1/72 Hasegawa F/A-18C Hornet
I know, it's hard to get too excited about a teen series. And yet, it must be done: what respectable modeler worth his Tamiya tape doesn't have at least a couple teen series models collecting dust on a shelf?
I don't recall why I decided on the Hasegawa F/A-18C. It's not the best kit out there, but it's decent: more flash than I'd expect from Hasegawa, but otherwise parts fit well and there is good engraved detail for a kit of this era (early 2000's). The fuselage comes in top and bottom halves, which means there are minimal seams: just a small one on either side of the nose and on the sides behind both wings.
Weapons options are pretty slim: a pair of Sidewinders and a pair of Sparrows (alternatively there are some electronic warfare options). Who's ever heard of an F/A-18 without bombs? C'mon! I suspect this is all just a racket to have you purchase Hasegawa's weapons extras, which, of course I did because I'm a stooge. I settled on a pair of Mk 83's under each wing. Markings are pretty sweet for this particular release: VMFA-232 Red Devils and VFA-195 Dambusters.
But, the decals are too bright. The yellow formation light panels are really yellow, not the more subdued/faded yellow one typically sees on these aircraft. After applying the decals but before weathering, this thing really looked like a toy, all shiny and bright. I was getting a little worried, but things seemed to settle down by the end. I was moderately successful in toning down some of the brighter colors with a light dusting of white pigment:
The Hornet is gray, but most photographs show a rather mottled finish, with a mosaic of gray tones due to weathering, repairs, and so on. I tried to build up this look in a sequence of steps: first, black primer (Stynelrez) that I covered with white wormies:
Next, the plan was lightly apply the base coat, Mr. Color 307 (FS 36320). But, because I'm an i***t, I applied the lighter Mr. Color 308 (FS 36375) instead, which is actually meant for the underside of the aircraft. Fearing a second full coat of the 307 would kill the subtle mottling, I instead applied the 307 in little wormies, much like the white above. I also masked around a few random rectangles to simulate repairs in various places:
After a clear coat and decals, I applied a Tamiya Dark Gray enamel pin wash. Next, I blended some white oils onto the wings and fuselage create some subtle color variation:
To round out the weathering, I dusted off my Mig Shaders and applied some Dirt color around the nose canon and engine vents on the underside of the fuselage. I created some streaking grime with Abteilung 502 Sepia and Burnt Umber, and blended in some Mig Oilbrushers Starship Filth to simulate more broadly dispersed grime.
Engine nozzles were done with Alclad Exhaust Manifold with some Pale Burnt Metal highlights.
I tried a new approach to ordnance markings: rather than painting the base color on the missile first and then masking around and painting markings, I decided to apply the paint for the markings first, then used Tamiya 1 mm tape where the markings would go:
Much cleaner this way, and you're guaranteed to have markings of uniform size.
That's all for now. Thanks for having a look!
Excellent build, Brian!
Fantastic painting and weathering!
Thanks Spiros! Appreciated!
Nice job, Brian. Like the in progress pics too.
Amazing Hornet, Brian @bapowellphys
The weathering is very realistic.
Hard to believe this is 1/72, it looks much bigger.
@bapowellphys - Very cool build Brian! Doesn't seem like the mistaken main body color had a negative impact on the final result at all. It looks great!
It’s not hard to get excited about an F-18 Brian! Especially one that looks as good as that. Love the hornet.
I was sad to see the RAAF hornets retire in Australia. We have the F-35 but to me, they just aren’t the spectacle that the F-18’s were.
Great job on this kit. The weathering in particular looks spot on.
One hot Hornet! With just enough weathering.
Looks great, Brian, your weathering techniques worked very well. I’m not sure what a “teen” kit is though.
Thanks! The “teen series” are the F-14, -15, -16, and -18.
Excellent Hornet, Brian! Weaponry and weathering turned out awesome!
Great looking Hornet Brian. Ben mentioned earlier that it's a shame to see them coming to the end of service with some forces. But they looked good in Top Gun Maverick 😊
Very nicely done! I have a handful of Hasegawa F/A-18's in the stash, and have been meaning to get to one soon. They are all "boring" grey, but they can also be pretty grimy, which creates a palette for weathering, as you've pulled off nicely!