Paul's Tiger Meet F/A-18 Hornet **FINISHED**

[PaulBradley]

Meanwhile, this chap is nearly done:



Hobbyboss F-5E. Horrible kit, nearly got thrown a few times, but almost done now. Not officially part of the GB, but not inappropriate to show here.

[Jagewa]

Very nice.

[shangos70]

F-5 looks good Paul, is it really that bat of a kit? I have one, better or worse than the Airfix Tiger F-5E.

[splash]

Both are looking good Paul.

[PaulBradley]

Cheers, guys.

Shane, I've not built the Airfix kit, so I don't know.

[AndrewR]

They still look very striking though

[PaulBradley]

Cheer, Andrew.

More strikingness - the tail decals are all on and set. They responded well to Microset, and have really gone down well over the panel lines - I am most pleased. Syhart decals are not cheap - but they are worth the money, I feel.

The model is now on its legs and wheels:



Into the final stretch here - some dangly bits to add, then just a coat of matt varnish and some light weathering to go.

[AndrewR]

Weathering on a Swiss aircraft? Surely it gets cleaned every day!

[PaulBradley]

...like clockwork.....

Just a quick panel line wash, a little staining on the undersides and some gunsmoke on the nose - these aren't US Navy machines.

[PaulBradley]

[PaulBradley]

...and finished:











The canopy doesn't fit at all well - I suspect Hasegawa want you to have it open, providing the appropriate prop, but the interior detail is soooooo poor. I added the pilot figure to cover up that issue. The last addition was a small circle of BareMetal Foil, punched out and stuck to the portside nose to represent the searchlight that is used by the SAF - similar to that used by the Canadians. This was covered by a dab of Future to gloss it up.

All in all, a simple and not terribly difficult kit, though it does have it's fit issues. Internal detail is very plain, and the canopy could do with replacing. The kit decals looked awfully thick - good job I didn't need them.....

The Syhart decals are spectacular, and well worth the money.

[AndrewR]

It looks good, especially with those decals.

[PaulBradley]

Thanks, Andrew - it would look nice in Canadian markings, too.

[Clashcityrocker]

Looks great. I like the base you use to photograph your models on.

Nigel

[Jagewa]

Oh yes, that is cracking, a real eye catcher, smashing build Paul.

Cheers
Jim