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1/48 Revell F/A-18F VX-23 Salty Dogs


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Here is my latest (not so greatest) 99% completed model, need to add a few last decals.  It is the recent release of the Revell F/A-18F with the decals for VX-23 Maryland scheme.  Revell's kit isn't too bad, but I was able to source some parts from the Hasegawa kit(s).  I added from the Hasegawa kit(s), ejection seats and pilots, the nose and main landing gear and tires etc...  Revell's seats aren't bad, but since I was going to use the pilots, I used Haseagwa seats to help with fit.  Revell's landing gear, especially the MLG, leave a little to be desired.  While not drop in replacements, it was not too hard to install them.  This model became a test bed to try different painting techniques to replicate that Navy look.  

 

The main reason I grabbed this kit (other than the price, modeling on a budget kinda sucks :crying:..) was for the decals, while they perform nice there was a few issues.  

1.  The red and white spine decal it not made to fit in the right place.  They leave an opening for the antenna, but it makes the decal sit in the wrong place.  It should be up closer to the canopy.  

2.  The red and white striped on the rudder are not correct, on the sheet they extend all the way, they don't allow for the gray strip on the rear of the rudder.  Just needed to trim the decals, but prefer not to cut decals if I don't have too.  

3. The stars/bars given are only (I suspect) for the Swordsman markings, as they are dark blue.  For the VX-23 they appear on the fuselage to match the blue on the fuselage, and the wing ones are the regular low viz ones.  I just added normal stars/bars on mine from the spares, and I still need to add the low viz ones to the wings. 

4.  The crew names are not on the sheet, they stand out on the real aircraft written in white on the blue.   

 

Onto the pics, I apologize for the pics (taken with my phone and my dirty bench.  

 

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NOICE!!!!!!! You did the kit justice.I built the model for the box art, but didn't have any references for the scheme, so I didn't catch what you did. The other thing I'd mention about the decals is that they didn't print the slime lights on the tail. The shape is there, but the yellowish color isn't.

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