HobbyBoss originally released its 1/48 scale F/A-18D Hornet back in 2007. Over the years, distribution channels for HobbyBoss have shifted, and, now, this kit is coming into the U.S. via Model Rectifier Corp. Packed with a vast array of weapons, posable canopy, boarding ladder, and markings for three different aircraft—Navy VFA-105, and Marines VMFA(AW)-225 or VMFA(AW)-553—we thought it was worth a review to refresh everyone’s memory, especially with the spate of new Hornet kits that is hitting the market this year.
As you would expect, building the cockpit is pretty straight forward with plenty of raised details to paint. Seat belts are molded into the ejector seat with the shoulder straps tucked back. The interior then installs in the lower half of the fuselage and is locked in place by the upper half.
You’ll want to add weight to the separate nose section to prevent the Hornet from sitting on its tail. I used both a 1/2-inch and a 3/8-inch ball bearing to and plenty of superglue.
After the glue dried on the fuselage, I added the wing panels and control surfaces. The join between the flaps and wing (part J32 and J33) did not match as well as they could have. My solution was to droop the flaps about 45 degrees, which allow them to look natural. To pose them in the up position will require some modeling, but can be done.
I found a mold line down the center of the canopy and windscreen. But it was easily repaired by sanding with progressively finer sanding pads and buffing. I took the extra step to dip the parts in Pledge Floor Gloss to give them extra shine. By holding the canopy at just the right angle, there is a slight facetted glint, but it’s not readily apparent.
There were a few fit issues during final assembly. In my sample, the nose was slightly misshapen, fitting well on one side but not the other, but it’s easily corrected. The intakes required filling along the main fuselage. At the rear, the exhausts nozzles don’t have a positive connection point, so use slow-setting cement that gives you plenty of time to adjust alignment. Up front, the attachment angle for the windscreen leaves a gap with the canopy behind it. I shimmed the front of the windscreen with flat styrene stock to make the canopy and windscreen meet and then attached them with Aleene’s Tacky Glue.
Lastly, leave off installing the wheels for the main landing gear until after the gear is installed. If you put them on earlier as the instructions indicate, you run the risk of the wheels having an incorrect angle; ask me how I know. When attaching the main gear-bay doors, be careful because the instructions are a little vague on which part number goes where.
The weapons and sensor options for the F/A-18D is huge, including AIM-9L and AIM-7 air-to-air missiles, AGM-88 and AGM-84E air-to-ground missiles, Mk.82, GBU-10, and GBU-31 JDAM bombs, along with AN/AAR-50, AN/ASQ-173, and AN/AAS-38A pods. My weapon loadout was AIM-9Ls and GBU-10s. For sensors, I went with AAR-50 and AN/AAS-38A.
Decals were a challenge: The large gray wing walks shattered on me, so take care with them. For the most part, the Viking for the VMFA(AW)-225 and other decals went down OK, although some of the small stencils had a hard time sticking.
Even with the challenges, it took me about 40 hours to build HobbyBoss’ F/A-18D Hornet. The kit is seeing renewed interest, but it’s helpful to remember that the Hornet hails from early in the HobbyBoss catalog. It requires a good deal of modeling skill and know-how, so I recommend it for experienced modelers.