Subject: Re:
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: "Peter Searle" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2007 10:02:52 -0700

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: Peter Searle 
  To: [email-masked] 
  Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 2:23 AM

  Gallery Template #05

  Hasegawa 1/48 F/A-18E  

  by "Tom Searle"
  --------------------

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

  For my first artical on ARC, I'd like to give you my F/A-18E Super Hornet. It took me about 3 months, building it when I had the time. It's probably not the best in the world, as I'm only 14, and havent been doing this very long.

  The Ramble

  Heres the part where I ramble on about the Hasegawa offering of the SuperBug. This one is built completely OOB, construction was fairly smooth, no major hick-ups through out. Unlike the Revell version I like how you can fold the wings, and put the flaps and slats down. Proceeding straight to the next step, I priming whole plane and then airbrushed the base coat base, for which I Revell enamals Mat 72 and Mat 43. It was at this point I stood back to take in the sights and sounds (not that there are many sounds!) of my F-18, but something wasn't right about it... then it hit me, large gaps running down the sides of the Hornet! Why? Well being the idiot I am... I, what normal people call it, just happened to forget about this all important step! Bugger! Oh well, too late to change it now as I had already put some of the decals on.

  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 

  Lessons Learned (a.k.a thing never ever to do again!)

  Have you ever been in the situation where you've accidently put a tiny spot of paint (by 'tiny' I mean 'quite large') on the canopy?? Probably not, as your all pro's, but that beside the point. Well, I happened to put a spot of paint on the forward canopy whilst painting. Instead of dropping everything there and then to tend to this prediciment, I mearly thought "No worrries, it's happened before with arcrylics, I'm sure it's the same with enamles, I'll just put some thinner late". but as it happens, White Spirits doesn't want to be the same as Arcrylic thinners, no way, It would much prefer to cloud up the front canopy permernantly (alot the way superglue does) and never come off! GRRRR!!! So, the lesson here, don't put white spirits on your crystal clear canopies, unless you want them fogged for all of eternity!

  Anyways, life must go on, so on we go. The decals on th Bug came straight from the box. It gives you the option for either the CAG bird from VFA-27 or VFA-115. I spray painted the large areas of semi-gloss black, although decals are provided to cover this. The funky yellows at the top of the vertical fins were a custom mix of Tamyia arcrylic yellows. Weathering was done by applying finely ground chalk pastel, and the wipeing off the execss with a damo tissue.

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

  The Part at the End

  As you can see from the photos, some areas of the airframe need to be touched up a little bit, either in the correct colour, or need to be sprayed with some clear matt. In all, this kit was quite an enjoyable build. Even for someone like me at the mear age of 14, it turned out to be an easy build, giving me a decent looking model in the end.

   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