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F/A-18F Super Hornet - VFA-154 CAG 1000, USS Nimitz 2012


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Hi all you Britmodellers!

 

Just finished this huge model by Revell. This kit was a new release late last year and I haven't seen many built so far...

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It's a total monster and very hard to photograph due to its massive size.

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The basic Revell kit was enhanced with Eduard interior and exterior and some scratchbuilt improvements in the cockpit and forward wheel well.

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The kit decals were used and were by far the best quality aspect of the kit, which was a bit of a struggle to put together.

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The landing gear was modified to simulate a landing configuration on final approach to the carrier.

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I tried very hard to match the wear and tear, used look and weathering of the original aircraft using a variety of post-paint techniques. Some of it is only apparent close-up.

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The nose end was the most weathered, in contrast with the glossy, clean finish of the special paint scheme.

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The underside has some characteristic 'Hornet' discolouration and streaks which I tried to replicate as well:

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The drop tank on the real aircraft was an absolute state, which I also tried to reproduce:

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The aircraft is mounted on an old broken lampstand, with a 5mm carbon fibre rod drilled into the underside.

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It was originally built for the Hornet STGB but I missed the deadline due to a combination of freezing weather and punishing work schedule messing up my modelling plans for the first quarter of the year.

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I spent a lot of time on the cockpit and getting the details and crew figures right:

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Used a lot of knobs and switches from Anyz (Tom Anyz does excellent cockpit accessories, find them at anyz.io :thumbsup2:

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Crew figures came from Academy and were modified to fit and posed correctly. 

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Helmet decorations were hand-painted and took a bunch of go's!

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Can't see an awful lot of it with the canopy on but I'm really happy with the overall effort.

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Anyway - bit of a long post but it's been a long build! First finished model of 2022 and was worth the build. 

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If you don't mind putting in a bit of work this is a very good value kit - massive plastic, excellent and huge decal sheet and plenty to occupy the modeller. Not as nice as the Academy Legacy Hornet and probably not as good as the Trumpeter kits, but half the price so worth it for me.

 

All the best :cheers:

 

Alan

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That’s an absolute stunner, Alan.


I’m building the single seat version of this and you’re being somewhat generous in calling it merely ‘awkward’ to put together! I was really disappointed in this kit and although I never shy away from a challenge this has certainly tested my patience to the limit!

 

The excellent result you’ve achieved is testament to your modelling skills - it’s a beauty and masks the shortfalls of this kit very well indeed. Bravo!

 

Tom

Edited by tomprobert
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Thanks @ForestFan 👍

1 hour ago, tomprobert said:

That’s an absolute stunner, Alan.


I’m building the single seat version of this and you’re being somewhat generous in calling it merely ‘awkward’ to put together! I was really disappointed in this kit and although I never shy away from a challenge this has certainly tested my patience to the limit!

 

The excellent result you’ve achieved is testament to your modelling skills - it’s a beauty and masks the shortfalls of this kit very well indeed. Bravo!

 

Tom

Very generous of you Tom, many thanks indeed. I'm sure you will nail it as well! 

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Hi Carl!

Thats an unbelievable work! The weathering is spot on, as well as the super detailed cockpit and the  pilots. Never saw that that before! 
The in- flight presentation is wonderful . A real gem! 
Thx for sharing!

 

Andy 

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30 minutes ago, Andy Dyck said:

Hi Carl!

Thats an unbelievable work! The weathering is spot on, as well as the super detailed cockpit and the  pilots. Never saw that that before! 
The in- flight presentation is wonderful . A real gem! 
Thx for sharing!

 

Andy 

Thank you very much again Andy, high praise from one of the best modellers on this site :worthy:

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For all the trash talk that's been heard regarding this kit, your finished result shows it can be handsomely finished with work and patience. I'm currently working on the Academy F/A-18D and fancy having an F/A-18F to go alongside it. I think you've convinced me to give the Revell kit a try.

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Thanks very much guys ☺️

3 hours ago, SAT69 said:

I'm currently working on the Academy F/A-18D and fancy having an F/A-18F to go alongside it. I think you've convinced me to give the Revell kit a try.

Thanks SAT, as long as you know what you're getting into! I've made the E and F now, neither were as terrible as the reviews but nor were they particularly fun builds either. Like I say in the build thread, (E version here) it feels more like a duel with the manufacturer rather than a fun hobby build 😂

 

42 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

Blooming big scale show off 😄

That's me 😁

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30 minutes ago, Farmerboy said:

Absolute beauty, love the weathering, and “patience is a virtue, obtain it if you can”, and my has that paid off, good job!

Thanks very much, yes, patience...needed lots of that 😂

30 minutes ago, nimrod54 said:

Lovely job Alan. It's good to see the final result.

Thanks again 👍

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Thank you very much chaps 👍

17 hours ago, Olly Tindall said:

The consensus being it isn't the easiest build either, so doubly impressive work

Appreciate that a lot Olly 👍

15 hours ago, Sky Keg said:

Bravo Alan!!!!! You made this Super Hornet look so realistic that I want to go for a ride in it. 

Thanks Mike, it's almost big enough to ride in 😂

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