Subject: Re: ARC Gallery Sumbission - F/A-18A Hornet by Philip Jones
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Philip Jones" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 12:26:27 -0800

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Philip Jones 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2007 11:29 AM
  Subject: ARC Gallery Sumbission - F/A-18A Hornet by Philip Jones

  1/48 Hasegawa F/A-18A Hornet 

  by Philip Jones 

  -------------------

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 01.jpg here  

  This is a McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A Hornet in the markings of VFC-12 "Fighting Omars" of the US Navy.

  This model was one of the builds I most wanted to do for a long time. It was also one of those projects that kept on delaying until I felt I could do the subject justice. After buying the Twobobs decal sheet for the Aggressor Hornets of VFC-12, I put the idea to the back of my mind – at the time I was building F-4s and F-16s mostly. It was only when I came across the "A" boxing of the Hasegawa Hornet at IPMS Avon's annual show that I realised I would have a use for it and I would be able to have that gorgeous camo-bug on my display shelf.

  THE KIT

  I always intended to use a Hasegawa kit for this project as it was the best choice for the level of detail, but the price of a new kit (around £35) was always a factor that made me decide against going for it at any particular time. When I found an older boxing of the kit for a good price it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

  CONSTRUCTION

  Starting with the cockpit, I used the kit parts along with a True Details seat and my first go at scratch building – a small section of oxygen hose for which I wrapped one strand of electrical wire around a piece of solder. This was then flexible enough to be bent into shape before I added it to the cockpit.

  Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 06.jpg 

  The rest of the construction of the model was pretty smooth - I spent a little while filling and sanding the areas around the intakes and fuselage sides as well as adding a small amount of filler to the outside of the base of the tail fins as there was a step left here.

  PAINTING

  Before painting the blue camouflage scheme I primed the model using Halfords Grey Primer, which gave a good smooth base for the colours.

  I started by spraying the white of the nose cone and the grey areas on the wings and rear fuselage which I then masked off before spraying the blues. The blues were mixed from Humbrol enamels and this was a major point that would stall me for a number of weeks.

  After spraying the lighter blue, I masked off the scheme with Tamiya tape and then sprayed the darker blue. On removing the masking tape I realised that the lighter blue was quite seriously "off" and looked more like turquoise against the darker shade. This was quite a disappointment to realise I'd got the colour mix so wrong and I did nothing further to the model for a few weeks, until I had found enough motivation to continue. The course of action I decided on was to mask off the darker blue and re-spray the lighter blue once I had mixed a colour I was happier with.

  Click on images below to see larger images

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 07.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 07.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 08.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 08.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 09.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 09.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 10.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 10.jpg 

  I felt my second attempt was much closer to the "proper" shades and after removing the masks I sprayed a couple coats of Johnson's Klear before applying the decals.

  DECALS

  The Twobobs sheet includes decals for an "A" and a "B" of VFC-12, in blue and brown camouflage respectively. The number of decals I needed to apply was relatively few and this was a good thing in my opinion as applying lots of stencil data is a step that always takes me a few "sessions" to complete.

  Click on images below to see larger images 

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 11.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 11.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 12.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 12.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 13.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 13.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 14.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 14.jpg 

  WEATHERING

  I applied a light wash made from chalk pastels, to keep weathering light but to accentuate the panel lines a litte.

  After weathering I sprayed a couple coats of Humbrol Matt Cote to finish off – and final construction of undercarriage, canopy and pylons was completed.

  CONCLUSIONS

  Did I ever say that I love US Aggressors? I must have done somewhere, sometime - repeatedly. I think the blue camouflage colour scheme with the white nose and "Faux-Flanker" markings look beautiful. I'm glad I found the motivation (and the kit) to do this project as it's "that model" that I always look at when I pass my shelf – The Hasegawa kit is overall very good, but can be quite tricky to build. The Twobobs decals were excellent and very easy to apply.

  The day after I completed this model, it was displayed on the IPMS Avon table at the Scale Modelworld show in Telford, UK. Our display theme was "Support - The Unsung Heroes" and the Hornet was part of the Training section. 

  REFERENCES

  I used many photo references that were available on the Internet at the following sites:

  Airliners.net

  Alert 5 – has an excellent, extensive gallery of Fighting Omars Hornets

  PBase

  Happy Modelling,

  Phil

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 15.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 15.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 16.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 16.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 17.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 17.jpg 

   

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 18.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 18.jpg 
       Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 19.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 19.jpg 

   

        Steve Bamford will insert full sized version of photo 02.jpg here 

  Photos and text © by Philip Jones