ChernayaAkula Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) I wanted to "celebrate" my 10,000th post with finally starting assembly of my Hasegawa 1/48 Mitsubishi F-1. But, no, it wasn't to be... So here's something that might interest y'all as well! A couple of days ago I got the new F/A-18E Super Hornet by Revell of Germany. At first there was some speculation as to whether this kit was going to be a rebox of the Hasegawa or Italeri kit or a even new kit altogether. First test shots indicated it would indeed be a new tool. As such, it is probably based on their own tool of the 1/48 Super Hornets released a couple of years ago. The beautiful box-art: The sprues: The kit is made up of 90 parts in the usual grey polystyrene and three clear parts. Moulded in Poland again, there's quite some flash for a new mould. Detail is engraved all round. The panel lines are nicely thin. Not Hasegawa-thin, but close. The parts marked with the blue box have got a label “SINGLE SEATERâ€. This would indicate that the two-seater will be released as well. The transparencies: Note that there is no mould separation line as on other canopies, as would have been necessary for a true bubble shape. Revell chose ease of use over accuracy here. They’re nicely clear and don’t distort all that much. Edited May 16, 2009 by ChernayaAkula Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ChernayaAkula Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) The decals: Designed by DACO, printed by Cartograf of Italy. Need I say more? They’re all in register and sharp. Even the tiny maintenance stencils can be read – with magnifiers! The dark blue parts are a bit lighter than the almost black of the pic suggests. A personal view, but I’m always a bit sceptical about such large decals. Here, the parts on the edges are a bit larger to accommodate for overlap. The part for the canopy on the Kestrels bird is pretty interesting in that the transparent part is covered by clear decal film as well. This needs to be cut away after decal placement. I figure this was done to avoid having the decal roll up and stick together before placing. Nifty! Markings options: Option 1: (Cue “Going in for Guns” by Dos Gringos, for here come the flaming butt cheeks. ) F/A-18E (BuNo 165899) in the CAG scheme of VFA-137 Kestrels at NAS Lemoore, CA, in 2009. Option 2: F/A-18E (BuNo 166654) in low-viz scheme of VFA-105 Gunslingers at NAS Oceana, VA, in 2009. (Please! Someone (Twobobs? Fightertown?) do the VFA-105 high-viz scheme! ) Some details: Rear fuselage with the ECS pipes. Note the engraved detail. Cockpit parts (minus the ejection seat sides): Armament (beside two each AIM-120C AMRAAMs and AIM-9X Sidewinders) is comprised of two GBU-31 JDAMs with BLU-109 warhead and two Mk 83 AIRs. They’re not called AIRs in the instructions, but they look more like AIRs than plain Mk 83s. To my knowledge, both the BLU-109 JDAM and the Mk 83 AIR haven’t been available in injected plastic before. Three drop tanks and an AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR are also provided. And strangely enough, there are stencils on the decal sheet as well as placement guides for said stencils for two AGM-88 HARMs, which are not provided with the kit. Maybe in the dual seater… :lol: With the nice Hasegawa Rhinos out there, was there really a need for a new kit of the Super Hornet? Not really, I guess. But who’s gonna complain? There are some features that are nicer than what Hasegawa offers: For example, RoG’s Rhino has a decent cockpit! Hasegawa’s pit is empty. Decals only. You get the ECS pipes between the vertical stabilizers. Hasegawa’s Rhino is a pre Lot-26 bird. These ECS (environmental control system) pipes are used from Lot 26 onwards and are retro-fitted to earlier machines. (Someone correct me, if I’m wrong here) There’s some intake trunking. Not much, but better than the Hasegawa blank walls. RoG has the fold-down ladder. The undercarriage bays look nicer on the RoG kit. Armament! Although the AIM-9X in the Hasegawa kit looks a bit better, I think, the RoG kit gives you air-to-ground weaponry. Two “new” items, no less. Decals by Cartograf! Designed by DACO! I paid 17.99 EUR for my RoG Rhino. The normal Hasegawa boxing retails for a little more round here, while the special editions cost quite a bit more. There are other bits the Hasegawa kit does better. Their panel lines are a tad thinner. They have the true bubble canopy. And some detail engraved on the RoG kit is rendered in “3D” on the Hasegawa model, as it should be. The nose lay-out (the Achilles heel of the 1/48 Revell Rhino) is also a tad more complicated on the RoG 1/72 kit. Like Hasegawa, RoG has no wing-fold option, although the wing tips are separate parts. Strange. All in all, again a very nice new kit by Revell. Looking forward to the double-seater! Hope you liked the review and it was a bit helpful! Edited April 24, 2009 by ChernayaAkula Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wakko807 Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Great review Moritz! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sc2f100 Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 (edited) I'll have to pick one of these up, thanks! Edited May 30, 2009 by sc2f100 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
johnsan Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 I'd like to get this one just for the decal sheet. Thanks for the review. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jinxter13 Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I hope you have a lotta fun doing the build. However you may not have the time; 10,000 posts....you're spending just tooo much time here.... , unless you have longer days than the rest of us . Thanx for the review even though I don't do the wrong scale . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sv51macross Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I hope you have a lotta fun doing the build. However you may not have the time; 10,000 posts....you're spending just tooo much time here.... , unless you have longer days than the rest of us . Yeah, especially since he doesn't autoreply generically to whole pages of builds at one time...like certain folks here... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Nice review Moritz, thanks for that ... Congrats on hitting the 10K point Buddy as well ! You'd been sitting on 9,999 for a lil while ... Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sv51macross Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 One quick thing here; 18 euros is about $30, correct? So throw in maybe $10-15 for a Wolfpack flaps set (if they haven't already come out with one this kit will create demand) and we'll have a budget Hasegawa! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kingoalie Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Moritz, Thanks for the review! I was just about to ask if anyone has seen this kit, but you've answered any questions I've had! John Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wakko807 Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Yeah, especially since he doesn't autoreply generically to whole pages of builds at one time...like certain folks here... Ummmm...yeah...really oughta think before you post. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tomcat Trebor Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) Thanks for the review, Have to get myself a couple. Robert Edited April 25, 2009 by Tomcat Trebor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rank11 Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Wow, they even got decals for the small white squares inside the exhaust petals. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hoops Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 One quick thing here; 18 euros is about $30, correct? So throw in maybe $10-15 for a Wolfpack flaps set (if they haven't already come out with one this kit will create demand) and we'll have a budget Hasegawa! Actually 18 Euros is about 24 Dollars -Hoops Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Middleton Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Nice review Moritz - perhaps send the review to Steve for the main page? Many people only visit the main site, and not the forums. thanks for posting it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
richter111 Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Nice looking kit, now just to get one in 1/32 scale! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Johnopfor Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Well, being that that I only have a couple of Hasegawa E Hornets in the stash, and I like the markings in this new kit, I'll get me a couple in the future. Thanks for the review Moritz! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike J. Idacavage Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Moritz: Outstanding review!!!!! Thanks for posting this. I would like to get your (and anybody else!) opinion on the relative merits of this kit versus the Hasegawa version. Not considering the difference in price, which kit (Revell or Hasegawa) would you choose to buy if you were picking up your first 1/72 F-18E? After reading the detailed comparison above, I am still unsure as to which kit would be the one to get if they were the same price. It seems like a toss up as both have their strengths and weaknesses. Is there a preferred kit? Thanks again for the work you put into posting this review! Have fun modeling! Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sv51macross Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) Moritz:Outstanding review!!!!! Thanks for posting this. I would like to get your (and anybody else!) opinion on the relative merits of this kit versus the Hasegawa version. Not considering the difference in price, which kit (Revell or Hasegawa) would you choose to buy if you were picking up your first 1/72 F-18E? After reading the detailed comparison above, I am still unsure as to which kit would be the one to get if they were the same price. It seems like a toss up as both have their strengths and weaknesses. Is there a preferred kit? Thanks again for the work you put into posting this review! Have fun modeling! Mike :unsure: Well, I've seen the Hasegawa and while great, as Moritz showed, the RoG gives you better than Hasegawa in a couple areas OOB such as actual intake trunking and actual cockpit detail, as well as including ordinance (I haven't sen BLU-109 based JDAMS in this scale before). The drawback to the Revell kit though is the obviously 'up' flaps and molded-on hinges, so that makes it a bit more challengine to drop the flaps oneself. I would go for Revell as it looks to be a simpler build, though the nose section concerns me, as if it is a pantograph of the 1:48 you'll need some putty there. And might as well get it out of the way [sigh]... It comes with weapons decals. (Wakko, now is appropriate for jokes since I've started it) Just saw what you said about same price...actually, it's still debatable. Well, if you don't mind dropping the flaps yourself or [gasp!] building it flaps-up, [] then go Revell as it's more up-to-date and has more options. Edited April 25, 2009 by sv51macross Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 The flaps are molded up in the Hase kits as well in 1:72 unless they changed something since I bought mine ... Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sv51macross Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 The flaps are molded up in the Hase kits as well in 1:72 unless they changed something since I bought mine ... Gregg ...I swear I saw... what the...[oh help me I'm sooooooo confused!] Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mario krijan Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Thanks for review Moritz! Congrats for 10000 posts!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jinxter13 Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Yeah, especially since he doesn't autoreply generically to whole pages of builds at one time...like certain folks here... Now what's that supposed to mean..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ST21 Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 Thanks for the review ChernayaAkula. Another kit to buy... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Murph Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) And might as well get it out of the way [sigh]... It comes with weapons decals. (Wakko, now is appropriate for jokes since I've started it) It also comes with weapons, which Hasegawa kits generally don't nowadays. The only ones in the Hasegawa kit are AIM-120B's and AIM-9X's. The Revell kit also has the later ECS exhausts. Finally, as Greg mentioned above the flaps on the Hasegawa kit are in the up position too. Regards, Murph Edited April 25, 2009 by Murph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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