vppelt68 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 This one will be a birthday present for our son, 22 years in late February, and an Ilmavoimat reserve Hornet armourer. I'll build the HN out of the Academy box but "MLU-update" the weapons from my spares - AIM-9X:s, AIM-120C:s, a Litening-pod and a pair of JDAM:s should look nice. Finnish Hornets were originally "just" F-18C/D:s without any A2G capability. That was very much changed in the MLU-program, and they now possess capability to carry and deploy JSOW and JASSM too (but I only have JDAM:s). My son said he often got to work on HN-457, the last Hornet built in Finland and then delivered to Ilmavoimat. The plane was named "Kreivi (Count Eric) von Rosen" honouring the Swedish nobleman who donated the first aircraft to our young - infant, infact - nation and its air force in March 1918. I know that specific plane is too much modeled one but I don´t think Olli knows that . V-P 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 A nice choice VP, I am sure your son will be happy with his present. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 The family connection is really sweet. It will make this GB so much more meaningful for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 3, 2022 Author Share Posted January 3, 2022 ...but the build will be very, very grey - except the roundels! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 3, 2022 Author Share Posted January 3, 2022 What it lacks in colours, it more than makes up in its moves... in capable hands, at least. Just look at that aerial ballet at 7 minutes! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Great gift fo your son! I am sure he will love it 👍🏽 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wings unlevel Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 7 hours ago, vppelt68 said: What it lacks in colours, it more than makes up in its moves... in capable hands, at least. Just look at that aerial ballet at 7 minutes! That’s an outstanding display! Thanks for sharing. I’ve seen a lot of excellent RAAF Hornet displays over the years but they’re quiet different to that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Here's the Count himself. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reini Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Great, will be following this It's great idea for sure to make it as a gift. So... what model kit are you building? Someone just ordered a Hornet from my wife's model shop but I'm sure it's completely unrelated 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 14 hours ago, reini said: ...from my wife's model shop All you young umarried men at Britmodeller (yes, I mean both of you ) see how reini has done and try to do the same. I think he has all the bases covered . Yes that was me shopping the Hornet, I didn´t know whether you wanted me to advertise/you to be linked to Mrs. reini's business but now I know I can do that! V-P 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Great subject, I saw the Finn F-18 display at RIAT in 2019 and it was something else 😮 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 2 hours ago, Alan P said: Great subject, I saw the Finn F-18 display at RIAT in 2019 and it was something else 😮 I saw it at a Finnish air show a month before RIAT. I can still feel the performance in my spine! Edit: Changed the title, as I *believe* I've made my mind up to build and display The Count in-flight; saves me from both trying to chop the wings and brush painting those damn landing gear bays white - I hate painting white! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anatol Pigwa Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Great choice. Shows that grey aircraft can be special very as well! Will you also add the red missiles (smokewinders?) I haven't ssen those often. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 On 1/5/2022 at 6:56 PM, vppelt68 said: I hate painting white! Here's an option, paint them a very pale grey. It's easier and more realistic in my opinion. Then if you want, you can highlight the edges of the structure with a white enamel drybrush as well as washing in the shadows, again, if you want to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Nice choice, I should also build a Finnish C to go with my D. Perhaps you should build it 'Legs going up' like this one I did 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 6, 2022 Author Share Posted January 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Anatol Pigwa said: Great choice. Shows that grey aircraft can be special very as well! Will you also add the red missiles (smokewinders?) I haven't ssen those often. Finnish solo demo pilots don't use smoke, I believe the red Sidewinders are just captive missiles (seekers but no warheads or propulsion). I plan to add a decent A2G load instead. 20 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said: Here's an option, paint them a very pale grey. It's easier and more realistic in my opinion. Then if you want, you can highlight the edges of the structure with a white enamel drybrush as well as washing in the shadows, again, if you want to. I might as well try that. I haven't decided which way to go yet. The wing job doesn't look so scary as long as I set my quality goal low enough! 8 minutes ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said: Nice choice, I should also build a Finnish C to go with my D. Perhaps you should build it 'Legs going up' like this one I did Yes you should! That leg surgery looks not only good but also scary. I'm happy to have my own hip operated so I won't try anything like that in my models! I'm also shopping for a D to go with the C . V-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 7, 2022 Author Share Posted January 7, 2022 Time to add a few sprue and decal pics, although the aftermarket decal sheet I'll be using isn't here yet. Academy provides the "duplicate" parts in two identical sprues, of which only one is there in this pic, on the lower right corner. The missile sprue at 6 o'clock is from Academy F-15C MSIP kit, the pod&bomb sprue above it comes from Hasegawa weapons set IX and finally the "jock" comes from a Revell F-16. I must applaud the way Academy has molded the sprue to protect the canopy parts 👍. Here are the kit supplied, Cartograf printed decal sheet and the Hasegawa bomb&pod decals. I also added the sprue with the wings... there's a loud mechanical sound coming from my brains that think whether to droop&drop them or not . On the other hand, it wouldn't look too bad built oob and gear down either. It's a Hornet after all, an impressive piece of aviation anyway. V-P 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted January 7, 2022 Share Posted January 7, 2022 Certainly looks like a very nice kit VP. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 9, 2022 Author Share Posted January 9, 2022 As another kit hits a GB gallery, another gets started Not much to boast here yet, mostly showing my unorthodox approach at assembly sequences. On the other hand, my build is now locked to be out of the box and in-flight as the landing light has found new life as the ID spotlight. It's only held in place with a strip of masking tape here, thus the yellow colour. Nice of Academy to mark the location on the inside of port fuselage half. Drilling a hole was then easy. V-P 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Good to see your build underway VP, neat job on the spotlight too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 Not much to actually show here, at least not while enlarged 10x to the actual pieces! The Count will be displayed in-flight, buttoned up so (fortunately) very little of this will be seen. The pilot is not one of the two who were given the Sir Douglas Bader trophies in RIAT:s 2018 and 2019, but a nameless Revell F-16 jock that had to have his legs given the sir DB treatment to fit into the Academy F/A-18 cockpit! I have painted the lower nose assembly around the searchlight with Hu 127, then attached the lens and painted its rear surface with a Molotow chrome pen. Just to be sure it'll stay there, there's a stretch of tape to secure it in place! All that dark greyish is actually Revell #9 Anthracite but the lighting has turned it into grey. The MLU HN:s have a NVG friendly cockpit. V-P 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 4 hours ago, vppelt68 said: enlarged 10x I find it's awful seeing my models through the laptop microscope. I'm now in the habit of zooming out to see other peoples at a more reasonable magnification. Yours looks fine. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vppelt68 Posted January 13, 2022 Author Share Posted January 13, 2022 Attached the nose pieces together (sans the radome) yesterday. Now I just had to tack on the pre-painted wings and fins to see if he'll end up looking like a Hornet or not? The nose has some small seams and gaps that need working but nothing major. Remember, I'm benchmarking my model with el cheapo toys, not your masterpieces V-P 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 Coming on very nicely VP, very nicely indeed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaCee26 Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 On 1/5/2022 at 8:56 PM, vppelt68 said: I hate painting white! Hi V-P, Have you tried current Revell enamel whites? They cover really well. Unfortunately I'm not sure how do they behave in brush painting... Hölökynkölökyn, AaCee 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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