F/A-18C and E from Hasegawa

Fritz01
I wonder how this one comes out. Will follow. A few weeks ago I finished an italeri kit.

Erik Torp
First impression is that both kits are pretty basic. I have modified both seats a bit since they are very plain. Weapons will be upgraded with spares as well.

Erik Torp
Both kits need some putty and sanding.

Roy McKay
Paintwork looks stunning...

Neuling
More pictures please!

Erik Torp
@Neuling: Your wish will be granted 😉

Erik Torp
I have just finished the F-18E which was built in parallel with the F-18C. The E model is a much better kit than the C, which tooling goes back to the 80s. Summerized it was two fun builds, but I will stay away from Hasegawas «two in one» in the future. Putting new decals on old kits and call it limited edition is a business model which don´t appeal to me.
What is left is to make a pair of simple bases for the planes. And btw, two models in a week is a new rekord for me 🤗

Fritz01
Well done, Erik, the colour modulation is very convincing. The "simple" base of the flight deck is also a very good idea. Is it a photo print or painted?

Erik Torp
@Fritz: the base for the F-18E is a print I bought years ago. For the F-18C I painted one myself, using the printed one as a «template». It would have been better if I had used a bit more time but I was getting fired of fighting these old kits. I used about one hour painting the base, drying time between layers not included.

Fritz01
Thanx Erik. The result was worth the effort!

Daniel
Great result! Especially for a week only😅
Are these A.Mig greys directly from the bottle or did you add white for the last coat? Looks very realistically bleached 👍

Erik Torp
@Daniel: I sprayed a coat of Mig grey after some pre-shading with black. Then I used a stencil from AK and sprayed thinned white and gunship gray in a random pattern on all parts exposed to the sun. Finally I sprayed a top coat of the original gray color, but thinned a bit. Did some additiona weathering with gray and white oils.

Neuling
👍

Paul Moore
Outstanding paint/weathering! Congratulations. I'll take your previous note on how you did that and try to apply it to my Hornet.