hpetiers

after the airbrushing of the slightly lighter shade I was content enough to more on to the next step: adding the black stripe on the back. It took a while to find the right info on the net but it was good that I persisted: The zone on the decal instructions is incorrect. So first taped off the right shape, using the squadron number as a reference for the kink in the lining: and see there, black back on my Rhino!

Finally I put some color on! I though that the middle grey 307 from Mr color was a tad dark, so I decided to add to the next pass some 30% light grey 308. Before I would do that I sprinkled some water and coarse salt onto the upper surfaces to add some patchy wear. This way the salt crystals would act as a mask for the lighter shade.

hi themongoose and other modellers, indeed it seems like the largest challenges like the fit of the parts is now behind me. Also Revell supplied me with a new canopy within 2 weeks. Good service Revell! after some polishing of the new canopy the parts were ready to be assembled: after which all was glued to the aircraft and small gaps being taken care of: So forward we go again!

hello gentlemen, thanks for your support! In the mean time Revell is sending me a new canopy so I guess I will be having it in a few days. That has not kept me away from progressing with my build. Panels have been filled with white primer:

in the mean time the fuel tank came out pretty good! the aircraft is completely black by now and then I made a made a big booboo, holding the whole thing upside down I dropped it from 10 cm onto the desk. I expected the crack that I heard to be one of the tails, but they were ok. just to make sure I checked the canopy under the tape... oops, cracked! so better to repair now than when all the paint is on. Luckily the canopy broke free cleanly. So my dearest friends at Revell abteilung X, could you please send me a new canopy? oh yes, and I need to pinch the handle and the rear view mirror from under the front glass... bummer! But never mind I will keep on painting until the new canopy arrives...

hi Chrish, yes this project is giving me a chance to improve many of my skills! I am happy that all the steps in between have come to this result so far. There was a moment where I had sawn the model nearly in 2 and I risked an utter failure. But now that I know how to do it I would lover to build Revells hopefully future F version too (if they dare to release it, looking at the critiques this model has received). So Mel, if you ask me then the Revell kit has the potential to become a very good representation of a Super Hornet but one really needs to put effort in overcoming its pitfalls (spine hump and 2 mm in width/height the most obvious and annoying ones). I have not built the Trumpeter kit but I am told that this one has some oddities too. So until something better comes up I think this one is still good value for money!

and we have the first colour on! Painted the tails red on the outside, then put on tape for protecting it against the next layer of black. Though there is a decal for the black tail stripe I do not trust it to conform well to the features on the tail. It is also made for the Trumpeter kit so i have no idea how well it would fit. next is the black: Always a magical moment when the tape comes off, isn't it? Also the surface structure is nicely visible here. I think this is where the Revell kit really shines: Too bad that there wasn't any decal for the stripes of the fuel tank included. Luck wants it that I also have the revell super hornet in 1:144 in my stash. After enlarging the decal sheet 4.5x I could use the stripes as a template. With a sheet of plastic on top of the printed sheet I could put some tamiya tape on and cut out the stripes: It will be ok!

somehow I had to delay the paint job again because I wanted to check the pilons and some of the ordnance... and that was a good thing to do! First I painted the bombs with some thick Revell aqua paint and a flat brush to mimick the fire resistant coating. Then I checked the position of the bombs on the pilons. Turns out that each bomb is mounted 3mm too far back. See below, first the photo, then how I positioned it, then how Revell proposed it. Someone at Revell has been sleeping! Also the AMRAAM rails are too far backwards. So I removed all the inserts and added new pins in the right position. Bit unnecessary really. I also concluded that the gap of the tails would haunt me further in the build, so I decided to mount them now. I think it was a good thing to do. filled and sanded: and in primer: hopefully now REALLY ready for paint!

While I am writing this update I notice that it has been a month since I posted last. Many things happened but not stuff that would make a photo interesting. Meanwhile I have decided to put all weaponry, hardpoints and other things together (except landing gear) and get everything primed. this required a lot of sanding, filling and sometimes swearing. Boring job but in the end it would make the priming effort much more efficient. quick overview By the primer it is very easy to see imperfections that still need work, but now also Revell's nice surface structure is visible much easier. The canopy has been closed and blended in with the fuselage: Next step is to paint the whole thing black and to fill all panels with irregular clouds of white paint. this way some of this contrast will show through when I apply the final layer of grey, giving my Super Hornet a faded and used look. At least that is the theory!

Hi Shawn, indeed it took me long enough to get this far. Time to get the canopy on and start some serious painting!

Hi Peter, thanks for your explanation! My version of the Super Hornet is of the year 2011 so that makes it more likely to have the JHMCS. Now that I have painted the figure after the hottest days of summer, I can say that I will go for this one! This is the figure painted: this is a comparison with the much larger Tamiya figure. I made the overall a bit more pink to match the picture from mr. Melampy's awesome book better: the cockpit has the ejection seat installed and is ready to get the pilot on board: and then finally the pilot is in his seat, time to close up the cockpit! for the fact that he is smaller than the Tamiya one, I think he fist just right.

hi Kev, indeed they are quite expensive, even at a place which is only 3 hours driving away from Revell's head office in Bunde, like 100 euro's. Luckily I received a test shot for free but I felt obligated to build it fast and write a review article.

hello 1:144 fans! for IPMS the Netherlands I have built a test shot of their incredible AN-225, the largest aircraft in the world. And also the largest aircraft I ever built. Complete build report can be found in MIP #3 of IPMS the Netherlands. Enjoy and have a relaxiing vacation.

hi themongoose, indeed when all is in one color you always appreciate the surface detail and smoothness of the surface more! now that I was almost ready to close up the cockpit, I took one last chance to make up my mind about the following. Look at what the postman brought me this week: pilot with JHMCS system. I figured that this is the last moment I have to make up my mind on it. Putting him in the seat looks like this.I think he is a bit better to scale than the Tamiya pilot because hiw helmet does not stick out from above the ejection seat (and with ejecting through the canopy that would not be such a good idea, would it?): Not bad I would think, although the head is considerably narrower that the Tamiya pilot: In all fairness, the Tamiya pilot looks a bit bulky even if you don't compare him to the JP productions one. I think I will paint the JP pilot anyway and see how it turns out. My guess would be that if the Super Hornet went on a combat mission, the logical thing to take for the pilot would be to use this JHMCS helmet. But if anyone knows what the most accurate scenario would be here, I'm open to any comments!

thanks for your support in this one gentlemen! it loos like the most risky work has been done by now. in the mean time the cockpit is as good as ready. pilot and seat got a coat of flat varnish: and a set of resin wheels were delievered to my house. I noticed that the Revell wheels are much too square and have no thread on the tyres: Just finished the primer on the fuselage: surface detail is quite good, no seams visible anymore!