Hasegawa 1/48 F/A-18F Super Hornet

Ok...this looks more like what I've been waiting for. Though I'm puzzled by what appears to be two sets of vertical tails included in the kit - they don't look like tail halves if you look closely at the enlargement...whassupwiddat?

The intake trunks look believable...FINALLY! And the tanks look nice - good shape and with properly done aft attach points. Good job.

Also - from the look of the cockpit combing under the windscreen, Hasagawa has scaled up their 1/72 kit part. In 1/48 this will be a noticable flaw - easily corrected by replacment with a resin part from an F/A-18C or D cockpit for us AMS-challenged types. (...or maybe Black Box to the rescue.)

If this is true it'll be interesting to find out if they corrected the slightly off-center placement of the moldings of the ECS AUX scoops and heat exchanger exhausts as molded in the 1/72 part.

Can't wait to get a close look at this one...

What are you talking about on the vertical tails? Each tail is in two halves (right and left) and the rudders are separate parts. They are on the sprue with the stabs and gear.

A couple of minor corrections to the review. First, the Hasegawa box does have a small blue square on the side of the box that identifies it as a "Boeing Officially Licensed Product". Also, the walkaround book in the box is for the first production run of the kit (i.e. it won't be in later reissues of the kit), it isn't just something that people who bought the kit at the Nats got.

In case anyone is interested, I made some initial comments on the kit after I got it on Thursday.

- Overall nice general quality, as we've come to expect from Hasegawa

- Decals for VFA-103 and VFA-102

- Folding wing option! There are cutlines inside the wings and a simplified one-piece hinge piece to join the inner and outer wings in the folded position.

- The "knee" part of the MLG struts is done as two parts. One side is molded as part of the one-piece strut, and the other side of the joint is a separate part that allows it to look 3-D put together. Much better than the R-M knee joint. Overall, gear and wheels better than R-M.

- The large vents in the outside of the intake, just aft of the side lip are molded as just depressions, not all the way through like the R-M. R-M wins that round.

- For the cockpit, the detail on the R-M IP seems superior, but the detail on the Hasegawa side consoles seems a little better. NO sidewall detail!

- No "5-wet". You only get 4 tanks, no centerline tank (unless you put one of the four there) or refueling store. Another tank/store was previously seen on sprue shots, but they must be saving it for another release.

- The first production run of the kit includes a 8 page booklet of color walkaround-style photos of the kit subjects. External shots only, no cockpit.

- As expected, stores are 4 tanks, 2 AIM-9X, 2 AIM-120, and an ATFLIR.

- Intake ducts are deep, running to the fan face just aft of the MLG bays.

- The vent in the nosewheel door that R-M did by molding the door in clear and using a screen decal is just done by a decal in the Hasegawa kit. The decal is actually the only representation of this screen as there is no molded in detail on the exteroir of the door. Kind of disappointing and an area where R-M's way looks better.

- Overall, detail on the inside of the gear boors and in the gear bays seems a little less than the R-M kit, but maybe a bit crisper. Also, the insides of the gear doors have lots of ejector pin marks.

- The panel lines on the exterior and wings are very fine and crisp.

- Of course, dropped flaps optional and rudders are separate.

- The stabs are linked by an internal bar like the R-M kit but, unlike the R-M kit, the exhausts are deeper because they go all the up to this bar.

- Some small sinkmarks in the upper fuselage, inboard of the wingroots, where there is internal bracing for the tabs used to attach the wings.

Dave

Yeah - that's what I was looking at. Looking (closely) at the photos, it looks as if the relief on the structure at the bottom and tops of the tails is posverse on each part. And that way they don't appear to mirror image - so it looks like there are two sets. A clearer picture would help...maybe it's an illusion.

That's depressing...

I can live without it.

Note that there are perforated doors over the wingfold - hope the cut lines show how to free these, and how to place them.

I'm very interested in seeing Hasegawa's landing gear...

Needle file.

Black Box to the rescue...as I mentioned, the forward cockpit glareshield is pretty notable.

Didn't see a part for the ALE-50 standoff in the shots on Cybermodeler - but it's easily scratch built.

Yawn...

Eduard to the rescue...

Well done with the flap parts!

Not worth the effort - seeing as the stabs move differentially, and a builder might want to park them that way. They can end up one drooped, one level post shutdown.

Gotta have one.

You cut out the wingfold cover from the top wing and reuse it for the folded wing.

You mean the little V-shaped guard on the tailhook mount? It's in there.

Some people think it's nice that they included it.

Great - that's the way I'd have done it. Mods to follow...

Good again. Starting to get the impression that they didn't post pics of all of the sprues...or I that mistook it for a pilot's arm or something...

Yeah, I could see that. There aren't a lot of good shots of Super Hornets floating around as of yet. BTW - there are about three variants of F model cockpits in the mix at present...oops...make it four, if you count the Trainers...

One interesting thing to note is that all of the art work for the CAG jets is painted on at the factory before delivery. At least it was for the initial deliveries. It's as nice as it'll ever be...until Corosion Control gets at it. Enjoy the pics.

All the sprues in the kit are shown on the Cybermodler review, except a little sprue of four polycaps.

The ALE-50 guard is in this picture

, at the top middle, just above the long vertical rod, which is the tailhook.

HTH.

Dave

Ah - I see it!