jonwinn Posted November 25, 2019 Share Posted November 25, 2019 Hello- i was looking at an F/A-18E model kit and it did not have the 10 heat exchangers on the rear fuselage. I don't know much about Super Hornets so when were these added? I have heard there are different "block" airframes? The newest coming up will be block 3? Thanks for any information.- jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EagleAviation Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 If I understood well you are referring to the ECS exhaust pipes that are located between the fins. Early build Super Bugs had flat exhaust ports. The new AESA radar and its increased demands for cooling required a change in the system. So they installed a new ECS exhaust. I am presuming that all operational Super Hornets will carry that as they are all fitted with the AN/APG-79 radar, so its not really a question of production block if you are building a jet as it is these days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
karl h Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 i recall there is an answer in jake melampys F-18 book, but i cant find it just now Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 Thanks, it's hard to model a specific plane as there aren't a lot of images showing this area in on line images. I was looking for a rough date as to when this upgrade was started.- jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EagleAviation Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 First jets featuring the new ECS exhausts were Lot 26 built. I can't really say when they came off the production line, 2007? I guess. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GW8345 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 I can't remember when the new stacks came out but if you are modeling something within the past 8-10 years, it will have the new style of pipes. All aircraft that had the old style were retrofitted with the new style within the last 8 to 10 years, even the old lot 21 and 22's being flown by VX-23 and USNTPS. hth Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 I just read an article stating all new jets in 2005 had the stacks for AESA radar and the first 135 without were starting to be so equipped in 2008. It's hard to find any Hasegawa 1/72 ones, they seem scarce or maybe no one has any interest in Super Hornets. I was trying to find ROGs "new" mold they made in 2009, not the Italeri repop, but that seems rarer than hen's teeth. I emailed ROG and they said you can't get parts or that kit because they "culled" it. Oh well.- jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 It seems the Super Hornet gets no love. There are some great new schemes, but no decals for them. The Tomcat on the other hand... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted November 26, 2019 Author Share Posted November 26, 2019 I am trying to warm up to them myself. I built a lot of Legacy Hornets but these just don't have that "charm". They definitely are NOT a Tomcat. Maybe next year after Top Gun II things will change.- jon Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GW8345 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Darren Roberts said: It seems the Super Hornet gets no love. There are some great new schemes, but no decals for them. The Tomcat on the other hand... That's because most people know that Tomcat's are cooler. Remember, they're two types of aircraft in the world, Tomcat's and targets. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 6 minutes ago, GW8345 said: That's because most people know that Tomcat's are cooler. Remember, they're two types of aircraft in the world, Tomcat's and targets. You know I agree with you! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 3 hours ago, Darren Roberts said: It seems the Super Hornet gets no love. There are some great new schemes, but no decals for them. The phrase “lipstick on a pig” comes to mind.... 😎 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Darren Roberts Posted November 26, 2019 Share Posted November 26, 2019 41 minutes ago, habu2 said: The phrase “lipstick on a pig” comes to mind.... 😎 Well, there is that! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 I drank out of a Tomcat today ... -Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eraucubsfan Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 While the Tomcat will always reign supreme, I actually do like the Super Hornets, especially the Growler. I think what really won me over, was seeing the Super Hornet demo. Again, the Tomcat demo will always be the best, but the Super Hornet one is impressive for a "regular" aircraft. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrvark Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 The Bard stacks were introduced on the production line beginning with F/A-18E 166606 and F/A-18F 166634. Previous jets had them retrofitted at a rate of 3/month between July 2006 and May 2012. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jonwinn Posted November 27, 2019 Author Share Posted November 27, 2019 (edited) Thanks, I bought the 1/72 Hasegawa kit without them, dirt cheap, and will do either an Eagles or Kestrels bird from early 2000s.- jon Edited November 27, 2019 by jonwinn content Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GW8345 Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 22 hours ago, habu2 said: The phrase “lipstick on a pig” comes to mind.... 😎 More like lipstick on a turd.................. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted November 27, 2019 Share Posted November 27, 2019 45 minutes ago, GW8345 said: More like lipstick on a turd.................. I think you are confusing that with polishing a pig...... 😂 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alternative 4 Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 I'm a Superhornet fan. I never saw the F-14 fly so it was just a dream, a hollywood star or a picture in a book to me I have however seen several Superhornet displays. The thing that sticks in my mind is Ricardo Traven flying a display in 2007 where he rolled the plane just before the slow dirty pass. A slow almost dainty roll to bleed off speed. Any other aircraft I had seen fly before that, pulling that menoeuvre would have fallen out of the sky. The hornet was something else. I've seen F-22's, Typhoons, Mig-29's ect but nothing ever compares to that roll. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 On 11/27/2019 at 2:10 PM, habu2 said: I think you are confusing that with polishing a pig...... 😂 Does that make it a Fleischman? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thadeus Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 Well, for 1/72 Echo kit with bard stacks You can get Academy. Or You could get a Hasegawa Growler. It comes with bard stacks and ACS WSO station, plus an E from Hasegawa, swap parts. You would get a "early" F and a late "E" models. Plus some Growler stuff if that's Your thing 😉 I've not build any Academy Super Hornets, but they seem like nice kits, save from some "snap tite"-ish features, such as crude landing gear cover attachments and closed only canopy. Still, You can bet on Hasegawa to release some special box with E model. It will undoubtly come with late ecs exhaus vents. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
habu2 Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 On 11/29/2019 at 3:33 AM, Slartibartfast said: Does that make it a Fleischman? Whatever happened to him? He hasn’t posted on ARC since 2017... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 On 12/11/2019 at 6:04 PM, habu2 said: Whatever happened to him? He hasn’t posted on ARC since 2017... He occasionally posts over on LSP, he’s currently got a very nice Pavehawk build going on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
shion Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 On 12/11/2019 at 11:18 PM, Thadeus said: Well, for 1/72 Echo kit with bard stacks You can get Academy. Or You could get a Hasegawa Growler. It comes with bard stacks and ACS WSO station, plus an E from Hasegawa, swap parts. You would get a "early" F and a late "E" models. Plus some Growler stuff if that's Your thing 😉 I've not build any Academy Super Hornets, but they seem like nice kits, save from some "snap tite"-ish features, such as crude landing gear cover attachments and closed only canopy. Still, You can bet on Hasegawa to release some special box with E model. It will undoubtly come with late ecs exhaus vents. Hasegawa updated their Superhornet, in 1/48 and in 1/72 years ago, when they released the Growler in both scales. Now, in both scales, non PT boxings are released with Bard stacks ECS. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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