Page 58 - Tamiya Model Magazine - Issue 292 (February 2020)

FULL-BUILD: MODERN ERA US NAVY JETS
HOBBYBOSS 1:72 F-14B TOMCAT ● KIT NO.80277
HASEGAWA 1:72 F/A-18F SUPER HORNET ● KIT NO.00548

HASEGAWA 1:72 F/A-18F SUPER HORNET

75th Anniversary scheme 1943-2018 'Victory 200' of US Navy
F/A-18F Super Hornet BuAerNo 168493/AG200 of VFA-103
Jolly Rogers, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), CVW-7 2018

ere I used Hasegawa
F/A-18F Super
Hornet (00548) which
Hcomprises ninety-eight
light grey styrene parts (one
not used); three clear parts
and four polycaps (two not
used). All ten grey sprues
are squeezed into a single
plastic bag. Clear parts
are sealed into a separate
plastic bag. Decals and
instructions are floating in
the box. Maybe it’s my first
time building Hasegawa’s A view into the cockpit before the upper and lower As with the F-14, the Super Hornet’s airframe was given
Super Hornet but what fuselage halves are mated. Note the lead-shot weights to a patchy, weathered appearance
amazed me was the pivot keep the nosewheel down
lock for the tail planes.
These can be installed and UNDERCARRIAGE DETAILING you are done! For the wings, I the resin wings, tailplane,
removed as you like, which I installed some buckles use flap-down resin wing set tail-fins and parts of
is something revolutionary. on the landing gear using from Wolfpack-Design, Korea. fuselage to check for errors.
Some fishing sinkers added tie-down etched parts from The details are great; I mean For the paint work, I
into the centre fuselage as Infini-model 1:72 Tie Down those panel lines and rivets pre-shaded the aircraft with
ballast and increase some Point and Device Set A just don't look like resin after MODO M-002 Pure Black,
weight so that the aircraft (IMP-72001R1). With only you've primed it. What I can following with Tamiya
will not 'wheelie'. For cockpit two parts, the buckle is complain about this set is XF-63 German Grey, Gunze
and ejection seat detailing, movable to fits any hooks the fitting problem, although 73 Intermediate Blue,
I used coloured etched-parts from all directions. For it's very minor; just fix them Gunze 43 Wood Brown and
from Dream Model. They those areas where the panel with plastic plates, putty and highlighted the panels and
are easy to use and good lines and rivets disappear couple of rounds of sanding. hatches with Gunze 308 and
value! This time, I began after sanding, I re-scribed The biggest fitting problem then pre-shaded the panel
with the ordnance first. I and riveted and then on this kit is the on the lines with MODO M-002
primed all the weapons with double-checked by using nose area. By using Tamiya again. After that I sprayed
Mr Finishing Surface 1500 Tamiya Panel Line Accent cement, three-second glue, different shades of grey onto
Grey after removing all the Color (Black). With this bar clamps and Perfect the aircraft: mixed with a
seam-lines with a ceramic method, you will see at a Plastic Putty, I managed to little blue and brown, plus
scraper. Some rivets were glance and it's very easy to fill the gaps and fix almost some white on the hatches/
covered by surfacer so I find which panel lines or everything including panel panels for colour variation
deepened them again with a rivets you've missed. Wash it lines and rivets. It's fun, using Gunze 308, 315, 337
sharp needle. away with Zippo fluid when it's really fun... I primed and white.

This shot shows the An underside view
relatively small size of shows the formidable
a 1:72 Super Hornet array of weaponry the
F/A-18F can carry

Wolfpack's
‘flap-down’ set was
used to good effect

February 2020
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