MA Publications Modeller’s Datafile #34 - The McDonnell Douglas Hornet F/A-18A/B/C/D & International Versions

[Mike]

Modeller’s Datafile #34 - The McDonnell Douglas Hornet (9781999661670)

F/A-18A/B/C/D & International Versions

MA Publications

 

 

The F-18 originally lost out to the F-16 in the light-weight fighter programme under the name of YF-17 Cobra, but was revitalised as the F/A-18 by the US Navy and Marines to replace their ageing and disparate fleet of warplanes such as the F-14 Tomcat, A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair.  There were a lot of noses put out of joint by the retirement of the Tomcat especially, as it was well-loved in the modelling and spotting communities, but the Hornet has won people over in the various conflicts it has taken part in, especially thanks to their ruggedness and successful execution of their duties.  The type began with the single-seat A and two-seat B models, which were upgraded later to the C and D models respectively.  A new programme to upgrade the capabilities of this robust fighter was instigated that resulted in a substantially larger airframe with the new name Super Hornet that can easily be differentiated from its smaller sibling by the rectangular intakes, if the difference in size isn’t immediately obvious.  The A-D models became “Legacy Hornets” when the new design went into service, and the last of them were drawn down by the US Navy in 2019, but have continued in Marine service who are holding out for the F-35C and don’t want to expend their limited resources on Super Hornets that they see as a stop-gap. 

 

Other nations have bought Hornets to use in their own air forces, and there are still plenty of legacy Hornets out there now, although none of them are getting any younger. 

 

 

 

This book is the 34th in the long line of books in the Modeller’s Datafile series, and arrives as a perfect-bound A4+ book in portrait format with 192 pages within the card cover.  If you’re familiar with the series, you’ll know the content is split between the real aircraft and modelling them, but here’s a more thorough breakdown:

 

Glossary of Terms

Introduction

Design and Development

• The F/A-18A, F/A-18A+ and F/A-18B
• The F/A-18C, F/A-18D and F/A-18D(RC)

International Versions

Colour Side Views

Modelling the F/A-18 Hornet in popular scales

1. Desert Storm ‘Delta’ - 1:48 F/A-18D USMC Green Knights (Ian Gaskell)
2. Omar’s Aggressor - 1:48 F/A-18B US Navy Aggressor (Alan Kelley)
3. War Party - 1:48 F/A-18C US Navy War Party (Alan Kelley)
4. Maple Leaf Hornet - 1:48 CF-188 RCAF Maple Hornet (Gerry Doyle)
5. ‘Moonlighters’ Striker - 1:72 F/A-18D USMC Moonlighters (Danumurthi Mahendra)
6. CAG Bat - 1:32 F/A-18D USMC CAG Bat (Toby Knight)
7. Super-Sized Stinger - 1:32 F/A-18C Fist of the Fleet (James Ashton)
8. NORAD Hornet 1:48 CF-188A NORAD Hornet (Ashley Dunn)

Appendices

i Walk Arounds

• F/A-18C 164067 of VFA-94 (James Eberling)
• F/A-18C 164716 of VFA-151 (James Eberling)
• F/-18 Cockpits
• F/A-18D Swiss Air Force (Andy Evans)
• F/A-18D Finnish Air Force (Andy Evans)
• F/A-18A A21-6 Royal Australian Air Force (Andy Evans)

ii Understanding the Subject

iii Technical Diagrams

iv Hornet Squadrons

v Kitography

vi General Characteristics

vii Hornet Gallery

Scale Plans in 1:72

 

 

 

There is a lot of text on the subject in the book, and some of it makes heavy use of acronyms, so the glossary at the beginning could come in handy during the following pages that covers the airframe beginning with its redesign from the unsuccessful prototype into the tough carrier-based fighter that it became in single and two-seater guises, plus subsequent upgrades to its capabilities in the plus and later the C and D variants, as well as the numerous overseas operators, some of whom are still flying them at time of writing.

 

After the discussion of the airframe comes 12 pages of side profiles of various marks and operators with some colourful schemes on display, including Blue Angels and a NASA airframe.  The modelling side of the book begins now, and extends to eight builds of various kits in 1:72, 1:48 and 1:32 scales that are carried out by various modellers, the names of whom you can see in brackets in the list above.  There are lots of different techniques on display to accomplish the often-weathered look of the Hornet, and with plenty of pictures and text to guide us along, we can all learn something from the builds here.  As you can imagine, the recent Kinetic kit in 1:48 and 1:32 makes more than a few appearances, with a couple of Academy kits filling the gaps.

 

 

 

The next section consists of a number of walk around photos printed on a cream background that shows the airframes close-up and sometimes in gory detail, all of which is grist for the mill for us modellers, and includes some nice photos of the glass cockpit in suitable sizes that won’t tax ageing eyes like mine, with credits to the photographers where available, which you can again see in brackets above.  The “Understanding the Subject” section, although it may sound a little condescending, covers the differences between the types, using my favourite quick-reference style that helps the forgetful folks like me by marking the differences between types in grey, with various invisible changes such as radar and engines helpfully pointed out with arrows and text.  The Technical drawings show the various systems and controls of the fighter, including aspects of the ejection seat and how the pilot is connected to it, as well as the flight stick and the effects its various buttons and functions have on the flight envelope.  Finally, there is a diagram showing the take-off and landing cycle of the type, alongside the ejection sequence should the need arise as well as all the hand-signals that allow the pilot and ground crew to communicate effectively over the din of the engines when they don’t have comms.

 

A list of Hornet squadrons is next, interspersed with some appropriately appealing pictures, then it’s on to the Kitography, which I’ve always felt is a tiny bit redundant as things change so quickly in our hobby and we now have helpful sites like Scalemates that are updated constantly.  It’s only three pages though, so nothing to fret about, and it does include some boxtops, decal sheets and visuals of resin sets in the margin.  A short section laying out the general specifications of later C/D marks follows, then we have a gallery of various schemes and operators, followed by some 1:72 scale plans of the F/A-18A and B plus their weapon load-outs.  At the very end is an index of contents that is also interspersed with some handsome photos of the type.

 

 

Conclusion

It’s a good reference for the legacy Hornets, and is a handy one-stop source of information for anyone wanting to improve their knowledge of the type.  There is a lot of information within and a lot of excellent photos in full colour, one of the bonuses of a book about a modern fast jet.  Well worth a read, and a useful reference down the line.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

Review sample courtesy of

 

[Dean S]

Not recommended. There are better reference books out there.

For a series called "Modellers Datafile", I expect a book geared towards what a modeller needs to know for building a model of the subject matter.
This book falls short of that.

It didn't take long to notice most of the photo captions are useless, redundant or at worst, wrong.
Examples of stating the obvious are, "An F/A-18 of VC-12", "A desert camouflaged F/A-18B", "An F/A-18B of VFA-125".

Captioning a photo, "Canadian Hornets have a spotlight fitted in the nose" while grammatically wrong, also missed the fact the aircraft in question isn't carrying the ID spotlight mounted on the side of the nose, it's a 409 sqn. a/c '776, dropping a GBU-12 practice LGB.

"No.409 Squadron - 'Night Hawk' special scheme" besides, being poor grammar, is the wrong nomenclature for for RCAF squadrons.
The RCAF uses the same style as the RAF, and it should be "409 Squadron".

"The first seven Finnish F/A-18Ds were built by McDonnell Douglas", is misleading.
Finland only bought seven duals, and they were all built by McDD. Finland built the single seaters.

Incorrect captions include, "On the ground during "desert Storm" an RCAF Hornet armed with HARM missiles".
 Canadian Hornets never carried AGM-88 HARM missiles.

The author isn't well versed in armament or stores it seems.

A photo of a Hornet carrying an AGM-62 Walleye is incorrectly and simply captioned "...drops a HOBOS glide bomb."

Many opportunities are missed to describe for modellers what the jets are loaded with.
 

An interesting shot of a VFA-204 squadron F/A-18A+ carrying two ALQ-188 pods, when usually only one is carried, was missed.

As for the colour profiles, they're okay, but not one mention is made of the colours used is made.
On top of that, the Kuwait example is incorrectly drawn in two greys, instead of the three used on the jets.
An opportunity was missed to include a profile of the first Tactical Paint Scheme.

For the build section, it consists of five 1/48 scale kits.
One Hobbyboss and four Kinetic kits.
One 1/72 Academy.
Two 1/32 kits, one Kinetic, and one Academy.

While you can never make everyone happy, there was room for at least one 1/48 Hasegawa and a 1/72 Hasegawa or Fujimi build.

The Walk Arounds section is lacking.
Extreme close ups of certain parts and merely labelling them, "Tail fin detail", "Arrestor hook stencilling", etc., is laziness.
A few are repeated, to add to the issues with this book.
"Intake detail" is of a jet with intake covers on it and misses the fact it's carrying an ATFLIR pod.
Again, showing the author's lack of ordnance knowledge, a photo is merely captioned, "JDAM", for the GBU-38.
The photos of the RAAF F/A-18 never mention the SUU-20 on the centerline.

In the section, "Understanding the Subject", the line drawings, while crisply done, are captioned with basically useless information for modellers.
One the profiles, pointing out things like "M61A1 cannon", "Reduced Internal Fuel Capacity" on the dual seat drawing, and stating on the F/A-18D(RC) drawing, "Data-Link Pod or Loral AN/UPD-8 SLAR" while pointing to nothing but the vague direction of the intake missile launcher is an amateurish error.
Speaking of which, no photos of an ATARS equipped Hornet is included, and have never seen the designation "F/A-18D(RC)" used to refer to these jets.
To top it off, the drawings of the ATARS pallet on a jet are grossly incorrect.

Moving on to the "Technical Diagrams" section, there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason for the drawing copied from the manuals that are pertinent to modellers.
The fuel tank layout, switch functions, fuel tank capacities, seat quick disconnect, ejection seat sequence, landing checklist, and ground crew/air crew hand signals smacks of merely filling pages.

The "Kitography" section has the same problems as any other in regards to missing a lot of older items (1/144 kits, Monogram/Revell, Hasegawa 1/48, etc)
to being outdated when newer items are released. The Scalemates website should be referenced for further information.

The entire "General Information" section seems to be merely page filler, with the most basic and vague details taking up a few pages that could have been better utilized.

The most glaring errors in the section are under "Armaments".
The Hornet does not have three "under fuselage hard points". It has two shoulder stations for missiles or targeting pods, and one centerline station.
For rockets, it can carry APKWS and CRV-7 rocket also, but there is no mention of what pods are used to carry them such as LAU-10, LAU-5002, LAU-5003, etc.
With the almost exclusive use of PGM's these days, the author merely makes a sweeping statement that JDAM and Paveway bombs are carried, despite the vast array of variants of them.
Canada is omitted from the list of targeting pod users.
The author perpetuates the error in calling M117 750 lb bombs, "Mk 117" (sic) in the 1/72 drawings.
No USN jets carry M117's.

The "Hornet Gallery" section continues the vague and lacking captions for the photos.
For instance, the photo of BuNo 162416 misses the fact it's painted with a MiG-29 outline on it.
"F/A-18A of VFA-204" is underexposed/dark and of almost no sue for modellers.

The "Scale Plans" section looks like it was taken for the older Squadron/Signal series, and lacks the finesse and detail drawings such as Kagero or Detail & Scale have.

Right to the end the errors continue, with a photo in the "Index" missing it's caption, with "Xxx" being used by mistake.


If you're looking for a legacy Hornet reference book, there are others to better spend your money on.