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Early Hornet experts?


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Hello all

 

Today  I received a very old Italieri kit of the F-18 Hornet in 1/48...kit No. 809. It was super cheap since all parts are already off the tress and the box is ugly. The decals I think are not usable any more. What makes it interesting is the fact that it has the early wings with the teeth and also the open Lex still. It could be build as bird 3 and 7, both in their factory paint sceme. Now my question...these very early config birds, was there ever a plane that already had a "fleet like" paint sceme? How long were those features used? I am not the biggest fan of prototype scemes and hence would like to have something "darker" in stead. Also, what happend to the prototypes, are there any preserved until today?

 

thanks

Uwe

 

PS: This will be an in flight model since the wheel bay covers fit nicely! :-)

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The dogtooth leading edge, snag in the stab, and exended slots between the LEX and the fuselage were gone by the time the test program was done.  I don't believe there were any jets that had the tactical scheme applied that still had the FSD features.  If you want a gray Hornet, you must make the production updates.

 

There may be one of the original FSD Hornets on display at China Lake, but I doubt that it was reconfigured back to the original configuration.

Edited by Joe Hegedus
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None of the YF-18's were painted TPS.

There were: Blue - Gold - White, Blue - White, Red - White, and Orange - White airframes. The schemes varied slightly, other than the color differences.

 

Tracy

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In the first D & S book on the F-18, there is a couple of pics of TF-18 #2.   It is in the gray scheme, and you can tell it has open LEX slots and the dogtooth LE.   It did crash in Sep '80.   Hornet #9 was also painted in the Gray scheme, but I have no pics of it.

 

HTH,  

 

Tony

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I have a book with a photo of 160785 (Hornet #9) in TPS grays.  It is a profile shot and hard to tell for sure but the jet does not appear to have dogtooth LE or LEX slots. The jet has no FSD markings, just TPS gray and a blank tail.

 

edit: found more photos in a very old Koku Fan Illustrated (#6), it has photos of the FSD jets only, I think it was published before any production jets were delivered.  There are color photos of FSD 9 in TPS gray, there are no LEX slots or dogteeth in these photos.

Edited by habu2
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Hello again

 

I did some diggging meanwhile and what the sources I found so far say ist that Hornet No.8 was the last with the open LEX. The only picture I found of No.9 is the one below...where the details in question are not visible. What is visible though is the older, longer Sparrow rail that reaches all the way to the air intake.

cheers

Uwe

Need to check my basement I guess...I have quite a few Koku Fans from the time of my youth ;-)

 

1399172-large_zps2ou3km6a.jpg

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You will find photos of the FSD airframes both with and without LEX slots and dogteeth. The changes were made and tested in the development program (thus the D in FSD)  By the time the first production jet rolled down the line it had both changes incorporated.

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WOW...this is great! All early features on a single seater in gray, just what I want. The elevators I understand were the first changes they made since they suffered from unsatisfacturing effect on take off and landing.

So far the Italerie kit (Testors?) is not too bad. Fit is a lot better then on later ex Monogram, Revell Hornets. The cockpit is non existing but this can be addresed. Since I will display mine in flight I will beef up the kit pit a bit and just put in the seat and pilot of a Monogram bird. Wheel well covers fit quite ok in this kit.

 

thanks

Uwe

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Hi Finn

 

Wow...thats a total surprise! This bird is actually not a pre-production bird but 161214 from Lot 3 ! This subject is getting better and better...since I think the comman belief so far was that only the FSD planes had the open LEX and that not even through out their whole life/test period! Will do some more research on 161214!

 

thanks

Uwe

 

PS: I like the red flight helmet ;-)

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Hole Smokes! I can't believe I had forgotten about the open LEX and the leading edge teeth. I worked on the A's with VFA-151 and we had the standard production air craft, No Teeth and no open slots in the LEX. After reading this thread it jogged my memory and I remember building an old Revell kit that had them. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane! 

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