Kit: No. E18
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Hasegawa, imported by Dragon Models USA, 1315 John Reed Court, City of Industry, CA 91745, 866-365-8721
www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Price: $24.95
Comments: Injection-molded, 124 parts (2 vinyl), decals
Pros: Excellent fit, good missiles, accurate shapes and features, pivoting horizontal stabilizers, good decals
Cons: Ejection seats have little detail, only decals for cockpit panels, intakes are shallow
When it comes to 1/72 scale kits of the most modern warplanes, you can rely on Hasegawa to issue a kit. True to form, Hasegawa has released the most accurate and well-fitting Super Hornet so far.
Hasegawa’s “super bug” kit shows excellent recessed panel lines, fine landing gear, and well-planned breakdown of the parts. To get better missile detail, half of the fins are molded to the body, the other half separately. Hasegawa is also the first to mold the new AIM-9X Sidewinder, the most-advanced version of the classic air-to-air weapon (see “The Modeler’s Guide to the Sidewinder,” November 2001 FSM). Even the variable exhaust nozzles of the AIM-9Xs are molded separately – really tiny, so don’t drop ’em! A pair of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles and four underwing tanks are also provided.
If the kit has a weak point, it’s the cockpit. The seats are not well detailed, and the instrument details are provided by decals only – there’s no relief to the panels. My sample’s main canopy had a crack right down the middle from the forward bow frame sprue attachment point. There was no way to fix it, so I have to learn to live with it.
The kit is broken down as most Hornet kits are, with the forward fuselage section in left and right halves, the rear section in top and bottom halves. But the difference in the Hasegawa kit is that the fit is very good along some tricky zigzag seams. I was especially impressed with the fit of the boxy intakes, one of the defining features of the Super Hornet. However, the intake trunks don’t go in far before they are walled off.
A nice feature is the mount for the horizontal stabilizers. The cross-wise box holds a pair of Hasegawa’s famous vinyl grommets. All I had to do was push the stabilizers in place after the model was finished. They can be pitched up or down or removed with ease.
The vertical fins fit well, much better than Hasegawa’s “legacy” Hornet kits. The landing gear is well-molded and fits tightly into the fuselage.
Other than the crack, the clear canopy was beautifully molded and fit fine. There’s an actuator arm provided to allow posing the canopy open.
The decals are well-printed and provide a choice of markings for VFA-102 “Diamond Backs” (two variations) or VFA-2 “Bounty Hunters.”
I was impressed at how the color bands on the nose fit around the windscreen, canopy, and wing extension. The decals include stripes for the missiles and screened grilles for the recessed vents scattered about the airframe.
The finished model looks like a pumped-up Hornet should – longer, wider, and with those oddball toed-out underwing stores pylons.
It took me 28 hours to finish my Super Hornet. Hasegawa has done a fine job, and I’m looking forward to the single-seat version coming in April.
– Paul Boyer