Monogram Blue Angels F/A-18A, 1987

[Stikpusher]

And then… just like that… it started to look like a Hornet…

[tempestjohnny]

Looks good. I like the aluminum tube idea

[cbaltrin]

Hornet is looking good Stik, although I would argue that a Hornet never quite looks like a Hornet without three external fuel tanks and the refueling probe extended.. (inside joke)

Agree with your approach on the h-stabs. Same issue with their F-16, F-14, F-15... helps for proper alignment but a pain for everything else...

[BlackSheep214]

Looks good. I like the aluminum tube idea

[Stikpusher]

Thanks guys. I believe that I did the same tube thing with my first Monogram Hornet many years ago. I vaguely recall breaking off the stabs during seam clean up and having to remount them using tube and rod. This time I’ll have the tube already in there, and then just replace the kit rod with some brass wire. IIRC, the stabs are already molded fixed in place with their other ‘teen series 1/48 fighter kits. I wish that they had done that here, or gone with a traditional separate attachment for each stabilator instead of a pivoting one piece approach.

Chris, a Hornet does look unusual when it’s “clean” without any ordnance or pylons, as the Blues fly them. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen one with the refueling probe extended outside of photos… I don’t get the joke….

[cbaltrin]

Chris, a Hornet does look unusual when it’s “clean” without any ordnance or pylons, as the Blues fly them. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen one with the refueling probe extended outside of photos… I don’t get the joke….

Legacy hornets could fly about as far as a lawn dart without external fuel/refueling

[Stikpusher]

Yeah that I’ve heard. It wasn’t quite as capable as a fighter as the Phantom, nor quite as capable a strike aircraft as the Corsair II, the two types that it replaced. But then again, not many jets have a good range on internal fuel only, particularly fighter types.

[cbaltrin]

F-14 had good range on internal... I think the Tomcat guys may have made up the lawn-dart thing I think the A-7 may have had decent internal fuel range as well... Come to think of it, never saw external fuel on a crusader either.

[Stikpusher]

The Crusader is another one I’ve read about having short legs. Otherwise it was a great fighter for its era. But its’ J57 turbojet was a fuel hog. The F-14 and early A-7s both had lots of internal dual tankage, and their TF30 turbofans were far more fuel efficient. Although the afterburner on the Tomcat could change that very rapidly.
The Marines flew Hornets in Desert Storm with only one tank on some load outs. I’m sure that tanker support was likely involved, even for CAS or BAI missions that didn’t require going deep into Iraq.

[Stikpusher]

Here's a nice Desert Storm load out, looks like four Mk.84s and one centerline tank. They were based in Bahrain, and air miles between Sheikh Issa and Kuwait City was just under 300 miles each way. I'll bet they topped off tanks not too far before hitting Indian Country.