| Date of Review |
March 2006 |
| Manufacturer |
Orion Models |
| Subject |
F/A-18A/B Tail Stiffeners |
| Scale |
1/48 |
| Kit Number |
OMV48002 |
| Media |
Vinyl |
| Pros |
Adds updated detail to any 1/48 F/A-18A/B
kit |
| Cons |
|
| Skill Level |
Basic |
| MSRP (USD) |
$6.00 |
The F/A-18 Hornet was an interesting platform for learning the
effects of high alpha (angle of attack) maneuvering on airflow
around the fuselage and the effects of the bursts of turbulance
created at high alpha on the tail structures of the Hornet. Various
mods and stiffeners have been applied to fielded aircraft and integrated
into new production aircraft to minimize the stresses on the airframe
during air combat maneuvering. One such mod is a pair of stiffener
plates applied to both sides of the F/A-18A and F/A-18B vertical
stabilizers. This is one detail that has not been captured in any
production kit so far.
Orion Models to the rescue. They've created vinyl appliques to
be simply applied to the vertical stab according to the diagram
above (both sides) that are then painted over to seal the applique
into place. These will work nicely with new projects as well as
update your already-built models. Just paint the white vinyl to
blend into the existing paint scheme.
According to the instructions, these stiffeners were applied to
the following blocks of Bugs:
USN/USMC
- F/A-18A BuNo 161353 thru 163175
- F/A-18B BuNo 161354 thru 163123
Australia
- F/A-18A S/N A21-001 thru A21-055
- F/A-18B S/N A21-101 thru A21-118
Canada
- F/A-18A S/N 188701 thru 188798
- F/A-18B S/N 188901 thru 188940
Spain
- F/A-18A S/N C15-12 thru C15-57
- F/A-18B S/N CE15-1 thru CE15-12
This is a nicely done enhancement for the Hornet!
My sincere thanks to Orion
Models for this review sample!
Orion Models
2859 Missy Drive
Marietta, GA 30062
USA
OrionModels@aol.com
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