"Bug In A Box" 1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18C VFA-105 1994

[taggor]

Hello all, well I have eluded to this build in my current A-10 WIP. Here is how the idea for it came about:

I work with a man who served in the Navy and the Army but, while he was in the Navy he did a cruise on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1994-1995. I would find out that his job was an ordnance crewman and he loaded ordnance on all the various planes aboard. I thought this was a great opportunity to make him a model and, more selfishly, work a project that would NOT be all "detailed out" like the A-10 project. Hence the name "Bug in a Box." Well kind of. I did want to use some AM parts but very few. This amounts to the ejection sheet, Rhino seamless intakes, G-Factor metal landing gear, Royale Resin wheels, CAM decals markings, some bits from Steel Beach, and finally ordnance from Brassin. He chose the load out for the plane as well as such things as the canopy closed, boarding ladder retracted, and wings deployed. Personally I was happy to find decals for a jet on this cruise. I found two squadrons and he chose the VFA-105 Gunslingers. I think we both would have liked to do a line jet from this cruise but, only decals were available for a CAG bird. So the CAG is what it will be. As with the A-10 I am using Jake Melapys excellent book on the F/A-18 legacy hornets.

So on with the WIP:

Having worked with resin figure kits in my past, it's important to get ALL of the mold release agent off of resin casts. This wont work with just soap and water. A powerful degreaser like Super Clean is the way to go. I let the parts soak for about a week and then scrub and rinse with water. Your paint takes much better and doesn't just float on the surface of the mold release. You can paint with out degreasing but the finish is much more fragile and can be scraped off with a fingernail. So here is the seat going to the bath first.

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Some in progress pics of the seat as I apply color for the cushions and belts. Quite a process with the seat belts molded in but nothing more than a painting exercise in creating depth with paint. I almost wish I had chosen this rout with the A-10! Base coat is MM Acryl Aircraft Interior Black applied after Tamiya White primer from a rattle can. The gray/green is a mix of MM Neutral Gray and my own mix of Sage Green used as a wash as well. For the lighter color on the belts pictured I used Life Color Italian Linen. I use this color for a base for all light color applied over a dark surface.

My friend chose to arm the jet with Sparrows and Sidewinders only. So here are the Brassin Sparrows in the Super Clean. That's it for now. I should have the seat done soon minus the decals for placards. I will post as I complete the first bits. Until next time.

Edited June 2, 2015 by taggor

[jacobp51]

Sweet! Can't wait to see how yours comes together! Seat looks fantastic!

Jake

[taggor]

Sweet! Can't wait to see how yours comes together! Seat looks fantastic!

Jake

Thanks Jake! Since you are ahead of me with this build, we can feed off of each other! I am intentionally going to make the build plain though. I see you are taking the "enhanced" route and I am following with interest! Thanks for the kind comments on the seat and stopping in!

Edited April 4, 2015 by taggor

[taggor]

4/14/15 Update

Hello again! Well this "episode" shows the Aires seat complete and a shot of the products I chose for the build. Please bear with my multiple photos of the seat. I am a bit of a shutter bug when it comes to the photos and I am sure one photo would do the job. I will try to keep it "to the point" after this entry. First the seat:

These two pictures illustrate the Fightertown placards I was waiting for to complete the seat. Since the decals included in the set were for a SJU-17, I needed to cut the "DANGER" and corresponding "info" plaques apart. On the Decal there is also a schematic of the seat included together on the same carrier film. This needs to be cut away as well. I was happy Fightertown Decals included two sheets of placards. The decals are for two complete jets but, I needed both placard sheets for the one SJU-5/A that I had. The SJU-5/A has the placards on both sides of the seat where as the SJU-17 has them only on one side (I could be wrong as I am not a "BUG" guru! Maybe in training! Haha. Please correct me if I am wrong.) So, anyhow I got them both on but, not before putting the left side placards on, applying Micro Sol, and realizing that I had the DANGER placard backwards and upside down!! I managed to catch it and fix it by dowsing the decal in LOTS of water and carefully picking up the decal with a 20/0 brush and re-positioning! Whew.

I used my favorite MM Acryl Aircraft Interior Black for the base color of the seat and I used Tamiya XF-69 Nato Black for the head rest on the seat. Both colors are great for many different applications as many of you already know but, it's interesting to note that Nato Black has a bit of green in it. You can see it best by "swishing" your brush in some thinner. Whereas AIB has more blue (in my estimation). Anyhow a nice contrast with the Nato Black with a flat clear coat next to the AIB with a semi-matt coat. I chose not to detail any more of the seat with various placards to keep it in the "theme" of "out of the box." It wouldn't seem right to me to have this really detailed seat with more of a "plain" cockpit and build. So I hope it works out. Thanks for putting up with my photo addiction! Haha.

So finally here is a shot of the various AM parts I wanted to use for this build as well as the reference materials. The Brassin AIM-7 box is empty since I had those in the Super Clean last post. Basically the newest boxing of Hasegawa's F/A-18A/C. Jake Melampy's Legacy Hornet book. Pete Fleishmann's Scale Hornet book. Highly recommended to anyone interested in aircraft models. I refer to it A LOT! I am using Jeff Thompson's build as a guide for this work. I wish I hadn't missed out on the first printing of Pete Fleishmann's Scale Viper book. CAM's Hornet's Nest decals featuring VFA-105 Gunslingers aboard the Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1994-1995. Royale Resin wheels (I can't imagine using anything else!). G-Factor's bronze landing gear. Rhino's seamless intakes. Brassin AIM-7's and AIM-9's. Steel Beach's nav lights (they didn't make the shot). Last, Hobby Masters 1/48 carrier deck as a base. In the spirit of OOB is suppose it's really not but, I don't intend to use any more AM unless, the object/part is terribly wrong. Maybe a tiny bit of scratch building but, mostly as is. So I am on with the pit at this time and a little dry fitting of parts. So until next time.

-Mark

Edited April 14, 2015 by taggor

[Brian P: Fightertown Decals]

Start looks great. Wish I had known, we have SJU-10 F/A-18A specific decals. Happy to send you a set. They are totally different than the NACES decals...

[taggor]

Start looks great. Wish I had known, we have SJU-10 F/A-18A specific decals. Happy to send you a set. They are totally different than the NACES decals...

Thank you Brian for your kind words about my work. I will know for next time as I have a couple of my own builds waiting on the shelf. Thank you also for the kind offer . If you can tell me the decal set they come with, I am more than happy to pay for the decals that they come with. You are running a business after all and I want to support it. I should have thought to ask too as I have spoken to you about G-Factor landing gear before. You can't follow all the NAVY/MARINE builds out there (can you!? Haha). Thanks for stopping in, thanks for the post and thanks for providing some great decals!

-Mark

Edited April 15, 2015 by taggor

[jacobp51]

Very good looking seat, Mark! I forgot to ask - what AM seat are you using? I don't think I saw it mentioned in the previous post. Looks like your build will be well outfitted once complete.

I think you have some exceptional resources on your bench in your texts, but if you need any detail shots of anything, just let me know via PM.

Jake

Edited April 15, 2015 by jacobp51

[taggor]

Very good looking seat, Mark! I forgot to ask - what AM seat are you using? I don't think I saw it mentioned in the previous post. Looks like your build will be well outfitted once complete.

I think you have some exceptional resources on your bench in your texts, but if you need any detail shots of anything, just let me know via PM.

Jake

You are right Jake, sorry about that! I am using the Quickboost packaged Aires SJU-5/A with seat belts although, I think the seat was labeled as F-18 seat! Haha. Thank you so much for your kind offer on the pics! That is so awesome that you can walk right up to one for reference! Since my bird will be mostly OOB, if you notice something about the kit that is plain wrong let me know so I can correct the mistake. I am sure to miss some things but, I hope not to. I am making the "C" variant. So that would be a major help as I research as I go and it's easier to miss things that way. I believe, the C has the "bird cutters" where the A does not. That is the first thing that comes to mind right away. I am not sure if I will have to make those or go AM. I don't think the kit has them. Thanks Jake for the kind comment on the seat! I appreciate it. Currently I am "In the Pit!" Haha. Going well so far however, I am sure some disasters are ahead of me. Thanks for stopping in Jake! Looking forward to more on your build.

-Mark

[jacobp51]

I am making the "C" variant. So that would be a major help as I research as I go and it's easier to miss things that way. I believe, the C has the "bird cutters" where the A does not. That is the first thing that comes to mind right away. I am not sure if I will have to make those or go AM. I don't think the kit has them.

Mark,

The "bird slicers" are part of the upgraded IFF system. Not all aircraft have these. It really depends on the BUNO whether or not they are installed. I can tell you that just about all USMC aircraft have them (including the older 'A' models that have been upgraded), but not all USN 'C' models do. If you want to get hyper accurate, tell me what BUNO is printed on your decal sheet and I can help you out.

As to where to get them... the later Hasegawa Legacy Hornet boxings seem to include them on a newer sprue. In my case, my USMC 'C' did not have them, hence I went with the Wolfpack resin update set. But, the F/A-18D kit I recently picked up (VMFA(AW)-332 Moonlighters edition) does have these pieces included. They should be fairly straightforward to scratch build from thin sheet if you want to attempt it. But, I would first make sure the aircraft you're modeling even has those antennas on there.

You do have to take into account you're building a subject from '94, so a lot of the newer systems were not available then. For instance the USMC did not do upgrades until the early 2000's. It might be really safe to assume that your aircraft didn't have these installed. And since you're trying to go OOB (mostly) for a friend, I wouldn't stress it - but that's just me!

Let me know if I can help!

Jake

Edited April 15, 2015 by jacobp51

[taggor]

Mark,

The "bird slicers" are part of the upgraded IFF system. Not all aircraft have these. It really depends on the BUNO whether or not they are installed. I can tell you that just about all USMC aircraft have them (including the older 'A' models that have been upgraded), but not all USN 'C' models do. If you want to get hyper accurate, tell me what BUNO is printed on your decal sheet and I can help you out.

As to where to get them... the later Hasegawa Legacy Hornet boxings seem to include them on a newer sprue. In my case, my USMC 'C' did not have them, hence I went with the Wolfpack resin update set. But, the F/A-18D kit I recently picked up (VMFA(AW)-332 Moonlighters edition) does have these pieces included. They should be fairly straightforward to scratch build from thin sheet if you want to attempt it. But, I would first make sure the aircraft you're modeling even has those antennas on there.

You do have to take into account you're building a subject from '94, so a lot of the newer systems were not available then. For instance the USMC did not do upgrades until the early 2000's. It might be really safe to assume that your aircraft didn't have these installed. And since you're trying to go OOB (mostly) for a friend, I wouldn't stress it - but that's just me!

Let me know if I can help!

Jake

Hey Jake! Sharing your knowledge of the aircraft here on the WIP is already a big help! I intend to post some pics of where my (really bad) reference photos come from. I checked and I didn't see the "bird slicers" on any of the aircraft shown so you are more than likely right. I don't really have too much hope at being "hyper accurate" as even the decals call out a different CDR's name on the jet stencil than I have information for but, I may not have all the info meaning that perhaps the men photographed for the cruise book got called to different duties before or during the cruise. The BUNO # on the decal sheet calls out 164200 if that helps. Thanks for the post and the help! I appreciate it a lot!

[jacobp51]

The BUNO # on the decal sheet calls out 164200 if that helps. Thanks for the post and the help! I appreciate it a lot!

164200 (back in '94) did not have those antennas on the nose barrel. You're free and clear to leave those off your build! Sigh of relief!

[taggor]

164200 (back in '94) did not have those antennas on the nose barrel. You're free and clear to leave those off your build! Sigh of relief!

Thanks so much for the help Jake! At least that is an area that I haven't even got to with the kit. I think I worry the most about things I miss during assembly that would require taking things apart! It happens.

Edited April 16, 2015 by taggor

[taggor]

Hey all! I wanted to share with you a very special reference that I am using for my build, and that is my friends "year book" from his cruise on the Eisenhower. He had told me that not every cruise gets one of these and I was extrememly grateful that he allowed me to borrow it for this build (It is his model plane after all! Haha). The pictures contained in it of the aircraft and personnel in action are not the best but, I am sure that was not a priority for the book. I am sure that they didn't say "Hey, what about the model building community, shouldn't we make these photos hi-res for them!?" The book covers everyone and all the units aboard at the time and talks briefly about each air groups role for the cruise!

The CAG bird is the one all the way in the back of this shot of four F-18's with tail hooks deployed. Not the best shot to say the least but, at least I have something. It's entirely possible that this photo may have been taken on a cruise before the one in 1994-95 but, this is the one I will refer to. I should have some kit updates soon. Busy with the cockpit at the moment. It's coming along quickly since I still have the painting "bug" from the A-10 build. Until next time.

-Mark

Edited April 16, 2015 by taggor

[jward]

Great work on the seat - can't wait to see what's next. I've got a few of these in my stash and hope to start a VFA-115 CAG bird soon.

Jim

[taggor]

Great work on the seat - can't wait to see what's next. I've got a few of these in my stash and hope to start a VFA-115 CAG bird soon.

Jim

Hello Jim. Thanks for the kind comment on my work and for stopping in! For your VFA-115, are you going to be doing one of the more recent "Echo" Super Bugs or a legacy "Charlie"? Either way, I will be watching for it if you decide to start a WIP. I am excited for your project. As far as what is next for me, I am doing the final touches on the pit at the moment. A little decal work and clear coat to go and I should be done with the cockpit. I should have an update around early next week..... about 4/21-4/22. Thanks again for posting!

-Mark

Edited April 17, 2015 by taggor

[taggor]

Looking for help on this issue! 4/18/15

Hey all! Sorry this is going to be a picture less post for the time being but, I had a question about the cockpit to glare shield fit. My question is why is the glare shield so long? This question, I am sure, has been around for a long time. Can anyone direct me to a WIP or information where someone had chosen to reduce it's length? That currently is what I have been looking/pondering at with test fitting the cockpit to the fuselage halves. My only concern is the fit of the windscreen to the fuselage but, I am only considering reducing the length of the glare shield. I know I said I was trying to build straight out of the box but, this proportion is way off and I can't let it go. Besides, I said I wouldn't use any more AM parts unless something was totally off. That didn't mean I couldn't scratch build! Haha. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

-Mark

Update 4/22/15

Well, I decided to let the issue above go. It sure is a hard choice with how I like to do things but, here is a photo illustrating what I was referring to

The glare shield is just too long. I suppose that is why we have AM!

Edited April 23, 2015 by taggor

[taggor]

Update 4/22/15

Hello again! Well, I not going to be able to keep my promise of only one photo but, I did narrow it down! The cockpit is complete! Yay!

I included that last shot of the cockpit dry fitted to the upper fuselage to illustrate how the light catches the MFCD's. So while the first three shots are with different light and don't really show off the green. It's there! To be honest this cockpit did go fast but, I did feel a bit more challenged than I did with the Aires pit. Simply because of the "soft" detail and some errors. Some I fixed others I chose to leave as is. Well, ..... it is supposed to be mostly OOB and I am really struggling with it but, I am happy with the results for the most part.

Currently I am re-scribing the existent detail so it really "pops" for the final paint/wash. So it will be some time until I update again. I am also blending some very bad seams with my A-10 project too so that is taking time as well. I will post to both again when I have some neat things to show. Until next time!

-Mark

Edited April 23, 2015 by taggor

[kike]

Great pit Mark!! it's coming along nicely!!

[taggor]

Great pit Mark!! it's coming along nicely!!

Thanks kike! It's really tough for me not to go "all out" with this one but, that would defeat the purpose of this build! I have been looking for more of your F-2B. Hope you have some new posts soon.

-Mark

[kike]

Since I'm on the last details, you know how it is, slow and not so worth a post, but It will soon come to a finished state, hopefully, I'm just waiting for a metal pitot and AOA sensors, meanwile doing the small boring things that make a difference at the end!

Watching yours and others builds makes me try harder and improve my rather poor building skills, they are getting better tho, and for that I have to thank you and other great modelers who take the time to post their works here for us newbies to see that awesome things are possible!

[jacobp51]

Mark - most impressive work! Having recently moved through this same assembly on my own build, I can appreciate all of the detail you managed to bring out in the kit parts. Granted, I didn't get nearly as involved as you did because I decided to put a pilot in the seat that obliterates most of the detail, so I can't really compare at all! Your representation is a fine example of what can be accomplished with what is offered right out of the box.

What was your technique with the MFDs? The texture and color-shift looks spot on for the powered-down screen effect. Also, the buttons around the MFDs are so crisp!! I am most impressed. Can I send my next Hornet cockpit to you before I get started? ;)

Keep up the good work! I can already tell your friend is going to get a quality model to display!

[taggor]

Since I'm on the last details, you know how it is, slow and not so worth a post, but It will soon come to a finished state, hopefully, I'm just waiting for a metal pitot and AOA sensors, meanwile doing the small boring things that make a difference at the end!

Watching yours and others builds makes me try harder and improve my rather poor building skills, they are getting better tho, and for that I have to thank you and other great modelers who take the time to post their works here for us newbies to see that awesome things are possible!

Hey Kike. Well, there is nothing "poor" about your building skills from what I see with your work! If your current level of work in your F-2B WIP is "poor," then I need "some of what you got!" Thanks for the kind comments on my work kike! I really do know what you mean with the little details! Did you find out how to hook up your "start cart" for your diorama? I will be looking forward to your next update.

-Mark

[taggor]

Mark - most impressive work! Having recently moved through this same assembly on my own build, I can appreciate all of the detail you managed to bring out in the kit parts. Granted, I didn't get nearly as involved as you did because I decided to put a pilot in the seat that obliterates most of the detail, so I can't really compare at all! Your representation is a fine example of what can be accomplished with what is offered right out of the box.

What was your technique with the MFDs? The texture and color-shift looks spot on for the powered-down screen effect. Also, the buttons around the MFDs are so crisp!! I am most impressed. Can I send my next Hornet cockpit to you before I get started? ;)/>

Keep up the good work! I can already tell your friend is going to get a quality model to display!

Hello Jake! Thanks for stopping in and thank you so much for your kind comments on my work. I did reserve some "process" pictures for the buttons on the side of the MFCD's. The buttons are the kit decals! This work was actually brought up by chuck540z3 during the very beginnings of my A-10 project as I was looking for idea's as to how to do the tiny latches that go on many of the panels on the A-10. The idea of decals was a good one. I filed that info away so now, when I think about tiny details that I would have trouble replicating with scribing or paint, I defer to the decal method!

The usual suspects! Haha. You can see that the decal held in the tweezers has the circular knob represented on the strip. I lightly cut the decal to separate the round knob from the square buttons. I do this so I have a point to hold on to the decal. If I didn't do that I wouldn't have a spot to hold the decal so, I did that for quite a few of them. All told it's twelve different applications of the decal buttons. Also, Hasegawa didn't get the proportions quite correct for the upper L/R displays and the round adj. knob is right in line where the decal needs to go so I just placed the decal over the raised detail and "soaked" it in Micro Sol. Luckily it worked. I did have to lightly cut the decal right about where the knob is located. I think it would have worked better to just remove the raised knob from the tops of the L/R displays. I went ahead with it anyway and was relatively satisfied. So there is how I did the buttons.

For the displays color. To be honest, it was an experiment that worked. Here is how I painted the displays:

The base color (this is done for the cockpit tub, IP, and control stick)is Gunze 338 followed by a Future gloss coat. Next I painted a wash of Gunze 306 just to pick out the recesses of the details. The black instruments are painted by hand with MM Acryl Aircraft Interior Black (MM AIB). Another gloss coat is applied either Future or in this case I believe, I used Micro Gloss applied with a brush. That is the basis for the screens.

Next, I used Tamiya's Nato Black XF-69 for the each screen. This is inclusive of the digital fuel gage screen on the photo etch too. I used it as a wash so I flooded each screen with Tamiya thinner X-20A, and then added the Nato Black with just a small amount of paint until the screen was covered evenly. I allowed that to dry completely. Next I used Vallejo's Transparent Green. This paint is quite intense so when you apply the paint, don't be shocked at how green it really is! This is also applied as a wash. Because the color is so intense, I was able to "pool" certain concentrations of the paint towards the tops of the L/R displays and towards the bottom of the center display. To try and replicate how natural light would hit the screens. I let this dry too. Finally, I added the "magic" ingredient, Tamiya's X-19 Smoke. This "tint" helps to "cut" the intensity of the Vallejo Green. Tamiya's smoke is such a versatile "color" that I find I use it for LOTs of things as I paint. Especially hand brushing. The final clear is Alclad's Semi-Matt finish shot with an airbrush. So that is how I did the displays. Hope that helps. The mini-displays up top center were done a little different. There I used the "base" as described above and then paint the displays with Lifecolor Italian White Ivory first. Then the Vallejo Transparent Green. Last, the green is "cut" with Tamiya X-19 Smoke.

Any time I do a light color over black, I will use the Lifecolor Italian White Ivory as a base. I use this process even for the switches on the control stick to pick out the red buttons. The red goes down over the white and then I "kiss" each button with a tiny dab of orange. Small details but, lots of effect.

Hope that helps for your next project Jake! Thanks for asking about it and I am sure you can achieve the same, and probably better, results than I have for your next "pit."

-Mark

Edited April 23, 2015 by taggor

[jacobp51]

Mark,

Really good technique. My kit decals did not include any instrumentation for the cockpit, so this wasn't an option for me. But I do like the idea of picking and choosing decal details, and painting others. I can't wait to see the rest of the build!

Jake

[taggor]

Mark,

Really good technique. My kit decals did not include any instrumentation for the cockpit, so this wasn't an option for me. But I do like the idea of picking and choosing decal details, and painting others. I can't wait to see the rest of the build!

Jake

Hey Jake! Thanks for liking my efforts so far. Now that you mention it, I do have a boxing for the F/A-18D Night Attack version and it does not have any instrument decals on it's sheet. It must be this latest boxing of the F/A-18 A/C that only has the instrument panel decals. As it lets you choose to do the cockpit in decals as an option. I am currently re-scribing the entire kit and I would be done with the upper fuselage if I hadn't made some mistakes at the wing folds. The pics are helping very much with correcting those mistakes so, thanks. I also added some detail to the vents towards the rear at the engines with coffee filter mesh and bracing for the rear upper and lower fuselage halves. Other than that, nothing is really picture worthy at this time. Oh, I also decided not to use the seamless intakes as the ones I got were warped and I thought had some issues with size. They seemed fine at the splitter plate but, too small at the intake opening. Oh well, the kit parts will do.

I have been waiting for your next update Jake. I hope to see one soon.

-Mark