1/48 Hasegawa NSAWC F/A-18A

by Tyler White

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My second group build project and I could not be more happy with how it turned out.  I picked this kit up really cheap, to my surprise for only about $25 US.  I used the kit decals, though I would recommend the Fightertown decals for anyone pondering this particular jet as they have a much better product.  The Hasegawa Hornet is unbeatable in this scale, though I am unhappy with its intakes that are left open without fans or anything to keep one from seeing right inside the model.

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I decided to use the Aires resin pit and I am actually very happy with the fit.  What Aires gets right on this set is photo-etch canopy sills that allow you to easily cover up the gap between the resin pit and the plastic of the kit.  I would really have loved it if Aires had taken a similar approach on their F-4 resin tubs!  In retrospect I wish I had gone ahead and covered the intakes and purchased some good cans.  MAW actually has a good set out there with covered cans and intakes, and although I have not tried it, they seem like a logical next step on my next Hornet build.

What really attracted me to this kit (Other than its price) was its paint scheme.  I love the splinters!  They are a challenge but they are not as hard as one would think.  In fact because you don't have to worry about soft lines like most camouflages require, you can simply mask and paint, mask and paint, and so on. I think every NAVY fan needs an NSAWC Hornet in their collection.  If nothing else they are colorful and rare so they can set themselves apart from the other "grey jets" quite easily.  If you do go don this path I highly recommend the Fightertown decals, they are much better than the thick and ungainly Hasegawa decals I struggled through.

Tyler

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Photos and text © by Tyler White