RAAF F/A-18A Hornet

by Lawrence Aphoy
 

Revell-Monogram's 1/48 scale F/A-18C is available online from Squadron

After much deliberation, the F/A-18A Hornet was chosen to replace the aging Mirages in Australian service. The Hornet faced stiff competition from such aircraft as the F-16, Harrier and the Mirage 2000 but eventually won out due to its wide muli-role capabilities.

For my version of the RAAF Hornet I chose the Revell-Monogram kit. This model started life out as an F/A-18C, but since the RAAF doesn’t fly this particular model I had to back date this aircraft to an A model which they do fly. This meant cutting out the two bulges behind the canopy, filling in the extra vents under the nose, modifying the tail, etc.

The Revell-Monogram Hornet kit goes together without any problems. Perhaps the only area where you might encounter some difficulty is if you decide to re-scribe all panel lines. I found this fact to be especially true as I tried to re-scribe the panel lines around the intakes of the plane. The curved nature of this area made it hard for my template to conform to the surface of the intake.

As can be seen from the photos, I cut the flaps and leading edge of the aircraft. All the weapons came from the kit except for the extra fuel tank, which came courtesy of the spare box.

Essentially, building this kit was uneventful except for the re-scribing.

The colours used were from Gunze-Sangyo and were sprayed on using a Lenco 301 airbrush. I applied a light wash to model to accentuate the panel line.

Decals chosen for this kit came from Roodecal. This decal set allows you to build a Hornet from any squadron (3, 75, 77 and OCU squadrons) and as bonus there are decals to build the F-111C from 1& 6 Squadron (camouflaged versions). However as these decals are not sealed, they need to be sealed. I sprayed on a light coat of Tamiya Clear to do this. This preparation beforehand just enabled the decals to dry thoroughly before decal application.

Roodecal’s MA-16 sheet is still available but may be hard to find. Thankfully, Hawkeye Models and Aussie Decals are two local manufacturers that make decals for the various RAAF squadrons that fly the Hornet.

Overall this was a nice model to build. It also compliments my 75 Sqn Mirage!.
 

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Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2002 by Lawrence Aphoy
Page Created 26 January, 2003
Last Updated 17 March, 2004

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