crobinsonh Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 (edited) Well having almost completed the Sea Fury I have decided to build a US jet (I did start the Trumpeter F1a Lightning but that has been on hold since April 09 as there are SO many things to correct). I have picked the F/A 18D Hornet from Academy that I picked up at Yeovilton airday in 2006. I have stared on the Ejector seats and have used both the Verlinden and DACO books on the Hornet. The ejector seats and the cockpit are a mix of Blackbox, Eduard and Academy ...and one closer shot to show all the mistakes! Apologies for the dark photographs - there is a lack of contrast on the seat cushions where I have actually painted the "sweat and wear" of where the pilots sit. I am afraid that I do not have a great lighting setup and at this time of year the natural light is poor. Next stop the cockpit... Edited July 2, 2015 by crobinsonh Whitey and Mr Smith 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big matt Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Those seats look great. I really like the color changes on the cushions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marek Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Very convinced looking seats! Good start,mate. Keep it going Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richter111 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Great looking seats, good details on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crobinsonh Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 In the mood of keeping it going... Left console and right console. Here is where I started to fill and fix the moulding errors that I believe are in all Academy Hornet models. I still need to correct the damaged panel line off the mould on the right hand side of the model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crobinsonh Posted January 8, 2010 Author Share Posted January 8, 2010 I have undercoated the cockpit sills etc ready to spray with black and then scratch as I noticed in the DACO book there are lots of scratches on these areas. I also painted the Aires resin, front undercarriage bay - although I did find it very difficult to photograph. Next up is the consoles - I have spent a fair amount of time adding switches and other missing details from the Blackbox cockpit set that the DACO book shows are missing. Kind regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daywalker Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 Excellent work so far, love those seats! I have the "C" model which I started a while back, but put aside after a failed attempt at straightening the warped wings. I'm curious to hear how yours look. Will definitely be keeping an eye on your build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Roof Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 I'm not sure how picky you are with regard to accuracy, so this is just a friendly FYI......If you are building a current F/A-18D, you may want to replace those seats. Here are the BuNo breakdowns for the two seats used on the C/D Hornet: SJU-5/6 ejection seat - F/A-18C/D BuNo 163427 thru 164068 SJU-17 NACES ejection seat - F/A-18C/D BuNo 164196 thru 165532 Look at the decal sheet for the aircraft you are building. If the BuNo falls in the sequence at the top, the seats you have are correct. If the BuNo falls in the sequence on the bottom, you may want to get the SJU-17 NACES seats produced by Legends Productions. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crobinsonh Posted January 9, 2010 Author Share Posted January 9, 2010 Thanks everyone for the comments - I will check the BuNo for the kit supplied decals and see if there is a match. Here is a quick shot of the cockpit - a mix of Academy, Eduard, Blackbox and scratch. and with the seats popped in. I will try to get some better shots later. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Colin, I really like what you have done so far - the seats are especially impressive . I have the old Hasegawa 1/32 F-18 (Pre-production development model), which I am not quite sure what to do with? (probably too much work to update it to a current model?). I shall watch this build with interest, as I have a lot to learn about Hornets! Regards Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Roof Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I have the old Hasegawa 1/32 F-18 (Pre-production development model), which I am not quite sure what to do with? (probably too much work to update it to a current model?). I shall watch this build with interest, as I have a lot to learn about Hornets! Regards Derek With the Academy kit available, it is not worth the trouble to update the Hasegawa kit. However, what you could do (just an idea mind you) is get the Academy kit and some aftermarket items (cockpit, landing gear, etc.), then use the leftover Academy parts to improve the Hasegawa kit. Now you have really nice builds of both the FSD/Pre-production Hornet and a current machine. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 With the Academy kit available, it is not worth the trouble to update the Hasegawa kit. However, what you could do (just an idea mind you) is get the Academy kit and some aftermarket items (cockpit, landing gear, etc.), then use the leftover Academy parts to improve the Hasegawa kit. Now you have really nice builds of both the FSD/Pre-production Hornet and a current machine. Dave Good idea Dave! I had been considering going in the other direction for a while - A Northrop YF-17 Cobra? Thanks Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marek Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 Very nice progres on the model. Keep up the good work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
periklis_sale Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 excellent work so far mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crobinsonh Posted January 13, 2010 Author Share Posted January 13, 2010 Still not great shots - however the best I am going to get at the moment Rear cockpit minus side stick and control stick Front cockpit with pretty much all of the switches replaced as they where either to short or broken etc. Front cockpit just viewed from the other side. Cockpit now installed in the front fuselage halves. I also have most of the rear of the Hornet together apart from the intakes - I need to order the D-Mold intakes There are no additional fitments connecting ejector seats to the cockpit or the pull cords etc. I will try to get some other shots of the fuselage closed up etc. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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