Modeling
on a budget can be tough, especially when your appetite is a little more
Hasegawa and a little less Revell, but as this kit points out, there are some
hidden gems out there. When Hobby Lobby has its 1/2 off sale every now and then
I rush over to pick through their very mixed offerings. I was surprised to see
Revell actually come out with something new! So this kit cost me a whopping
$8.99 (US) or so. I long for the Hasegawa "F" Super Hornet, or
"Rhino" as I like to call it, but until I can save all my pennies I
figured I would try out my skills on this one. I also included a picture or two
of my last Revell Hornet. This shows the difference between the "Super
Hornet" and the "Legacy" bird. I love the Blue Angles, and
although they give you a "Legacy" C model (The Angles fly the A) it
was a fun build. I was really surprised by the kit fresh out of the box. Unlike
the Blue Angels kit this had rivet detail, recessed panel lines (albeit a little
shallow in places, but recessed nonetheless) and a great offering of
payload. So this "Rhino" is built right out of the box with 2 small exceptions:
the "remove before flight" tags from Eduard, and the big GBU's from a
Hasegawa armament set (also purchased on sale).
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I
went with the canopy down because I am always putting the canopy up and I wanted
to try something new. That and I just wasn't too keen on my detailing. The fit
is tenuous in places, certainly not up to the standards of the Hasegawa (I
imagine). I wish that all of the flaps were posable, but I definitely liked the
fins in the rear! After some putty and sanding I was ready to paint.
I decided
not to prime this one since the recessed lines seemed a little shallow, though
well detailed. I also wanted to use a few different greys to mottle the finish
and I have seen on real Hornets. It worked well I thought. After I got the two
tone grey scheme done I used Future for a gloss coat and then weathered the
beast.
For
weathering I like to use Citadel inks. I use a smaller brush and fish the ink
down into the panel lines. This is why I like the lines to have some depth
because then I take either a cotton bud or a flat cotton pad that I stole
from my wife's make up cabinet and lightly wet it with Windex. I then lightly
rub the model and it takes up the ink everywhere but the lines. It is close to
weathering with pastels and wiping away. This is where the Revell kit gave
me the most fits because some of the lines were shallow and I wiped away all the
ink. But I seem to have worked through them well enough. Final thoughts on
this kit: Hey you really can't go wrong with this one for the price that you
are paying. Seriously, if you want to brush up, so to speak before you might
tackle the more expensive Hasegawa kit this is your best bet. And if you just
want a decent kit for a great price then this is also a good deal. I have
noticed that Revell has already reboxed this new kit with new decals, so there
are already some more choices out there. Have fun everyone, hope you enjoyed my
humble attempt!
Tyler
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images below to see larger images
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