Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

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Seamus
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Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by Seamus »

Evening guys,

Thought I'd start my thread for my intended contribution to the GB. I'll be using the awesome 1/72 Academy F/A-18A kit to build a Spanish example.

Image

The kit comes with decals for an attractive Tiger aircraft, which should look something like this:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Spain--- ... 1430a6b9fa

I will however be using a little artistic license with the finish as I'm after a fairly well weathered looking jet. Might also opt for two tanks, perhaps with just one in the Tiger colours, just to be a little different, and may throw some weapons on it too, AIM-9Ls at the very least.

Will probably start cutting some plastic tonight during the footy, and it appears the canopy will need some attention to remove the seam down it's length before a customary dip in Klear.

More soon,

Shaun :)
My shots on Flickr and Airliners

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Mr Flibble
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by Mr Flibble »

I shall be watching with interest, Shaun!
Tempted to pick one of these Hornets up - there's a CoNA scheme that I just have to have on my display shelf.

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Seamus
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by Seamus »

Definitely the best in scale mate, you'd do well to pick up one or two of these beauties :D

The CONA schemes are ace, sorely tempted by the three tone scheme for the 'C in the stash :cool:

You at Yeovilton on Saturday?
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Mr Flibble
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by Mr Flibble »

Yeah, they're all gorgeous but the one I like the most is the VFC-12 aircraft.
It's not much more than white stripes on the tail and gloss blue overall but I think it really suits the hornet.

Sorry, not at Yeovilton tomorrow as I need some 'bench time' before Telford.

Hope you have a good day down there matey - we'll have to catch up at SMW.

ArabJazzie
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by ArabJazzie »

Another one for the watch list! :snack:

Once i whittle the stash down a wee bit i may just have to invest in a couple of these for yet another project!
Arabest,
Geoff.
52 in a year! We must be certifiable!

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Seamus
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by Seamus »

Worth the investment Geoff, very nice kits ;)

Progress has been steady on this one, with lots of sub assemblies coming together whilst sorting out the interior. Detail is pretty good for the scale, though as ever a resin replacement seat would do wonders for the office, especially as I'll be posing the canopy open. Maybe next time....

Image

The fit is largely good, but the breakdown of the parts leads to lots of seams popping up, which need careful attention during glueing to minimise clean up later on- the panel lines are extremely fine and will be lost under only a little sanding. I found the rear of the port side fuselage to need a little filling, but otherwise so far only sanding has been required. That is except for the tail fins, which I was hoping could be left off till after painting, but which left a slight gap between themselves and the fuselage. I slapped some Vallejo putty in there before wiping away the excess with a wetted finger, leaving a neat and tidy fill that should require no further sanding :D

Image

Dryfitting of the nose section, which again needed care and attention during glueing, reveals a tricky join lies ahead where the two halves meet on the underside. I'll need to get the undercarriage bays etc sprayed up white first before I tackle that though.

More soon, comments welcomed

Cheers

Shaun :)
My shots on Flickr and Airliners

TomTwin
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by TomTwin »

Great progress as usual! :clap: looking forward to the next update.

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Seamus
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by Seamus »

Cheers chap :up:

Been plodding along on this, with the bulk of construction now done, along with more sanding and filling than I had anticipated, particularly around the nose. I expected the underside fuselage join to be tricky, but a quick fill and sanding was all that was required as the intake splitter plates conceal the worst of it.

Image

The intakes themselves seemed to fit nicely until I glued them, with some nasty steps left on both sides. Nothing a quick bit if filler hasn't sorted though. Still need to smooth it all out before priming. The undercarriage bays have been washed with thinned Tamiya Smoke, with the excess still requiring removal.

Image

One potential problem is the fit of the exhausts, which are of a smaller diameter than the rear fuselage, so I'm thinking of making some FOD covers for them; I guess it would make sense to do the intakes as well, given they have no depth to them.

Thanks for looking,

Shaun :)
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TomTwin
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by TomTwin »

Some good work there :clap: This is coming along nicely. :smile:

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Seamus
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by Seamus »

Thanks Tom :)

It's been a while, with an epic fail in getting this finished for the GB deadline, but I'll keep this thread going anyways. I've now got the Hornet ready for paint. Been a while since I did a preshade, so the shakiness in placed can be put down to being a little rusty :D

Image

Should add some extra variety to the tones of the base colours, which will be post shaded as well for a filthy look

Cheers

Shaun :)
My shots on Flickr and Airliners

TomTwin
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by TomTwin »

Looking good! :smile: I can't help but think I'm the only one reading this at times! :lol: Nevertheless, she's coming on well. can't wait to see how this one will turn out.

ArabJazzie
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Re: Foreign Service GB- EF-18A Hornet

Post by ArabJazzie »

Shaun,
Good to see your still pushing on with this. Cant wait to see the finished article! I failed my FS F-16 as well but its nearly there.
Arabest,
Geoff.
52 in a year! We must be certifiable!

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