Academy F18 A / CF-118 A

[TimHepplestone]

Next on the bench will be Academy’s big Hornet.I’ll be building it as the Canadian CF -118 version flown during operation Mobile in Libya 2011. Any advise as to a reasonable load out and has anyone got any experience with the kit? Thanks all

[Dave Williams]

Plenty of reviews of the Academy Hornet kit on the net.  It’s a good kit.  One of the known issues is that the main gear can start to splay out over time.  If you can find it, the G-factor gear is recommended.

Edited February 21, 2020 by Dave Williams

[chrish]

I've built a couple, I liked them. Good fit, detailing etc. If I could make one suggestion, be careful of the fit of the lower rear panels, behind the main gear bays that wrap around the engines with a horizontal seam to the tail pipes. They can be hard to fit if you follow the instructions. As indicated above, there are some great build threads you can have a look at to possibly help with any pitfalls in the kit. Otherwise it's great! have fun and post pics. I know I'll be looking at them!

I can't say the main gear has been any problem on my kits though and one is more than 10 years old. 

 

[Finn]

Technically it's CF-188 not CF-118, anyway here is a listing of bombs dropped during that operation:

 

 

Ordnance expended
500-pound bombs, GBU-12 type	495
2,000-pound bombs, GBU-10 type	188
500-pound bombs, GBU-38 type	11
2,000-pound bombs, GBU-31 type	2

 

Jari

[Neo]

Based on budgets this is different loadout that where common

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2020 by Neo

[USMC Herc]

Neo are these really classified as smart weapons?

[Neo]

3 minutes ago, USMC Herc said:

Neo are these really classified as smart weapons?

 

They are but testing has revealed that smartness varies....