1/72 Academy F-18 Porcupine Squadron RCAF

[Paul J]

Well with the weather widdling down outside , I spent most of the day in my shed making a start on my Hornet build.  So far I have got to the primer stage making fast progress.  Here are pics so far....

Some the smaller sub assemblies and pre painted legs while I was tinkering..  I very much doubt I'll be using any of the stores so they will be up for grabs to any one wanting them.

Cockpit area done with a little lead ballast for some nose weight. I don't think it needs it but I have put some in ,in case.

One of the side panels ready to be fitted.

.... and the other side done.  So far I am impressed with the fit it being a while since I made my last one.

Wings being fitted. Again the parts fit well.

I really like the way the washout to the outer wing trailing edges are done . And nice sharp trailing edges too.

A view of the rear fuselage showing the inner root where the flap goes. Shame it will be hidden.

The extra sprue that comes for the RAAF, RCAF and Spanish boxing of the kit I am using.

Here, the finsof the standard US versi on a main sprue and the extra frame with the fins for the RCAFand others that also includes the fin base 'fishplates' and different centre pylon.

Waiting for priming.

I found in the box this masking set by Leading Edge I had forgotten about. Some odd type of material for the stick on masking, sponge foam set for the undercarriage bays that I had used on a couple other builds and an alternative set in die cut card.  You can see the foam set in situ on the build so far.

[modelling minion]

That is some very fast and nice work Paul, you can certainly tell this isn't your first Academy Hornet.

It looks like a very nice and well fitting kit too.

[Paul J]

56 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

That is some very fast and nice work Paul, you can certainly tell this isn't your first Academy Hornet.

It looks like a very nice and well fitting kit too.

Cheers. It is a nice kit and the fit  is admirable.

[Pappy]

Crikey that was quick progress,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

[Bertie McBoatface]

Wow! Fast work! At this rate you could do a whole squadron. (And how cool would that look on a shelf!)

[Paul J]

Update on this one. I have decided on a special scheme ( rude not to) RCAF CF-188. Depicts 188709 of the 60th Anniversary of 433 (Porcupine ) Squadron and the Centenary of Flight 2003. All decals from a Leading Edge set printed in 2004 so the condition of the decals , though looked very good, was a bit nerve racking. However, all is fine and the decals are working as they should.  The work shown below was done over the last evening.  I know you are thinking this build is speeding along but that is just the way it is. Its not taking much to put the kit together and once primed, was ready to get its paint work and very soon after decal ready.  (One of the beauties of being retire and having much modelling time 😸)It still needs all the delicate sticking out bits to be added but is safer for these to go on after painting and decalling is done.

My choice of colour scheme and decals.  The paints used all being Xtracrylix. Dark blue grey  top sides, light grey lowers and black.

The black base for the decals hand painted on as it was easier than masking and avoids getting that 'ridge' between colours.... as long as the demarcation was within the areas that would be decalled over with no grey showing through.

First of the decals progressing.

This starboard view shows the intricate decal and design in place but... its a tad too short by around 3.mm at the intake end unfortunately. Not like LEM to drop a clanger like this. Maybe the set was designed for the Hasegawa kit which makes me think one or other of the kits the intakes are too ra back or forward????  Note the wrinkling while the decal succumbs to decal solution.

Starboard fin. The black had to be painted at the right place and the transfer instruction insert shows where the demarcation between the grey and black should be. The same goes for the fuselage.

 

So, thats it for now. I may be back later or with more as I am now back off to the shed? Hornet factory to carry on.  At this rate I might do another in a very colourful 20th Anniversary of the Hornet in CAF service. and even a third, which will exhaust my Academy stash but if so it could end up as an RAAF one from the kit transfers.

[gingerbob]

Goodness, I think we have a strong candidate for first in the gallery!

[CT7567]

40 minutes ago, Paul J said:

This starboard view shows the intricate decal and design in place but... its a tad too short by around 3.mm at the intake end unfortunately. Not like LEM to drop a clanger like this. Maybe the set was designed for the Hasegawa kit which makes me think one or other of the kits the intakes are too ra back or forward???? 

 

Well it's a given that the LEM decals from 2004 weren't designed for the Academy Hornet, it was first released (in F/A-18C version) circa 2011.  Hasegawa was generally considered the best kit available prior to Academy's release, so it's likely that was LEM's basis for design. Interesting to see the apparent discrepancy there, having both kits in the stash I'm tempted to break them out and compare.

[modelling minion]

Very quick work, and those decals certainly add a splash of colour.

[Paul J]

I've  just come in for my tea and can report that  more transfers have been applied.  Annoyingly, I have noticed Iust have unknowingly knocked off a couple of the wing flap actuators.  Found one but not the other. And  to make  things bad  ,another one has gone AWOL!!

[Sierra Mike Sierra]

Construction at this speed warrants a full Hornet squadron! 😁

[Bertie McBoatface]

Decals already and looking grand too. Excellent!

[Paul J]

Latest update. Decalling proceeding but slowly. One or two parts being added as I go along when the transfers/decals dry.

Fortunately, on the decal sheet is a spare decal patch of the orange colour. This has become useful for repairs. All I needed to do was to cut a couple pieces to roughly the shape and size I needed and any surplus got tucked behind the splitter plate. Notice here at the intake splitter plate the additional orange and white pieces of decals added to make up the shortness of the maim deals .( see earlier pic to see what I mean.)

The 'stepped' white pieces will be trimmed back. However a very, very thin black line edges the white but not to my amended work as I don't have anything that thin. But it will do me.

 

All I have left to do is to fit all the other airframe parts like the 'tailevons' \( I just made that word up), undercarriage and anything else that needs fixing on. There are a lot of stencils on the transfer sheet but it looks like they are hardly visible when applied so I may pass some of them by.   This one could be finished by the end of the week.

[Paul J]

All done!!   The things I could or should have done may well be taken care of later. Such as replacing the lost underwing control actuators and aerials. I lost the pitots to the shed floor on cutting them from the sprue and the aerials got knocked off but saved them. IT was getting too fiddly trying to juggle the model without causing any more damage. So I quit while ahead.  The decals worked very well as to be expected by LEM my go to source for Canadian military decals.   Images are now on the gallery. It looks like I am the first to complete one.  I do have a couple more but will save them for another time within the time frame of this GB.

 

EDIT:  Just noted that the extremem tip of the nose should have been coloured a pale cream for the radar cap. Oh well another bit to do when I get back to starting another.

[modelling minion]

Congratulations on being first in the gallery and on a very striking model.

[Adam Maas]

Congrats on an excellent build.

I have the same scheme on the same kit on my shelf. I always thought it was one of the most visually interesting of the CAF special schemes

[Alan P]

Blimey that was quick! Lovely looking result, well done

[Wings unlevel]

Very nicely done, eh!

[Bertie McBoatface]

It looks really sharp. Good work.