Guess I haven't been keeping track of what is going on in the world of modern aircraft as this is the first I've heard of this particular modification. Back about 20 years ago, there was a proposal for a recce Hornet and one of the prototypes was modified to carry cameras. However, it was not proceeded with. Now it seems as if the idea has be resurrected and the aircraft actually exists.

This Black Box set seems to have all that is needed to do a conversion using the Hasegawa 1/48 F-18D kit. You get a new nose as well as the usual cockpit bits and pieces. There is also a new suite of antennas and some new nose wheel doors. If you've done any resin cockpits before, then this one should be no different from them and looks pretty standard. There are the usual resin plugs that have to be removed before use. You will also have to supply the clear covers over the nose windows, but this shouldn't be a problem for those who are at this level of modeling. One thing for sure, you won't need nose weight. There is a note in the instructions stating that certain bu/no aircraft use a NACES seat. I haven't a clue as to if those are the seats supplied or not, but they certainly look the part.

Review set courtesy North American Hobbies, where you can get everything from 20-30% below retail.

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