I picked up Hobby Boss’s 1/72 “Blue Angels” F-18 on sale from Squadron as a quick-build project… Since it’s one of their “simplified” kits, I knew there would be no interior to speak of and little in the way of extras, but I wasn’t sure how good the rest of the kit would be.
The good news: basic shape seems good (though slightly…anorexic-looking), with finely-molded (albeit simplified) recessed panel lines, vents and structural details throughout. Landing gear well-rendered with decent representative detail (though none at all in the gear wells). Fit overall was quite good, with only minor filling required on fuselage side seams. The only major “trenches” were on the undersides of the assembled leading edge extensions, but they were easy to get at to fill and sand, with no pesky detail to worry about removing.
The bad news: the interior was a flat-sided molded-in tub with a featureless half-length instrument panel, and what would be shoulder-height side panels (the decal sheet has decals for all of these). Stick is molded in, straight up and down like the handle of a toilet plunger. The kit seat is a seat base only, with no headrest, cushions, straps or plumbing. The single-piece canopy has molded frames on the thick side, but was crystal clear and fit quite well.
As to “no extras”…the kit supplies none of the various blade antennas, pitots and angle-of-attack sensors that should festoon the Hornet. (That didn’t much surprise me.) The kit has three drop tanks and their pylons, plus two extra pylons and BRU-55A ordinance racks—but no ordinance to go on them. And no missiles for the wingtip racks. (A little more surprising.) No LEX fences, and no tailhook. (Odd.)
Anyway, it was all easy enough to fix. I reduced a color internet photo of a Hornet instrument panel to size, printed several copies and used them as “layers” to make a semi-relief panel, attaching it in place with craft glue. Bits of styrene for seat features and painted tissue for harnesses and chute pack. Clear acetate for the HUD. LEX fences, tail hook and antennas/sensors from styrene sheet and rod.
Since I was going for a Canadian scheme, I drilled a shallow hole for the characteristic CF-18 nose-mounted searchlight, then punched a tiny lens from clear acetate to be added after painting.
Decals were Leading Edge’s excellent set for the 2006 Demo bird, which went down flawlessly. Since they weren’t designed for this kit, a little poking, prodding and trimming was necessary, particularly on the tail fins, but it all worked out.
To me, the Hornet looks naked without Sidewinders on the wingtip rails, so I snagged a pair from an old Testors F-5E, and painted them as inert practice rounds.
All in all, not bad for ten bucks. Hope you enjoy the photos.
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