Academy F/A-18E 1/72

This is the Academy F/A-18E in 1/72, along with the VFA-137 Kestrels CAG 2011 decals from DXM, Eduard photo etch set, Eduard AIM-120C, and the Def Model FA-18E/F folding wing set. This is my first kit that I used a lot of aftermarket parts and kit modification. 

The most sad part about this kit were the decals. While the printing was high quality, they came in really big sheets, and wrinkled super easily. I scraped all the wrinkled bits out to at least make the layer smooth, but it created all the damage to the decal. Some parts I don't mind because it looks like pretty good weathering, but other times it just looks super out of place. For any future kits with large decal sheets, I'm definitely cutting up the decals into even smaller divisions to prevent the wrinkling. Digital camo is one of my favorites though, and even with the small wrinkling disaster, I still think it turned out pretty well. 

For the folding wing set, I had to saw off all the flaps and the wing tips in order to replace them with the resin pieces. The resin pieces are very well made, and it is totally worth it. For me, the most interesting part of naval planes are the folded wings, which give them so much more variation. I also love the super long flaps on the F/A-18, which look really good from the rear. 

I am very proud of the small detailing I added to the landing gears, which unfortunately you can't really see. Not just the extra wiring, but on the rear landing gear, I added spring coils and filed out the original piece to make it more accurate. Adding wiring to the landing gears is such a small thing but adds a lot of detail, especially in 1/72. 

I also modified the kit to have the canopy open, which is not a default option with this kit. I scratch build the mirrors and the hydraulic system lifting the canopy up, and added some more detail to the electronics box near the rear of the canopy. 

I don't think the double AIM-120C holder is actually used on the super hornet (it was used on the legacy), but I found two reference photos (here and here) of a super hornet with it, and I thought it looked really cool. I had to scratch it a little bit, adding a spacer on the normal weapon pylon and gluing the launch mechanism from the eduard sets onto it. I think it turned out pretty well. 

Overall, I think this is my best jet model yet, soured only by the decals. Enjoy the rest of the pictures.