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Revell F/A 18C Hornet "Swiss Air Force" (04874); Build review.
Topic Started: Mar 30 2014, 08:40 PM (2,216 Views)
DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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A link to the in-box review of this kit can be found here

Originally a Monogram product and as such has their trademarks......a fairly basic kit containing few parts for such a large aircraft but with excellent detail with raised and recessed panel lines.

Front instrument panel would shame more modern tooled kits....superb !

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The wheel wells are also very well detailed and a wash is all thats needed to bring out all that detail once painted.

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The cockpit consists of the tub , instrument panel , Joystick and throttle handle.....the ejection seat is also well detailed and made up from 4 parts is more than adequate , maybe just some tape harnesses to finish things off. ( sorry but I accidentally deleted the photo for the bang seat , Ill post another later :$ )

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The fuselage is horizontally split with the centre section of the wing on the lower part so I was expecting gaps , filling and sanding and this kit didnt disappoint !
The fit along the leading edge extensions and the wings left a lot to be desired but after a fairly brutal sand , fill and sand session Ive managed to get to this stage in a very short space of time.

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Ive also added the engines and the nose which will need a bit of filling.

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Seems to be a decent sized kit and even though it needs a bit of filler here and there for the purchase price (approx £16 ) Id say its well worth the extra effort.
More of the build soon .

Andy



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jacksdad64
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Aikidoka
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:blink: blimey, thats gone together a bit quick.

Have you decided on which scheme you will be doing?

Steve
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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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jacksdad64
Mar 31 2014, 06:10 AM
:blink: blimey, thats gone together a bit quick.

Have you decided on which scheme you will be doing?

Steve
Black fin ...Panthers :wub:

Andy
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jacksdad64
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Aikidoka
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Phoooaaarrrrrr!!!! :nerd:
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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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Ive had to add a bit of filler along the fuselage seams to get flush joins and then I added the intake assembly which consists of a splitter plate and the outer intake to which is added the Sparrow recess bays.
Once again more filling and sanding and plenty of gaps that had to be filled with Delux putty.

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Added the aileron actuators (?) parts 44,45,46 to both wings.

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HUD added and front canopy added to fuselage with PVA and Ive added the main canopy to the canopy frame then left both to dry overnight.
The instructions have you adding the twin tails but for ease of painting I will leave them off and add after decaling.
Even though this kit is far from a shake and bake kit I can honestly say Im enjoying the build :yes:

Andy
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BGB
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Hello,

Nice work on the Hornet!

Cheers
Boris
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Johni044
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John
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Certainly not shake and bake, but I find these builds somehow more enjoyable. Great work Andy, nice choice of schemes as well.
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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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Thanks Boris :)

Johni044
 
Certainly not shake and bake, but I find these builds somehow more enjoyable.


Exactly ....even though its quite labour intensive Im finding this build more satisfying than a "shake and bake" kit .

Ok ....more troubles encountered ! :D

I test fitted the fins and even though I would of preferred leaving them off I decided to add them due to a not so good fit :-/

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I then tackled the undercarriage ....oh dear !! :fp:
I dont know if its a mould fault or not but there is only one support on the wheelbay :wall:

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Test fit reveals ......not a chance of that nose leg supporting any weight !

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After a bit of thought I realised that my "Tornado" method of nose support would work , so out with a drill and aluminium tubing and 10 minutes later.....

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Just need to dril a hole in the wheel bay too.........

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Voila !!

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As for the main u/c legs .......I felt like shooting myself .... sorry Monogram /Revell but no way will just a plug fitting , into a hole thats too big , support the kit.
I had to use the "Nuclear Option" on the main u/c legs .....5 minute Epoxy resin..... and pray it works ! :D

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So up to now its been a lot of effort BUT I really am enjoying the build :)

Andy

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jacksdad64
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Aikidoka
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This is what this hobby is all about. :whistle:

Kits that drive you mad but make up for it in the satisfaction of making a good looking kit.
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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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Too true Steve :)

After Priming with Vallejo Acrylic -Urethane Grey I thought I would dabble in the black art ( to me at least ! ) that is pre-shading .......

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Ive tried and failed many times to get the right amount of paint on the kit and still see the shading.
I sprayed Xtracrylix Light Compass Grey on the lower surfaces and then Dark Compass Grey on the upper and to my surprise I can still see the shading so I will count this as a success :yipee:

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I will mask off the outer surfaces of the fins tomorrow ready for painting Black.

Andy
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Disorder
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Still trying my damnedest!
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That looks great , Andy.
Your efforts are certainly paying off.
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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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Apologies needed :$
Remember the "missing" nose leg support ......I found it :grins:
I normally leave the u/c doors off until the end of the build as I am prone to knocking them off .
In stage 25 of the instructions you should add the front wheel doors ......including part number 25 as shown...NOTE the nose leg has been added at this stage .

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Part 25 has the side of the nose wheel well on it ....including a small "U" shape recess for the nose leg as pointed out by the red tip on the cocktail stick !!

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Why part 25 would be added AFTER the nose leg is a bit backwards to me ! :hmm:
I had to cut the part to fit as obviously the nose leg got in the way .
Just something to note if you do build one .

Ive added the arrester hook and other details and its now ready for a few cotes of Klear and then decal time :D

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Andy

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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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All the decals are on and again , just like the TU144 kit , they are top drawer .
There is no indication on the sheet that they are Cartograf but they are printed in Italy ....anyone know if Revell have changed decal supplier ??
These decals seem to be a step up from the quality of Cartograf .
One other thing about the decals .....the stencils in particular that go on the underside....they are hardly visible due to being almost the same colour as the cammouflage but there again that is the meaning of Low-Vis markings I suppose ! :D

Anyways.....a teaser photo.

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Busy tomorrow , Im off to go and look at real aircraft at RAF Coningsby but should have this complete sometime Thursday :D

Andy
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jacksdad64
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Aikidoka
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B) Can't wait to see how this turns out. Looks like it will be another cracker.
Also nice to here of the decals being very good. To many times you here of kits being let down by poor decals.



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Eric2020
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Advanced Member
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The model looks Great! :thumb: Decals i do not know, but Revel do have several suppliers for decals including Daco and Skyhard.
Edited by Eric2020, Apr 23 2014, 09:01 PM.
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Disorder
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Still trying my damnedest!
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Looks fantastic!
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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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Thanks lads ...the great reveal tomorrow ;)

Eric....just realised that the decal sheet was designed by Daco :thumb:

Andy
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DH764
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The Mighty Fin
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As promised .....

Revell 1/48 F/A-18C Hornet Swiss Air force , 18 Staffel "Panthers" , Payerne AB , 2009.

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Conclusion

Anyone who has just bought Revells F18 Super Hornet kit might be in for a shock if they think this kit is the same quality but nevertheless even though this is an old tool from the early eighties originally released by Monogram , it will build up into a very nice replica of the "Bug" with a bit of extra effort. The parts count is quite low for a big kit but there is some excellent detail to be found , the cockpit is very good as provided in the box and the wheel wells have very nice detailed walls. I thought the pilot figure too good to leave out so hes sat in his office :D
Accuracy wise it looks like a Hornet but for a Swiss Air Force F/A 18 it should have a search-light on the port fuselage side and the Sidewinders should be the later Aim-9 X type but this is being picky. I would of liked there to be drop tanks for the wings inside the box but a trip to the spares box should sort things out if you really want them.
When it comes to price the kit cant be beaten and as mentioned , it is a basic kit but well worth getting for those superb decal options alone !
Decals are designed by DACO and went on with no real problems. I only had to use setting solution for the tail decals which needed to conform over a lot of raised detail but after a single application of Micro-Sol everything bedded perfectly .
So only my second ever Hornet build and judging by how much Ive enjoyed this build probably not my last :D

Many thanks to Revell for the review sample.



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Andy

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Mark M
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Mark M
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very nice mate, expecially with a not so good kit
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Eric2020
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Very stunning build Andy!! :thumb: :clap:
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