EA-18g Growler

[crazychinaman]

For the 1/48 EA-18G Growler ,Which one is the better of the 2 .Italeri or Academy.

[viper730]

It is the same kit.... Italeri original re-boxed by Academy. but I believe the Academy version is on available in Asian markets. I think the Academy kit does have the decals printed by Cartograf if not go with Italeri as the Academy decals can be a real kit killer.

[Darren Roberts]

If you can find a cheap Hasegawa F (or even a Revell F, which is about to be rereleased) you can use the Steel Beach conversion.

[loki]

Hasegawa EA-18G is great!

[VedranJ]

From those two...only Hasegawa. I'm not sure about Academy, but Italeri is just bad, it is some sort of early Growler, which looks more like F/A-18F, so you have to convert multiple things to get Growler as it is right now.

Also, there is lack of details.

[Andrew Maverick Taylor]

From those two...only Hasegawa. I'm not sure about Academy, but Italeri is just bad, it is some sort of early Growler, which looks more like F/A-18F, so you have to convert multiple things to get Growler as it is right now.

Also, there is lack of details.

Just a note on the Italeri/Academy Supa/Growler, the Italeri kit represents more of a pre-production airframe as the cockpit is dual stick which production versions are not and just inboard of the leading edge slats is something called the "LEX Vent" which was designed for more active inflight control but flight testing revealed it wasn't needed so the activating system wasn't installed on production aircraft. Also to make the Growler from the kit, you have to fill in all the gun vents, and the cockpit would be all wrong anyway since the Growler uses the ACS (Advanced Crew Station) technology. Italeri did release an early Growler kit which was actually representative of the trial aircraft which used the original F/A-18F prototype aircraft. Only in the recent release of the Growler kit did italeri include the "Pizza Box" IFF antenna common to all Super Hornets, ECS (Environmental Control System) bard stacks fitted to post Lot 27 aircraft and also the additional antenna package for the Growler. Basically it's a mish mash of a kit with a number of fit issues. Hasegawa, by far the best option for a Super Hornet or Growler, although the Revell kit isn't too bad if you're on a budget despite the lack of a dropped flap or folded wing option but Wolfpack Design sorts those issues out with their add on sets.

[Bigasshammm]

If you can find a cheap Hasegawa F (or even a Revell F, which is about to be rereleased) you can use the Steel Beach conversion.

Do this. I have a Hasegawa F with the Steel Beach set with pods that I could be persuaded to sell. Actually been wanting to sell it for a while as I'll just never get to it. I also have a huge EA-6B package as well!

[EagleOnyx]

I built the Italeri/Academy Growler and I hated almost every bit of it. The cockpit detail is non-existant and the decals for it are fake/generic garbage. The intakes don't fit and have this weird depth illusion thing going on where the compressor blades are there but they are tiny and too close to the opening. I guess to make it look like they are deep into the intake trunks or something but the effect doesn't work though. I actually bought both Italeri and Academy kits because I didn't do my research properly. I first bought the Academy kit thinking it "should" be a good kit. I found out it was just reboxed Italeri when I got it. Then I found that the Italeri box actually had the squadron decals I really wanted so I had to buy it. I haven't found any aftermarket decals for that squadron yet. I saved the decals I wanted for when I buy the Hasegawa kit later.