F/A-18E Super Hornet, VX-9 Vampires Special Scheme *FINISHED*

[Alan P]

Unfortunately it seems my ego's writing checks my body can't cash... 

Picked this up from ebay the other day, what a superb kit and amazing value for money! 

Why am I trying to to shoehorn this into the final month before the GB deadline? As usual there's a story behind it (very short, and can be found in this thread):

 

So basically, this got moved to the top of the pile and has to be built! The previous Hornet I just completed took just over a month, so it's definitely possible with the lockdown still in force. 

 

Was thinking of building Maverick's F-18 (link) from the new Top Gun film, because Top Gun of course! On the other hand, the kit box art version (link) is really nice and gives the option to hang almost anything you want from the wings as it's a test ship from VX-9 at China Lake. Could be a chance for me to use the Wolfpack JSOWs and SLAM-ERs that have been cluttering up my spares box for the past two years.

 

EDIT: on second thoughts I'm going for the box art version. Would be a crying shame to waste all those nice decals - I've found Revell decals to be very hit and miss over the years but the last two 1/32 kits of theirs I've built (Hunter FGA9 and P-51 Mustang) have been excellent. If it all goes wrong I'll revert to Top Gun with homemade decals, as the base colour scheme is the same.

 

Alan

[Alan P]

One Bug down, one Super Bug to go!

 

This is a very impressive kit, I paid £40 plus postage for what is a LOT of plastic...

No, it's not as crisp as the Academy/Kinetic version - surface detail is very fine, lots of flash and excess plastic but the shapes are good and there's loads of detail.

Revell have made leaps and bounds in their instructions - these are clear, detailed and informative.

These wingfolds look much more sturdy than the Academy ones I just made.

 

Here is the MASSIVE decal sheet...

Hopefully works as good as the last two I used.

This is the low-vis option, a VFA-105 Gunslingers fleet bird from the USS Harry S Truman.

I plan to do the VX-9 high-vis Vampires colours, it's a very nice-looking ship. Fingers crossed the decals work!

Back to the instructions - nice, clear sprue diagrams mean I won't be losing parts,hopefully.

We also get decals for all the supplied ordnance, and there's a lot of it!

 

Anyway - time to get building!

Unusual not to begin a build in the cockpit - we start at the back and move forwards.

These are big parts that require a fair bit of cleanup, but the instructions do say 'remove flash' so it's no secret.

 

The fan parts are interesting - they come as two opposite sides with fan blades moulded on both. They slot together to make the tightly-spaced but see-through fan cases. Very satisfying!

 

I don't know how Revell continue to produce kits of this size and detail with decent instructions and extensive decals sheets for such low prices. I hope they can keep doing this forever!

 

Alan

[Alan P]

This is going together well. I'd heard it was a bit of a dog, but thanks to @infofrog's build over in WIP it's proven to be much better than advertised!

This is the forward landing gear bay but also the cockpit floor. It slots together very tightly and makes a sturdy forward box. Anyone familiar with Revell big scale jets will know flimsy construction and big empty interior spaces has been a weakness of their kits in the past - this is a very welcome development.

 

Some nice detail in there as well. I'm not intending to superdetail any of this, but if you were that way inclined this will provide a nice basis.

 

The cockpit slots into the space on the top and fits very snugly.

I'll be using the bang seat from the Black Box/Avionix set which I didn't use for the last Hornet build:

And thank the cosmos it has moulded on belts!

 

An interesting point with this kit - the kit seats are on the duplicated sprues with the engines etc - also in the kit are these two sprues with the F and F+ WSOs' panels:

Looks like there's definitely a two-seater planned, and I'd be surprised if it isn't released as one of the Luftwaffe's new purchases...

 

Anyway - good kit so far. More soon!

 

Alan

 

 

[Alan P]

Cockpit parts are primed:

While that was drying, I got on with the engine end:

Turbines and afterburner injector rings painted in Colourcoats Corticene, which is a WWII linoleum used on large ship decks and very closely matches the burnt titanium of turbine assemblies!

Engine parts assembled using Mr Cement SP - the SP stands for Super Power apparently and it's really potent stuff! Don't get this on any plastic you don't want to melt, because it'll do exactly that.

 

In my eagerness to get these assembled, I missed this step...

Oops.

After a bit of bending and forcing I managed to get the stabilator link attached.

I'll be gluing this solid in the full dropped position anyway as this will be a static unpowered aircraft.

It's a very tight fit at the nozzles end, so needs clamping. I don't have any clamps, so pegs it is!

 

The wheelwells come next...

These are built up by the modeller with each transverse bulkhead installed separately, then the inboard and outboard longitudinal bulkheads slotting into the others. It really is a perfect fit, once the outboard parts are thinned at the foremost end.

 

The really nice thing about these is the approximation of scale depth of the wheelwells. It's a fiddly buildup but take your time and dry fit and it all works.

 

So far, very impressed with the kit. It doesn't have the finesse and surface detail of the Academy Hormet, but it's certainly looking good so far.

 

Alan

 

[Alan P]

Attached the underside part - again the fit was very good, as long as you glue it in stages and take your time again.

There's the stabilator pivot now glued in position.

I've glued both sides and also glued the crossbar to the upper engine structure. That's not moving anywhere!

 

One real oddity of the build - when you attach the underside, the gear door mounting pegs block the fit.

Thanks to @infofrog I knew this problem was coming so I bent the mounting pegs out of the way, attached the bottom plate, then bent the pegs back inboard again. You can see them in the centre of the picture, four little pegs that overlap the inboard edges of the wheelwells.

 

To confirm again, the parts fit of this assembly is very good indeed.

One very fiddly fit was the inboard parts of the intakes which slot into the previously fitted assemblies. Again, take the time and these fit very well. I fastened them in place with Mr Cement SP and it won't require much filler.

These will be a lot easier to paint than the Legacy Hornet intakes as well! Certainly this area fits together better than the Academy version.

 

That's it for today! All the best,

 

Alan.

[rob85]

After your last build is really looking forward to this! I hope you do the vampires option, it looks brilliant!

 

Rob

[Alan P]

9 hours ago, rob85 said:

After your last build is really looking forward to this! I hope you do the vampires option, it looks brilliant!

 

Rob

Thanks a lot, Rob. Good news, I have committed to make the Vampires ship, it all depends on how the decals behave! 

[Alan P]

Had a really good crack at this today.

The side panels fitted perfectly. I don't know who started the rumour about this kit being a difficult build, it's been superb so far. So much for reviews.

The whole side panel stretches from the stabilators all the way to the intake lip. It'll just need some sanding and a lick of putty.

The build progression for this is quite fussy, more like a Kitty Hawk kit than Revell. Unlike Kitty Hawk, it actually fits together!

Filled in the panels underneath, again great fit.

Rear fuselage almost complete, it's a solid and sturdy lump - most un-Revell like.

 

Alan

[Alan P]

Next step is adding the wings. First the lower halves and then the whole upper fuselage with the integrated wing halves goes over the top.

Once again, the fit is superb. No underwing seams to fill at all.

You can see there's some filling to do around the wheelwell and lower intake lip, but nothing particularly challenging.

The top section just slotted on nicely. there are a few gaps but no big steps or major remedial work.

 

I must admit to being really annoyed by the 'word on the street' regarding this kit. It was branded a difficult and badly fitting 'cheapo' kit. This turns out to be BS, as long as you approach the build with a bit of care and attention.

 

Looking very Starship Enterprise at this stage!

 

Here's the finished aft airframe. The area around the ECS exhaust pipes will need some filling but again, nothing scary. Otherwise this is looking pretty good, no putty applied as yet.

Here's the only bits that really need remedial work as yet:

Cheers,

 

Alan

[Alan P]

Couldn't resist taping up the front end to see how big this is...

Here it is compared to the legacy Bug I built last week - you can see the Super Bug is a lot bigger in real life.

Finished the flaps and slats - again, the kit is great for providing multiple parts to display the flaps deployed or retracted.

Just to give you an idea of the size of this thing - that's one of the flaps above a 1/72nd Spitfire wing

While I was working the wings I also finished the wingtips - the kit is designed with the wing folds already separated, which simplifies the mounting immensely. 

 

 

Again, you can see how much bigger the wings are than the legacy Hornet.

One bonus of having a good build sesh - loads of sprue going off to the bin.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[Andwil]

Wow, that size differential is amazing.  I saw RAAF F/A-18As and Es and a Growler at the Avalon Airshow last year and didn’t notice a size difference!

 

AW

[Alan P]

The SH has about 25% more wing area and is about 20% bigger overall. Where it really counts is in takeoff weight, range and 'bring home' weights, which are all 30-40%more than the legacy. Add in AESA radar, RCS reduction, enhanced datalink and BVR capacity and it's a very different beast. I think the only reason it remained a designated variant was for budgetary purposes! 

[Alan P]

Had another productive day with the Super Bug:

Cockpit panels are done - this is as far as I'm going with the office until later in the assembly.

I used the kit decals over the pre-painted panels, it works pretty well. I added my favourite Hasegawa polarised film over the screens to get the groovy reflections and colour changes as you change perspective.

 

With that done, we can get the forward fuselage assembled:

Yet again, the fit of the parts is excellent! Barely any seams showing.

I guess the reputation of this kit comes from a few critics who expect perfection every time, or maybe there's some other reason 

 

That said...

This bulkhead needs cutting down at the corners to accept the LEX/cockpit sides or else they won't fit! (Remember this bit, it comes back to bite me later!)

And here's the front and rear fuselage fitted together - sadly for the naysayers, with the small adjustment made above, it fits exactly.

 

Just a small seam to make good at the side of the cockpit.

 

Remember that little rear cockpit bulkhead? Well...

Turns out you have to reduce the whole thing by the height of those cuts I made earlier. It sits too high and interferes with the turtledeck. After assembly it was easier to trim the end off the turtledeck to get it to sit down properly but I'll have to make that good.

 

With major assembly complete I had to line it up against its little brother again...

 

As you can see from the underside the assembly is very neat. no big gaps, apart from one:

Just needs filling, no steps or misalignment. Well done Revell.

 

Alan

[Alan P]

I feel like I have to say this - I'm impressed with this kit so far. The word I think best describes it is honest. It's like the folks at Revell sat down and said, 'okay, we want to offer a big scale Super Hornet, but we want to pitch it at this price point. What's the best kit we can produce with the tool shop and design team we have?' 

 

So they did that. Yes, it's definitely not Tamiya, or even Trumpeter quality. But it's not terrible. It really p's me off that the kit developed a reputation that would have put off sales when for me it's been a good build experience so far. Yeah, it's a challenge to get it right, but actually do some modelling instead of expecting it to fall together and the payoff is rewarding, unlike some much more expensive ones that don't give you the half of what's in this box. Considering the RRP is sub-£70 for a massive box of plastic, great decal sheet and plenty of accurate-looking weapons and stores, it should have been flying off the shelves.

 

Okay, I've had my rant, back to the build!

[Alan P]

Speaking of weapons:

Here's what I've planned for a monster load - going L-R we have the Wolfpack GBU-38 500lb JDAM, CAM GBU-31 2000lb JDAM, Academy AGM-84E SLAM, Wolfpack AGM-154 JSOW, GBU-31/V3 2000lb bunker buster JDAM and GBU-12 500lb Paveway IV both from the kit. The bombs will need a US Navy ablative coating applied (the CAM one is already moulded on) and these will all be live weapons for a big day out on the testing range!

 

I'm going to try mounting all of these with small neodymium magnets so they can be switched out as required.

 

Cheers,

Alan

[infofrog]

I hope it not to late . Do not glue the dash in place . The dash with the  HUD  in place . The canopy will not fit . You need to trim the dash . Then dry fit the HUD and Canopy together 

Rick  

 

 

[infofrog]

 Also trim the back wall brace a bit . 

Then dry fit 

Rick 

[Alan P]

5 hours ago, infofrog said:

I hope it not to late . Do not glue the dash in place . The dash with the  HUD  in place . The canopy will not fit . You need to trim the dash . Then dry fit the HUD and Canopy together 

Rick  

 

 

Thanks, that's just in time! 

5 hours ago, infofrog said:

 Also trim the back wall brace a bit . 

Then dry fit 

Rick 

I found out too late for this 😩 I only dry fitted the sidewalls and cut off the corners of the back wall. I should have test fitted the turtledeck as well. You can see the fix I improvised instead. 

 

Any more tips like these would be very welcome! 

 

Thanks, Alan 

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Flying along again Alan, I am enjoying this one as much as the D.

 

[Alan P]

4 minutes ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

Flying along again Alan, I am enjoying this one as much as the D.

 

Thanks Ray, me too! Glad to have you along for the ride again 👍

[Alan P]

Today was puttying day:

There are plenty of areas that need it, but nothing worse than that.

I'm using Squadron Grey putty, it's smooth enough to use for these gap fillers and dries quite quickly.

Didn't need much for the rear fuselage, just wanted to hide the join around the stabilator pivots.

The LEX underside is mostly hidden when it's on display, but for completion's sake they're getting tidied up too!

 

After sanding back the join under the nose I have to concede it doesn't need puttying at all.

 

But the intakes definitely do!

Used CA glue to fill the fuselage section joint. Ran some accelerator down the seam and sanded it back immediately. Job done!

 

This is the trickiest bit:

Need to be really careful sanding this back not to damage the fine detail around the pipe outlets.

 

Switched to Green Putty for this bit:

Needs a bit more of the gap filling, the Grey Putty shrinks back if it's filling a large gap.

 

The nose centreline joint could do with a tidy up, but I'm going to wait until the fixed forward canopy is fitted and do it all in one go.

 

Leave all that to dry and get the sandpaper and sanding sticks ready! 

[Alan P]

Next step is preparing the cockpit for sealing up before the painting stage.

 

First the glareshield and panel coaming - I've been well forewarned about this by @infofrog - it really doesn't fit.

So - first job was to thin and reduce the profile of the coaming and make a new HUD from scrap PE. Not only looks better to scale but sits lower than the kit version.

 

Seat is finished, the moulded on belts were a breeze after the fight I had with the Aires PE ones in my last build!

Assembled the parts and primed with Mr Surfacer Black 1500. I didn't take photos of the extra work I did on the canopy insert for some reason, but I covered up the join lines with thin plastic card fascias and replaced the hinges with more substantial attachments after the struggles I had with the Academy kit last time!

 

Motoring on with this, can't believe I've got this far in under a week. Every cloud and all that...

[infofrog]

you are moving right along . 

Looking good

Rick 

[Alan P]

Looking at fixing the control surfaces now - assembled the tails, rudders and stabilators.

 

TOP TIP - when assembling the tails and stabilators, cut off and sand back the locator pegs and use liquid cement to stick them together. Fits much better that way.

Either I'm very lucky or some sort of modelling god*, but I've had none of the problems with the tailfins fitting that more or less every other build of this kit I've seen has done.

This is the worst of it - after this photo I managed to convince the forward corner to stick down with some Mr Cement SP. Overall the fins fit just as well as the Academy ones did.

So I used the same trick I did on the Academy to hide the seams, saves a lot of difficult sanding at an awkward angle and I don't have to work around the ECS pipes on the inboard side.

 

Lastly, here's the massive Super Bug stabilator compared to the Legacy version:

I hope these stay on...😬

 

Anyway - a good progress day and more to come!

Cheers, Alan

 

 

*yeah, it's lucky

[Andwil]

Nice idea using its of tape as “filler”.

 

AW