Italeri 2716 EA18G Growler

[Guest]

The EA-18G Growler is an airborne electronic attack (AEA) aircraft which operates from either an aircraft carrier or from land-bases. The Growler has been developed as a replacement for the United States Navy EA-6B Prowler aircraft which entered service in 1971 and is approaching the end of operational life.

The Growler is a derivative of the combat-proven two-seat F/A-18 Hornet, the US Navy's maritime strike aircraft. The aircraft missions are mainly electronic attack (EA) and suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), particularly at the start and on-going early stages of hostilities.

The Growler aircraft has 11 weapon stations for carrying electronic mission systems and weapons and can then be used to carry out conventional strike missions when the requirements for EA and SEAD sorties are reduced.

Source: http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/ea-18g-growler/

Other References used

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_EA-18G_Growler

http://www.boeing.com/boeing/defense-space/military/ea18g/index.page

http://www.military.com/equipment/ea-18g-growler

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-18g.htm

http://www.kiwimodeller.com/index.php/forum/25-product-reviews/27930-italeri-1-48-ea-18g-growler-new-mould-release

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/F18_Cockpit.JPG

I love the F/A-18, always have and probably always will. It doesnt replace the F-14 as my all time favourite, or even the Hawkeye, but it does what it does well, and it does it looking pretty smart too.

Th ereason I bought this kit was simply because it was £3 cheaper than the Skyraider, and also I didnt have to paint it blue or do a non US version of it. PLus this is the newest offering from the Hornet. EA warfare. So Im rather excited by this kit.

So, my review of the kit (and please take into account Im not a professional)

I know nothing about rebrandings, moulds etc etc so I cant tell you much about that. I did read somewhere that this is an upgraded kit? Dunno, sorry.

Instructions are good, but the reasons why so are would probably make all kits from this manufacturer great. I love a book rather than a massive map. The colurs are clear and they are listed in Federal Standard, which using a few conversions I can convert to my favourite paints.

I found the sprues rather large, but thankfuly all the parts had their own number, rather than being B1 or C34 with the letter referring to the sprue and the number being that part. This meant that I could cut them down from a sprue very nearly the size of my lower arm to something more easily handled.

There are four versions you can make

VAQ-135 "Black Ravens" Whitney Island 2012

VAQ-136 "Rampage" Whitney Island 2012

VAQ-129 "Vikings" Whitney Island 2012

VAQ-129 "Vikings" Special US Navy Centenial Anniversary Whitney Island 2012

Erm, thats about it really, sorry. Until I start the kit then I cant really tell you any more

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[flyjoe180]

Looks a nice kit Penelope. Nice choice, look forward to seeing it develop.

[Guest]

Im afraid there isnt a huge deal wit show you today. I started on "part 1" which is assembling the seats and th emain cockpit. It looks impressive with decals for the instruments and the seats each coming in three parts. In truth its a bit of a pain.

The actual kit, Im afraid to say seems a bit shabby. Im not sure of the technical word but the injection moulding of the kit is a little bit poor. On one of the seat head rests there is a little indent (pin ejection mark?) and because there are no figures included you have to deal with it. Thankfully I had the good sense to buy some metal files so I owned one thin enough to deal with it.

You need to run a file along the majority of the edges as there seems to be a kind of overspil with the plastic. Of course this then runs the risk of parts not fitting flush when you come to assemble.

Excuse the pun but I had to cut short my building time when I discovered that although Im normally pretty good at multi tasking, holding a brand new craft knife, painting, drinking coffee and using the internet is probably just a little tooo much and Im still wondering how Im going to get the blood out of my keyboard. Still, being a new blade it was a clean cut, but I still dont know how so much came out of a cut that small.

Ill try and get part 1 finished today, no promises. The main problem Im having is the cockpit. The colours seem wrong. When you compare the instructions with the picture in post 1 it just doesnt seem to match up. It may be a case of a trip to the shops to buy milliput tomorrow.

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[monica]

oh no ouch, looks like a nice kit and a good start so to say,

[flyjoe180]

Well, what's a build without a new blade cut? As for the cockpit, seats and accessories, my advice is to look online or at your book references. Italeri, as do some other kit manufacturers, have a habit of simplifying the colours to the point that they are just plain wrong. If you are seeking accuracy my advice is to research then match the best colours to the actual thing. A lot of detail is going to be visible under that lovely clear and large canopy when it's all sealed up, especially in 1/48 scale. Adding ejection seat handles etc can bring an otherwise bland cockpit to life.

[Guest]

OK, here is todays update

Completed a few more bits. Last nigth and this morning \I glued the seats together. Unfortunatly I found out AFTER I glued the first seat that its very tricky to get right. You may see the difference betwen the two but Im hoping that with some clever paint work, perhaps a touch of putty and the fact that the worst one will be at the rear (under the canapy hinge, that Ill get away with it.

Five photos today.

1 - Glued togther parts 1a and 19b.

2 - These parts didnt quite match up but they are underneath and wont be seen so I took the opportunity to try out the tube of Vellejo plastic putty and have to say Ive always been a fan of milliput but today Ive change my alligence.

3 - Right, this is where I get creative. According to the insdtruction Im supposed to paint the "bucket" flat gull grey (FS 36622/Humbrol 28) however you may notice from my research picture (see first post) that the inside appears more black with the outside of the aircraft being grey "wrapping" into the cockpit. The model kit doesnt resemble the smooth lines of the real thing so Im improvised. Ive painted the "bucket" black and Im going to paint the inside of the body grey. Ignore the brown blobs, they are just markers to tell me which is the front and which is the back seats. The control panels fit rather snugly and of course paint makes them ever so slightly fatter so Ive had to file them slightly to make a unique match, so its important I dont gorfet which is which

4 - Side view of the "bucket". The putty wasnt 100% dry when I sanded and I didnt clean it before painting. It doesnt matter if its not exact but as you can see, the quick job isnt too shabby.

5 - A dry fitting of the cockpit to hopefully show the black "bucket" up against the fuselage.

Ive also included the reference picture i this post so you dont have to go chasing for it.

Been a lot of hard work with very little to show for it, but I dont need to tell you that you have days like that.

I may actually sand down the paint on the "bucket". Im not sure if Im happy with the brush work so I may redo it with an airbrush

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[tr1ckey66]

Hey Penny

We've not discussed before but I can tell you have a genuine enthusiasm for the subject (not to mention knowledge). It's great to have more modellers of the fairer sex and I wish you all the very best with F18. You posed a question earlier on masks. Are you talking canopy masks or markings?

Cheers

Paul

[Guest]

Hey PennyWe've not discussed before but I can tell you have a genuine enthusiasm for the subject (not to mention knowledge). It's great to have more modellers of the fairer sex and I wish you all the very best with F18. You posed a question earlier on masks. Are you talking canopy masks or markings?

Cheers

Paul

To be 100% I have this habit of looking through online shops, and on ebay and I just came across masks. I wondered exactly what it was and as soon as I got the first reply I felt a fool. I remember a model kit I did a while back that came with what I now know as masks and I remember making my own for another kit out of masking tape, so I actually knew all along what they were I just didnt know what they were called.

But as it happens, the kit that I got today has a horrible canopy and it looks like my new found knowledge in masks will come in useful.

Im glad that my enthusiam shows through. Im afraid I have more enthusiasm than actual knowledge, but then again, lets be fair, if I knew it all would I need to join a forum like this?

I do a models as a little something to do. I get a lot of time doing nothing in my job and its a hobby Ive always enjoyed since I was a kid. Im a bit more serious now than I used to be, and I like to model a theme (US Navy is my main theme and Ive currently researching RAF Lakenheath aircraft). The third theme is "Cheap and cheerful off fleabay LOL)

Im here to learn and I like to take pictures so that people can say "Thats terrible, if you tried blah blah blah" and then hopefully Ill get better. Im also an ex Games Workshop fan. I used to paint Chaos, more specifically Khorne. I started off with that as its so easy. Blood red, Bronze and black and if you make it too scruffy well it works more. But as I started to get into bigger kits I loved it more and there is so much scope for conversions.

Anyway, I go off track now

[tr1ckey66]

Im here to learn

Hey, you do yourself a disservice and, believe me, this isn't rocket science. With a bit of practice, I believe, pretty much anyone can become, not just an accomplished modeller, but a very good one. It's only a series of techniques to master and there are no stupid questions, and you shouldn't be made to feel a fool over anything.

I'm sorry, I think i know of Games Workshop (futuristic wargames stuff?) but that's about it I'm afraid. I'm not 'dissing the scene' it's just never compelled me. However I have painted Napoleonic wargaming figures before now.

There are no bad models. There are models from which you learn something new and progressively they get better over time. Anybody who thinks they've 'arrived' and are the next modelling demi-god are, in my opinion, simply deluded.

Everyone, including the very best examples of the modelling craft on this site, started somewhere. You can take this hobby as far as you like, and as far as you like will be just enough for you. I wish everyone from their first 1/72 spitfire (built but not painted) through to their 30ft D-Day diorama which took 5 years of research and the same to build, all the very best.

The main thing is to enjoy it. If you're keen (and I think enthusiasm isn't lacking here) and you enjoy the subject (again, you clearly have an interest in modern US aircraft) then that is more than enough.

The paint work on the cockpit tub looks flat to me. Are you sure you want to sand it?

Looking forward to the progress

Cheers

P

[Guest]

Im come to a bit of a stop for a variety of reasons.

1 - My new workbench organiser came yesterday and my new brushes are a bit fat to fit into the holes, so Ive started to file the holes a bit bigger.

2 - Im a bit disappointed that even though I did my research I didnt think to buy any yellow gloss. Part 1 pieces 6a and 6d are the ejection seat handles and the instructions say to paint them black. However, as you can see from the research pictures they are black and yellow striped. They actually look black with yellow tape round them, so probably monday Im going to buy some yellow gloss, make my ever popular, ever famous four bristled brush and paint a yellow spiral on them.

3 - My poor client was really agitated today not giving me much daylight hours to do much. I shoudlnt moan thugh, Im here to do a job and my job is a 24 hour live in carer. Some days are good and I get a good 12 hours of hobby time, other days you are so tired that as soon as he goes to bed, so do you.

So, the only pictures I can show you are

- The finished filing of one hole in the organiser, with a brush in the next one showing how its just a little bit too big

- Part 1 of the instructions

- A Dry fitting of the ejection handles

- Part 2 of the instructions

- Fitting of piece 9d onto the top fuselage, then puttied along the lines, more really to give it a go

- The putty sanded off. Not perfect, but an inprovement

- Part 3 of the instructions

- Glued the wheel bay to one half of the front body, then taped the other half in place to make sure the wheel bay doesnt move. Its not drying ready for painting.

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[Guest]

Nice start there Penny.

[Guest]

Latest activity. Ill do a write up later on.

Its funny that between having to touch up little areas in the cockpit, and losing my mojo (life in general not scale models) it progressed really slowly, than bang, loads done in one afternoon.

Also managed to make a paint mask thanks to all that replied on my thread about them

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These images are primarily to show off the clamps I got. They double up as a clamp and a handy hook.

IMO very good value for money http://www.scalemodelshop.co.uk/mode...pcl8710-2.html

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Cockpit finally finished. (Thats decals, not bloody awesome painting skills)

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I stuck plasticene in the nose cone but after dry fitting I was worried that it still was going to be back heavy so I showed an extra bit into the front of the plane. Now of course Im worried the weight overall will be too much for the plastic undercarriage. O well

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Front stuck together

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Paint Mask done

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I wanted to glue both wings on but its a funny fit. YOu press on one end and the other end pops up so I put a bit extra glue on, used 3 clamps and Im leaving it overnight, meaning I only have 1 clamp for the other wing, so that will get done tomorrow.

Happy with my progress today. Excuse the colours used, I sprayed the underside (On sprue to practice the airbrush) the wrong colour.

[flyjoe180]

Coming along very nicely Penny. Those are flash clamps. Good job with the masking, wasn't oo hard using the tape was it? Patience and a nice sharp new blade and it's easy as.

[Guest]

Coming along very nicely Penny. Those are flash clamps. Good job with the masking, wasn't oo hard using the tape was it? Patience and a nice sharp new blade and it's easy as.

The clamps are lovely and I would recommend them to anyone. I was a bit puzzled when they first arrived, couldnt understand the physics behind them, so I tried them out on a book. Two clamps and the book is impossible to open. The bits on the end are rubber so no fear of breakage either.

The masking was easy, but I used to do it with a fine file. Cover it in masking tape and file the raised edges one rub at a time until the tape peels off. This time however I used a blade. It was a bit fiddly and the blade has to be brand new, but easy work. Could be a touch neater but Ill tidy it up after Im sprayed it.

But Im happy with the kit so far. A touch disappointed that it comes with the option to open the canopy and a set of step but the wings dont fold. Also it comes without pilots so you have to build it grounded, which is a shame as I tend to do jets airborne and props grounded.

The main problem Im having now is that because I dont know this aircraft too well I dont know if the bits are not fitting well or if they are supposed to be like that. It seems to build like a snap fix kit expect that you have to build the bits to snap fix together, if that makes sense.

Im enjoying it now though. I love doing cockpits but they are slow and once you get past that part the rest just flies. On average I spend about 1/3 of the time on the cockpit, 1/3 biulding the rest of the aircraft and the remaining 1/3 painting assembled kit

[Guest]

Nice work! Putting my efforts to shame!