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1-48 Hobby Boss CF-18


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The landing gear is done, with the exception of a bit of dirtying up. I will leave it off for now, to facilitate painting.

U7tDGtm.jpg

 

My little trick to do the white gear wells. Mask them off, then spray with Tamiya white primer. It ended up leaking a bit, but it will be easy to touch up later. Around the nose gear, it will be easy; decals for the false canopy cover up any leaks.

KQkQAQe.jpg

 

Now time to watch my Habs try to avoid elimination. Last game (game 5) was VERY disappointing. Effort was lacking.

Thanks for stopping by!

ALF

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The first rule of playoff hockey: we don't talk about playoff hockey. At least when our team loses... :crying:

But I'll get over it.

 

I have done some more painting. Top colour is modelmaster acryl FS 35237, and bottom is modelmaster acryl FS 36375. Masking is easy using AX_365's trick of medical tape for the curves here on the vertical stabs.

pssIuXv.jpg

 

I have removed some of the tape from the other side, to show how well the masking works with that miracle product.

ntX3gbP.jpg

 

Vzfh7MP.jpg

 

Note in the background I am building up some bombs and missiles.

P8JMBCh.jpg

 

I deliberately varied the coverage of the topcoat, to simulate a bit of weathering. This puppy is going to be quite grimy when done, because Coyote wants a jet that has flown for some time in the grimy European air.

C4vLUs5.jpg

 

More soon!

ALF

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Looking great! I'm finishing up a Hasegawa A Hornet at the moment and I'm noticing a lot of similarities between the kits. Hasegawa's exhausts aren't very good. I went with Aires exhausts. I didn't even think to try adding my own detail. Smart to think of the pencil idea!

 

Can't wait for more. 

 

Sorry about the Habs! I was rooting for them against the Rangers. I don't particularly care for the east coast teams. Glad the Sens punched out the Bruins at least. Then the Bruins fans threw all kinds of crap on the ice when they were celebrating the goal. Classy....

 

But I digress. Back to Hornets!

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On 25/04/2017 at 1:01 AM, jester292 said:

Looking great! I'm finishing up a Hasegawa A Hornet at the moment and I'm noticing a lot of similarities between the kits. Hasegawa's exhausts aren't very good. I went with Aires exhausts. I didn't even think to try adding my own detail. Smart to think of the pencil idea!

 

Can't wait for more. 

 

Sorry about the Habs! I was rooting for them against the Rangers. I don't particularly care for the east coast teams. Glad the Sens punched out the Bruins at least. Then the Bruins fans threw all kinds of crap on the ice when they were celebrating the goal. Classy....

 

But I digress. Back to Hornets!

Overall, I prefer the Hasegawa kit, mostly because of the flaps and the kit's options to have 3 different settings: up, partly drooped, and fully drooped. Thanks for the comment about the interior detail. I didn't want to increase the cost of this one too much with after-market stuff.

Stand by to see what I do with a pencil for weathering. The guy I'm building it for (Coyote) has emailed me some grimy Hornet pics that I will try to emulate. I remember when we deployed to Lahr, W Germany, with a bunch of Canada-based Hornets in 1989. We did an exercise with European-based Hornets from Baden, about 70km north on the Autobahn, so about a 5 minute drive... :bobby:  :taunt: (no speed limit on that segment of Autobahn, whoopee!). Some of the 439 jets (Europe) sitting next to ours from 433 and 416 Squadrons looked about 20 years older than ours - and they were produced less than a year or two apart in St Louis. Incredible difference in weathering. I will find some pics to post soon of what the jets looked like in Europe.

 

Yeah, the Habs are out. It was their own darn fault. Too many floaters like Galchenyuk, not putting in the second and third effort. The Rangers outworked them. The only thing I didn't like was the chippiness of the Rangers' play. I like robust teams, but not cheap shots and clutching and grabbing that doesn't get called in the playoffs. During the lock-out in 1994, a local French-language sports channel would show old Stanley Cup final games from the early 70s (of course, that's when Montreal's cup parade was an annual event), and the difference in penalty definition was shocking. A guy dumps the puck in at the blue line, and gets steered off into the boards. Today, no penalty. Back then, 2 minutes for interference. That is one of the big difference with today's game that I really don't like. A clean, open-ice hit, or one on the boards, fine. But none of this cross-checking a guy in the slot when he doesn't have the puck, or knocking him down behind the net. Of course, Zucarrelo (not sure how to spell that) is the kind of player that I hate on the Rangers, but might love on the Habs. That's the game. Now I can watch the rest of the series, and just enjoy the level of play. 

In solidarity with my very good buddy AX_365, I hope his Sens can beat the Rangers. I also hope the Oilers can pull off a miracle and beat the Ducks. So who are you cheering for now, jester292? A team with a real chance to win, like the Caps or the Pens?

ALF

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Oh man, haha I'm a Wings fan. I'd never stoop low enough to root for the Pens! I'd like to see Ottawa beat the rangers, but it would be fun to watch St. Louis or Nashville make a deep run. It was an exciting sweep for the Preds!  And I can completely relate to your comments about both penalties and players. Thank goodness Pronger isn't crying and throwing fits around the league. He handed off the torch!

 

Back to Hornets; what can you do with a pencil? I had trouble weathering my Aires exhausts on the Hasegawa kit. Couldn't get it to look quite right. It's much easier to weather an F-15 or -16!

Edited by jester292
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Here is a pic from the Baden Remembered Facebook site:

 

11391159_851804724867141_907324381842749

 

as you can see one CF-18 is cleanish, must be new, while the one in the background has been there for a bit. Given the configuration of o/b pylons with VERs and c/l tank the pic was probably taken in 86 so i am down there somewhere.

 

Jari

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10 hours ago, ALF18 said:

Overall, I prefer the Hasegawa kit, mostly because of the flaps and the kit's options to have 3 different settings: up, partly drooped, and fully drooped. Thanks for the comment about the interior detail. I didn't want to increase the cost of this one too much with after-market stuff.

Stand by to see what I do with a pencil for weathering. The guy I'm building it for (Coyote) has emailed me some grimy Hornet pics that I will try to emulate. I remember when we deployed to Lahr, W Germany, with a bunch of Canada-based Hornets in 1989. We did an exercise with European-based Hornets from Baden, about 70km north on the Autobahn, so about a 5 minute drive... :bobby:  :taunt: (no speed limit on that segment of Autobahn, whoopee!). Some of the 439 jets (Europe) sitting next to ours from 433 and 416 Squadrons looked about 20 years older than ours - and they were produced less than a year or two apart in St Louis. Incredible difference in weathering. I will find some pics to post soon of what the jets looked like in Europe.

 

Yeah, the Habs are out. It was their own darn fault. Too many floaters like Galchenyuk, not putting in the second and third effort. The Rangers outworked them. The only thing I didn't like was the chippiness of the Rangers' play. I like robust teams, but not cheap shots and clutching and grabbing that doesn't get called in the playoffs. During the lock-out in 1994, a local French-language sports channel would show old Stanley Cup final games from the early 70s (of course, that's when Montreal's cup parade was an annual event), and the difference in penalty definition was shocking. A guy dumps the puck in at the blue line, and gets steered off into the boards. Today, no penalty. Back then, 2 minutes for interference. That is one of the big difference with today's game that I really don't like. A clean, open-ice hit, or one on the boards, fine. But none of this cross-checking a guy in the slot when he doesn't have the puck, or knocking him down behind the net. Of course, Zucarrelo (not sure how to spell that) is the kind of player that I hate on the Rangers, but might love on the Habs. That's the game. Now I can watch the rest of the series, and just enjoy the level of play. 

In solidarity with my very good buddy AX_365, I hope his Sens can beat the Rangers. I also hope the Oilers can pull off a miracle and beat the Ducks. So who are you cheering for now, jester292? A team with a real chance to win, like the Caps or the Pens?

ALF

 

The jets were dirty from the Rhein Valley Crud.

 

Yes, do cheer for the Oilers (I'm a season ticket holder).

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9 hours ago, jester292 said:

Oh man, haha I'm a Wings fan. I'd never stoop low enough to root for the Pens! I'd like to see Ottawa beat the rangers, but it would be fun to watch St. Louis or Nashville make a deep run. It was an exciting sweep for the Preds!  And I can completely relate to your comments about both penalties and players. Thank goodness Pronger isn't crying and throwing fits around the league. He handed off the torch!

 

Back to Hornets; what can you do with a pencil? I had trouble weathering my Aires exhausts on the Hasegawa kit. Couldn't get it to look quite right. It's much easier to weather an F-15 or -16!

 

Go Preds!!!!!! *Quietly fades into the background*

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On 26/04/2017 at 1:51 PM, jester292 said:

Oh man, haha I'm a Wings fan. I'd never stoop low enough to root for the Pens! I'd like to see Ottawa beat the rangers, but it would be fun to watch St. Louis or Nashville make a deep run. It was an exciting sweep for the Preds!  And I can completely relate to your comments about both penalties and players. Thank goodness Pronger isn't crying and throwing fits around the league. He handed off the torch!

 

Back to Hornets; what can you do with a pencil? I had trouble weathering my Aires exhausts on the Hasegawa kit. Couldn't get it to look quite right. It's much easier to weather an F-15 or -16!

Surprisingly, I find pencil weathering works nicely on a Hornet. This is the same kit, one I built several months ago. I will use the same technique. For sure, pencil weathering cannot do the differing tones of camouflage colour (sun fade, staining, etc), but it is really good to emulate the in-service grime that Canadian jets had in the 80s and 90s. Now, given their extreme age, some of the paint looks pretty bad, but I find the USN/USMC Hornets look quite different from Canadian ones when they are well-worn.

First, I scribble pencil onto the surface. Here I am doing the anti-skid area. You can see how the individual lines are evident.

fOaHmR4.jpg

 

I then wet my finger, and smudge it around to smooth out the pencil marks. Here, I have gone for a dark anti-skid area, like the grimier CF-18 in the aerial pic over Baden in Finn's post.

0K69SNY.jpg

 

Here, on the left wing where the pencil is, I have scribbled along the wing fold and near the LEF actuator, which both leak oil.

BpCsu6v.jpg

 

Then, with a wet finger, I spread it back with the airflow. I can add more pencil, or erase it (literally, with a pencil eraser) if I have gone too heavy. In many areas, I can just rub my dirty, wet finger along the skin, and simulate a dirtied area in the paint (like on top of the fuselage, in front of the vertical stabs).

qx0wsWv.jpg

 

The end result on that kit.

Fas55pi.jpg

 

2hna8nM.jpg

 

This one, at Coyote's request, will be grimier than the one I showed above.

On 26/04/2017 at 2:07 PM, Finn said:

Here is a pic from the Baden Remembered Facebook site:

 

11391159_851804724867141_907324381842749

 

as you can see one CF-18 is cleanish, must be new, while the one in the background has been there for a bit. Given the configuration of o/b pylons with VERs and c/l tank the pic was probably taken in 86 so i am down there somewhere.

 

Jari

When we visited with our Canada-based jets, the contrast was pretty much exactly that evident!

18 hours ago, Scooby said:

 

The jets were dirty from the Rhein Valley Crud.

 

Yes, do cheer for the Oilers (I'm a season ticket holder).

Great result last night, Scooby! I found out when I woke up this morning. I have a soft spot for the Oilers from when we lived in OD in the 80s (you remember that, don't you?), but can't lose that much sleep to watch this round. Hoping to see them in the Stanley Cup final against Ottawa!

15 hours ago, Whiskey said:

 

Go Preds!!!!!! *Quietly fades into the background*

Grrrrrrr..... OK, I must admit they are fun to watch. Some really fancy play last night with Forsberg and Subban (wait - he used to be a Hab!). They are a fun team to watch. Do you think they can knock off Washington or Pittsburgh?

ALF

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Nice work Alf, you have the weathering down perfect. You should though since pilots put most the dirt on the jets anyway!

 

I was in Atlanta for one Oiler game, I stayed up to 2 AM watching them. I hope for Ottawa/Oilers too.

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I think they can give Pittsburgh a run for their money but I'v been impressed with the Capitals lately so I dunno.

 

Really enjoying this build Alf, I gotta pick me up some CF-18 markings. Wife is from Ottawa so she would prolly get a kick out of one of these.

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3 hours ago, Scooby said:

Nice work Alf, you have the weathering down perfect. You should though since pilots put most the dirt on the jets anyway!

 

I was in Atlanta for one Oiler game, I stayed up to 2 AM watching them. I hope for Ottawa/Oilers too.

Thanks Scooby. We did our best to keep you guys employed... :cheers:

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2 hours ago, Whiskey said:

I think they can give Pittsburgh a run for their money but I'v been impressed with the Capitals lately so I dunno.

 

Really enjoying this build Alf, I gotta pick me up some CF-18 markings. Wife is from Ottawa so she would prolly get a kick out of one of these.

Thanks, Whiskey. If you are looking for decals, the new Kinetic kit has some (the F/A-18A/B or CF-18A/B version) in 1/48: http://www.luckymodel.com/scale.aspx?item_no=KI-K48030

Another great source is Canuck Models. They have various scales and options. If you look around their site, you'll see "FIP" and "symmetrical" versions. Long story short, FIP are the current versions, and the symmetrical are older markings that were used before 1990 or so. Our Gulf War aircraft were mostly symmetrical, and some FIP. 

 

1 hour ago, jester292 said:

Awesome pencil technique. Consider it stolen. :thumbsup:

 

 

Jester, I will not report you to the authorities... because I GIVE you the technique. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I love this forum because I have learned so much from other modellers. Glad you like it.

ALF

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On 2017-04-27 at 5:19 PM, ALF18 said:

Thanks Scooby. We did our best to keep you guys employed... :cheers:

 

🍺 

 

First day at STARS two ex-military pilots were washing a helicopter. It was such a culture shock to me I had to take pictures and post them on Facebook.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for the long delay - I have been swamped with real life and a few self-induced challenges on this build.

To cage everyone's gyros, here is where we were when I last posted an update:

C4vLUs5.jpg

 

That's when the self-induced pain started. I did some dry-fitting of the windscreen, and realized that there would be a huge gap between it and the forward nose section, due to the way it glued into place. The construction of the kit leads to this somewhat; there is a tab in the forward nose area that fits into a slot, leading to the dropped nature of the forward section. Luckily, I had used Tamiya Extra Thin glue, and as my good friend EmVar had shown me, it's easy to undo this glue joint. I applied a bit of Extra Thin, waited a few potatoes, and the nose came right apart. On the left (main fuselage) you can see the tab that caused the nose to sit too low. I chopped that tab off, allowing me to fit the nose at the right height.

yYk3wgQ.jpg

 

A close-up of the offending tab.

8mcnJtD.jpg

 

Nose is now re-glued at the right height, before filling and sanding of the new joint.

g4LdKpr.jpg

 

A little dry-fit: works. Phew. Dodged that bullet.

K3HYIUX.jpg

 

My own technique for doing the exhaust nozzles. I left them off until I finished spraying the top and bottom colours, then I painted the aluminum colour around the back of the fuselage just ahead of where the nozzles would go into place. I painted the nozzles separately, using the Tamiya gunmetal colour that nicely approximates nozzles. After gluing into place, the demarcation line looks great.

KeBw1uc.jpg

 

Another simplification when it comes to the gun ports. I used a metallic pen to do the main colour, after I had painted the black areas and allowed them to dry. I finished off with the forward rim, hand-painted with FS 36375. Some camo schemes on the CF-18 have seen variations of this part of the aircraft. I chose to do it up with the underside colour on this build.

Fl6sZbr.jpg

 

Here it is glued into place. I like the way this kit makes it a separate part; easy to do the demarcations.

vL2L6Jg.jpg

 

ALF

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Now I used some resin parts from an ECP 583 update kit that I had bought years ago. This kit from Hobby Boss does not come with these antennae for the CIT (Combined Interrogator/Transponder). I chopped off that extra bit after I took the pic - don't worry!

GRjDu0V.jpg

 

That resin update set came with only the CIT and the slanted V/UHF antennae, but not with the GPS dome. I robbed a part from the clear sprue that was about the right size and shape, and used it for the GPS antenna. Of note, the very latest mods to the CF-18 have an entirely different GPS dome, but I chose to go with the one that Coyote was familiar with during the simulator project we worked on.

UOMs4KL.jpg

 

After painting of the CIT and GPS antennae, I started to work on the weathering. You can see the left-side LEX non-skid coating has been smoothed out with a wet finger, while the right-side has only received the pencil scribbles and not the scrubbing.

eZ0j9kn.jpg

 

Coyote has some modeling skills of his own, gained from model railroading. He is planning to build a diorama set-up, in front of a European HAS (Hardened Aircraft Shelter). We discussed how the kit's boarding ladder would be quite fragile during mailing (we live about 3,500 km apart), so I closed up the kit ladder. He asked if I could include a boarding ladder, and after a quick search I found the same style we used on CF-18 units: leftovers from the CF-104. These were ordered directly from PlusModels in the Czech Republic. I also ordered some Aries AIM 9 covers with RBF flags. Great prices, fast shipping. Nice.

0sqzlLh.jpg

 

Weathering is almost done. I will be shipping off pics to Coyote to see if he likes the effect. The beauty of the pencil technique is that I can enhance or lighten the effect with a pencil eraser, right up to the point I add the Future sealant prior to decals.

rSN3bJU.jpg

 

YMFxkli.jpg

 

qX0e1JR.jpg

 

b8GNXc8.jpg

 

More soon! Thanks for dropping by.

ALF

Edited by ALF18
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Very quick pre-game (NYR/Sens) update.

Coyote is happy with the weathering, with some minor suggestions that are easy to fix.

He also sent me a pic of his work on the diorama. He designed it himself.

OPSBwWa.jpg

 

ALF

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Zeroing in on the weathering effect. Here is the nose picture that I sent to Coyote.

mNzwP9j.jpg

 

His response: not quite enough cordite. More cordite. And while you're at it, more cowbells! (OK, I made up that last part). Here is the enhanced cordite effect.

wysxbzq.jpg

 

Installed the landing gear.

ykiJQcW.jpg

 

Future coat applied. I use a brush; it self-levels nicely.

qNyeAn6.jpg

 

The Armourers have been very busy in the background, building up AMRAAMs, AIM 9s, and LGBs.

ijgzsCW.jpg

 

The Kinetic F-16 kit, from which I stole the weapons, has great decals for them.

EBrHSsN.jpg

 

More to come soon.

ALF

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Wow looking great! I had no idea the Hornet weathered so much on the nose. The Desert Storm A model I'm building didn't seem to have nearly as much on the forward fuselage (according to pictures). Where did you get the dual missile rail?

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1 hour ago, jester292 said:

Wow looking great! I had no idea the Hornet weathered so much on the nose. The Desert Storm A model I'm building didn't seem to have nearly as much on the forward fuselage (according to pictures). Where did you get the dual missile rail?

The top of the nose can get really black from the smoke from the firing gun. In Europe, our jets were quite dirty compared to the ones that flew mostly in Canada. The dust and dirt in the air there, especially in the 80s and 90s, made for dirty, streaked paint. The tiniest bit of grease or hydraulic fluid from an actuator (like the LEF actuators on the wings) would result in blown-back grime along the tops of the wings. Even the light grey undercoat would get grimy from the dirt in the air. It almost looked like a different paint colour after a while.

Most USN/USMC Hornets fly in relatively clean air, in the open ocean or in SoCal, Texas, FLA, Beaufort, etc. Somewhere (non-digital) I have pics of Canadian Hornets parked next to Europe-based Hornets; they look hugely different.

 

The dual missile rails? I stole them from the F-16 kit. They may not be exactly the right part number, but they look a lot like the Hornet's missile rails.

ALF

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