Hasegawa  F-18A Hornet egg plane

It seems to be a common thing nowadays that a new military aircraft not be able to meet all of the standards under which it was originally contracted. At least it does when concerning Naval Aviation. I seem to recall much concern with the F-14 and its lack of power and engine reliability, something that was finally fixed near the end of its construction life. Same seems to have struck the F-18, a plane that was designed to take over the functions of both light, medium and heavy strike on the Navy's aircraft carriers. It was also supposed to be a superior fighter/interceptor and have a long range to match this high speed.

To say that it tended to fall short of all requirement would be pretty accurate. Same can be said for its replacement, the F-18E/F series. The Super Hornet is a Hornet in name only as little is interchangeable from the original aside from its inability to meet original specs.

Not to say they are bad aircraft as they are better than what they replaced in many aspects. You learn to use what you have to the best of your ability and the Navy and Marine corps certainly have done that. Now with the Super Hornet taking over the decks, the Navy will have what it has really wanted for decades; one airframe that does almost all the jobs. All it needs is a large cargo compartment and rotor blades.......

Here is another of the Hasegawa egg planes. This one is, like the Space Shuttle, not a new mold as I have an earlier kit dated 2000 with different markings. In common with the others in this series, there are minimal parts, no need for nose weight and a pretty quick build. This one totals fewer than 20 parts. The upper 'fuselage' has the wings and tail planes molded in place along with the wingtip missiles.

A two part pilot's head and upper torso fits into the cockpit, while the intakes and exhaust are stuck in place once the fuselage is assembled. A one piece canopy, that is very clear, is provided.

Instructions are almost unnecessary except to provide for markings and colors. Two markings options are given for this one. The first is the box art plane from VFA-192 'Golden Dragons' of CAG -5, homeported in Japan aboard the USS Independence. The other is a VFA-113 'Stingers' CAG bird. The decals provide the black tail for this one unless you wish to paint it. It also has a rather odd camo scheme for this aircraft, consisting of overall FS 36375 with a bit of FS 36320 near the nose. I don't think that is right and will do mine in the standard two grey tps scheme of 36320 upper and 36375 underside. Decals are nicely printed and unlike the newer F-15 kit, do not provide an instrument panel decal. Doubt if few will notice.

So there you have it. Another interesting kit that will bring a smile to many faces. Perfect for the young or young at heart and definitely something that those who are obsessed with accuracy will not be building!

References? References?, We ain't got no steenkin' references! (paraphrased from Treasure of the Sierra Madre.)

My thanks to www.dragonmodelsusa.com for the review kit. Get yours at your favorite shop or ask them to order it for you.

March 2008