1/48 Monogram F/A-18A Blue Angels Hornet

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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This is my Monogram F/A-18A Blue Angels, done as the lead solo aircraft, #5, for the first year of Hornets, 1987. That was the only season that the Blues did not have the fence installed on the LEXs in front of the vertical stabilizers. I built this kit OOB, aside from modifying the stabilator attachment point using some aluminum tubing, to aid in seam clean up back there. Also the kit has a paper “H” to cut out from the instruction sheet to add to the ejection seat as parachute harness risers. I substituted some 1mm Tamiya making tape cut to the proper lengths instead. I used enamel Humbrol Gloss Midnight Blue and Model Master Blue Angels Yellow for the main colors, and a set of Milspec Decals in place of the kit decals.

Thanks for looking, comments and critiques welcomed :wink:

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A couple more photos of my Blues Bug…

with my Libya Raider VFA-132 F/A-18A, my fist Monogram Hornet build

and with my Academy F-16A Thunderbird

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Clean and shiny. Just like the real thing! Great work on the gloss finish. Actually, nice work on all of 'em.

I have one that I want to do in VFC-12 colors, but I’ll need to scratch some fences and find replacements for the Sparrow rails.

-O

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Awesome job on that old kit!

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O and John, thank you.

O, I’m looking forward to seeing your VFC-12 Hornet. They have some great markings options. I actually took the Sparrow rails off of a C Hornet in my stash to use on the Libya Raider, since that kit came with the FLIR and LST pods. The fences should be an easy scratch. I do beleive that somebody makes some as AM now as well.

John, it may be an older kit, but a good one.

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Very nice.

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Thank you Don. In the end, she came out as intended.

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B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l work Stik! [:D[ [:D[ [:D[

Stay safe.

Jim [cptn]

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I know you made a comment in another post regarding the size of some decals, but I think this came out really nice.

Great modeling!

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Jim and Ben, thanks for looking in and your kind comments. I truly appreciate them!

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Hey Stick!!

Great job on another Monogram classic!! As a proud member of the Monogram Mafia I am always looking for these beauties here on FSM forums. You did not disappoint, sir!!

I am not dead; but have only been medically deadlined for the past three summers. Hoping to get back into the groove with a new building workbench, thanks to my wife.

Keep up the great work and keep those Monogram classics flying!!

TAD

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Hi stikpusher, amazing paint job and detail all around. Something to inspire lesser modelers like myself.

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Thanks guys.

I’d say more, but the stupid pop ups crash this site while I type up anything longer.

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Outstanding results on a tough kit. I’ve built two of them as CF-18s and they were a real bugger to get a half decent finish. Nice work, stik.

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Well that is a beauty. How did you come to use the Humbrol Blue? It is a super finish.

Regarding long texts- I use Robs trick of typing in word and then paste because losing an entry in mid flight makes me ANGRY!!

Bill

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That was something of an accidental discovery…

John Eaton had mentioned using blue under metallic paints instead of black, so I bought Humbrol’s darkest gloss blue available for my Thunderstreak project as the base below the aluminum paint. When I saw how the color looked, I checked out what it’s FS color was, if it had one, and low and behold upon checking, turns out that it’s a match for Blue Angels Blue.
Word, is a Microsoft product, that is not on my iPad, which is what I use for most of my online forum stuff…

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Thanks Murph. I know what you mean, but I have figured out a few work arounds for the fit issues on this kit. I have a couple more in my stash to build as a USN OEF Hornet, and as a Spanish Hornet from the Balkan Wars.