1:48 Boeing F/A-18F Hornet

The real subject

The F/A-18F is the two-seat configuration of the Super Hornet family, an American-built carrier aircraft intended for both fighter and attack duties. Compared with the older Hornet versions it has a larger airframe, angular air intakes and a different arrangement of pylons. The second crew member sits behind the pilot, so the cockpit is longer and with the canopy open considerably more of it shows than on the single-seat version.

What the set offers

Photo-etched parts are made from thin metal sheet, so they reach a thickness that injection-molded plastic cannot manage. They come into their own wherever a part should be genuinely thin to scale: on levers, frames, grilles or placards. On the model the difference shows mainly in the cockpit and on the surfaces you look at directly. The extent of the set and the layout of the individual parts are given in the manufacturer's instructions.

• 1:48 scale, photo-etched parts for a plastic kit
• the subject is the two-seat F/A-18F carrier aircraft
• the metal keeps the parts at a true scale thickness
• the parts are separated from the fret and bent as the instructions show
• bonded with cyanoacrylate glue

Building tips

The parts are joined to the fret by thin tabs. Cut them with a sharp blade on a hard surface, not with nippers, which bend the metal. Make the bends over a straight edge, best of all in a photo-etch bender or between two razor blades, and always follow the scored line. Bond with cyanoacrylate glue applied with a pin; cement for polystyrene does not act on metal. Wash and degrease the parts before painting and give them a primer coat, or the finish will rub off during handling. Prepare small parts over a tray with a raised edge.

Terms of supply

The kit, paints and glue are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.