UP DATE 10/21/14 Revell's F/A-18E "Super Hornet" WIP

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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Hey everyone. I broke down and decided to make some time for myself to do a little modeling. I probably looked for a week at just what I wanted to do, with a couple of different projects in mind. That said, I’m still relatively new to the hobby and I wanted to get a little more practice before tackling anything real expensive. So, after bouncing around between the P-47, P-51, and the F/A-18E at my local Hastings (all this whilst my wife stood shaking her head), I decided I’d leave my WWII love affair and do something a bit more modern:

Once I got home, I tore into the box like a bridegroom opening his “present” on his honeymoon night! Okay it’s been several weeks [:P] The kit is well packaged and comes with what appears to my amateur eyes a pretty decent decal sheet. All the reviews I’ve read have been very impressed with the quality of the decals, and having already applied those for the I.P. I must agree. My only complaint is that it would’ve been nice to have an example of a “line” bird instead of only C.A.G. markings. I could order another set, but I want to go simple (OOB) on this one. Still, they do give you two pilots to choose from, and I think I’ll probably end up going with Capt. “Sweaty” Short.

I opened the each bag, just to get an general idea what lie ahead, and I was genuinely impressed with the detailing. After building their P-40, I was a bit gun shy; even knowing that their newer models aren’t near as… well, lacking. It didn’t take to long before I was elbow deep in the “office” of the bird. In general, the cockpit is nicely detailed, and from what I can ascertain from pictures, fairly accurate. The one thing I wish they had included in the decals are the wall panels next to the seat. Luckily I purchased a magnifying hood, complete with lights, from Hobby Town (I don’t know how I got by without it!), so detailing all the little knobs and switches wasn’t too bad.

The instructions call for a “Dark Gull Grey” as a base for the cockpit tub. The nearest I could get to it was Tamiya’s Dark Sea Grey (XF-54). For the seat and I.P., they call for a flat black, but all the pictures I’ve seen show a slightly bluer shade of black for those and for the individual panels next to the seat. On a whim I tried Tamiya’s Sea Blue (XF-17), and it worked like a champ. So, I hit the tub, I.P., and the seat with the air brush… I actually masked off the panel lines on the walls and air brushed them, but it was a bit to thick. So I ended up scrubbing it in alcohol and starting over. This time I hand brushed a thinned down Sea Blue for the panels and it worked out great!. For the chair cushion I used Tamiya’s Olive Green and for the straps Cockpit Green, which matched most of the pictures relatively close.

Next, I tackled the decal for the I.P. They give you the option of having the I.P. either off or on, so I chose the on version. The instructions have you cutting the decal in half, then making two cuts for the middle displays. The only problem I saw is that the I.P. is so detailed that I really felt like it would not go down well. So, I took a brand new Exacto blade and cut each section out. I would cut the inside display, place in the appropriate spot, then use the “off” portion to capture the buttons, while allowing a glassy surface over the panel. Lot’s of pains taking detailed work. Did I mention I’m glad I picked up a magnifying hood this week, complete with lights? After each step, I’d hit the newly laid decal with Microsol. In the end, I think turned out rather well. I know I’m not at the level most of you guys are, but I am truly proud of this cockpit. This is by far, the best one I’ve done. Perhaps, I’m starting to get the hang of it… I just need to practice it a few hundred more times… Here’s a closer look at the pit…

There’s a few mistakes, especially on the wall panel, and I know what to do to fix that next time. Still, I’m happy with it. I’ll start on the fuselage soon, and I know that the one big grip all of the reviewers had was with fit issues. I guess I’ll get some fill and sanding practice. I’ll have an update soon. Please fill free to leave constructive criticisms or suggestions… I hope you enjoyed this… Raymond

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Looks good! I’ll be interested to see what you do next, and how the kit goes together.

Mike

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Nice work so far!

When I got back into modeling about 6 years ago this was the kit that I used to get back in. For the price its actually one of the best kits out there. This boxing, though, doesn’t include any weapons other than some AIM-120s and some AIM-9Xs I believe. The cockpit is really descent.

The intakes will be a little difficult to make seamless (if you care) and the forward fuselage nose section may not fit completely flush with the main aft section. It is very workable just be prepared to do a bit of filling and sanding.

Watch out for the wings as well. There may be a bit of a noticeable gap where the outer portions attach to the main part of the wings. Again, its not bad, just be prepared to do a little filling and sanding.

Be careful to make sure that the landing gear is aligned correctly and securely. This was a difficult part to get right. The gear is very awkward. I recommend using liquid plastic glue instead of CA glue. Give it plenty of time to cure and become strong as the model is fairly heavy.

Otherwise this is a great kit. I enjoyed building mine. Good luck with yours!

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Off to a great start!

Every time my wife gets stuck at the LHS with me and shakes her head I remind her of all the years of following her in circles around stores. LOL

Mike

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…or standing in the lingerie dept by the dressing rooms holding a purse while she’s trying on new duds…

Oh, nice work by the way!

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You’re off to a great start Raymond! The office looks sweet!

Steve

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Thanks for the comments so far. As promised, here’s the next installment of this Super Hornet WIP.

I’ve got to say, this kit is going together better than I expected. The few “advertised” fitting issues I’ve had really haven’t been to bad, and with the exception of one gap between the, I believe starboard, intake, I could’ve lived with them a year ago. Still, there are a few… I dunno, sloppy?.. seams that I almost wondered if the C.A.D. operator had came in with a hangover and worked on the kit at some point. I don’t know if it’s the tooling or the plastic. That said, a little sanding and re-scribing and it’s not to bad… So, here we go. Lots of pictures with this one folks:

After completing the office, step one continues by glueing the cockpit deck to the top fuselage. I still need to go back and clean this up a little, but this is one of the spots I was talking about where a drunken sailor laid the line out ;-). Still, the fit was good, and the lines straightened up after a little prep work.

Next came the intakes. The instructions call for the entire interior of the intake to be painted flat white. That said, every picture I’ve looked at, shows the white starting well aft of the opening. So, I masked off the each part at the appropriate point (near as I can tell), and painted the opening Dark Sea Grey and the remainder flat white. Once I had hit that with a coat of clear, I started on the decals that go inside. Two words of note for those of you thinking about doing this kit in the future. First, the schematic that shows the location of the decals is intuitively backwards. It’s really not a big deal, but it takes a second to get your bearings… at least it did for me. Then, there are two tabs (parts 58 and 61) that cover some outside detailing. The pin mark are accurately placed, including the staggering of the pins. At first glance it does appear that the part will fit to high on the aft end and top. The reality is that they will line up with the fuselage, once you insert it into place. Once I had everything painted, decaled, and a couple of dry fits in the bag, I got the two intakes assembled. Again, the fit’s not to bad. Remember, the top edge of the two tab parts are meant to be there and will act as an additional glue point.

By the way, here’s the compressor blades. I probably could’ve done a little better job on them, but I had run out of flat black. I ended up using Tamiya’s standard black, and between the glare and working under the magnifying hood until I was cross eyed, I had some run over. Honestly, the parts are so small and sit so far back, you can’t tell… They actually look awesome in real time…

I don’t have a clue why I didn’t get a picture of the entire assembly. Sorry for the over site. Next comes attaching the two intake assemblies to the fuselage. This is one of the areas that the reviews warn everyone about, and another drunk C.A.D. operator moment. Still, a little prep work and a lot, and I do mean a lot, of patients goes a long way. WARNING: Getting the parts into the fuselage is a biscuit eater! What I did, and would suggest, is to glue it in place in sections. Once I had the part in, I slide it out to a point just past where the intake and fuselage start. Then on the fuselage itself, and at the front portion of the intake (the intake proper), I laid down a thin line of glue. Then slide the assembly in place and held it there until the glue had set. The assembly runs under the wings and just forward of the exhaust. After I was satisfied with the fit in the front, I carefully pulled the back portion out and finished glueing. I did have one small fit issue here. On one side, the starboard I believe, there was a small gap between the intake and the fuselage as it ran under the wing. The way the kit is set up, you can reach this area easily from the top. Again, I laid a thin line of glue down and applied a little pressure until it had time to set. Gap gone! A year ago, I would’ve been happy with the fits, but I wasn’t quiet happy with it. So a little putty here and a little there, to go along with some sanding and re-scribing and I called it a night. FYI, the wheel wells are flat white. I’ll probably go in and weather them a little, along with adding a little “metal” here and there, but not much.

Well, that’s it for now. I’ll get the cockpit in place and the upper fuselage assembly put together next. I hope you enjoyed the play by play. Again, constructive criticism is welcome, as well as advice! Thanks for looking, Raymond

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I finally found it. Couldn’t believe I’d been scrolling passed it the last few days. lol =] Great start Ray. That cockpit is coming out nicely. Keep it coming. =]

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Looks good! I am sitting on 3 of these in the stash. After seeing this i feel compelled to build one !

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Thanks Britt. I’m still a long way from some of you guys, but I’m getting there.

B… Yeah, the kit’s a honey for sure! Like I said, there’s some small seam issues that I’ve seen so far that a little prep work helps to take care of. I’ve been real impressed with the detail. It’s definitely worth building! They make an F model in this line as well… I’m seriously thinking about doing it as well… Raymond