No. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bdt13 Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 Having built one already it is not quite as quick as you might think. The fit of the outer wing panels to the inner ones is problematic. There are tabs molded to lock these in better, but they don't line up with the wing fold break and need to be filled. I think Dragon wanted the builder to be able to fold the wings easily, but the net effect was to make the kit worse. You can't build the wings folded or unfolded without additional effort. Also, some of the sprue gates are in awkward places and are hard to clean up. Panel lines are very much overdone for the scale, although I don't plan to address this in my build. Stance of the plane on the gear seems a little off, but that one could be my fault. I use these little kits the way some others use 1/72 scale models - to generate a variety of schemes/markings/loadouts, not for an "accurate" representation of the actual subject. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
plasticWerks_JL Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 No. No. Having built one already it is not quite as quick as you might think. lol... I stand corrected Sounds like the Dragon kits are a bit more involved than the few Revell 1:144 kits I've toyed with. I'll still enjoy watching them come together, and hope they don't put up too much of a fight! -JL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bdt13 Posted July 11, 2014 Author Share Posted July 11, 2014 Here's the Tomcatters one I built a few years ago: I built it in an asymmetric clean pylon configuration I saw in a photo from Oceana. The way they put those on and off amazes me! I did need to add red Microscale decal stripes to the skunk stripe in back, the kit decals do not help at all with this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spejic Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Sounds like the Dragon kits are a bit more involved than the few Revell 1:144 kits I've toyed with. It depends. The Revell F/A-18E kit isn't a walk in the park either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bdt13 Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 UPDATE: This build is still moving along, but I'm in the rather boring portion of prepping parts by removing them from sprues, sanding off mold lines and gates, etc. Not much to see yet, but work is being done. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bdt13 Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Slowly coming together. Seats w/ painted-on belts. I used Sky Type S for the wraps that go around the parachute riser straps. Tamiya Khaki and Khaki Drab for the cushions, and Sky Gray for the straps. The seats themselves are NATO Black. The fuselages themselves were closed up. Some fit issues of the lower LERX surfaces and the forward fuselage to the top in front of the cockpit and at the back underneath. Looks like there will be some sanding and putty/Mr. Surfacer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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