This is my 1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18C, which I completed about 6 or 7 years ago, and which I managed to take some photos of when I was last home.  I can’t remember everything I did to the model, nor all the problems I had, but I thought I would show you guys some photos of the model anyway.  I used the Verlinden F-18 detail set, and I remember being satisfied with the level of detail and the fit of the pieces generally, though don’t ask me whether or not it is accurate to the last detail – it fit my references closely enough for me.  I liked the fact that it gave me the wingfold detail, and included some Harpoons (I have always like the look of Harpoons on a Hornet).

I started with the cockpit, which was done in the usual way, with no major dramas that I recall.  It was my first time using PE parts, though, and I remember making some errors with some of the canopy rail pieces.  I didn’t realise there was as trick to bending PE parts, and ended up just using my fingers (!).  I managed to rescue the situation, and in the third pic below you can just see some of the scratch-built detail I added to the canopy rails.

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I don’t remember adding much detail to the gears or wheel bays – the white metal parts of the kit come out OK as they are, with just a little wiring and some RBF tags.  If I did the model now, though, I would probably add more detail and further weathering.  In the picture of the main wells, you can see how close the centreline fuel tank comes to the bay doors – I don’t know if this was a fault with the kit or with my building, but it was a real squeeze to get everything to fit without touching.

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I am almost certain the load-out is not realistic, but I just thought the combination of weapons looked cool.  I used the Harpoons included in the Verlinden Detail Kit, drilling out the rear end, inserting some tubing to make it look like an engine, and scribing some extra detail on the body.  I used Sidewinders (AIM-9L) from Hasegawa Weapons Set C, scratch-building the protection covers from styrene rod and stretched sprue, and adding some ubiquitous RBF tags.  The GBU-12s are from Hasegawa’s Weapons Set B, and have the seeker heads dropped. 

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The model was painted overall grey with my trusty Aztec, and lightly weathered with an oil wash of burnt umber (I think), and some very light drybrushing.  The decals were from the kit, and I added a load of random stencils to the weapons and other areas, but unfortunately the decals were too old, and some have yellowed.   

Overall, I am quite pleased with the final result – I think the weapons in particular make the completed model more striking.  Hope you enjoy …  

Andrew 

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