25th March 2025
Though most travellers bring back duty-free goods from their holidays, the only things I brought back were a bag full of dirty laundry and a head full of ideas.
Going away is the only chance to really get a break from building models. Though I have my phone with me, I almost never take anything modelling in nature, leaving everything to do with the day job at home. Despite that, my ability to daydream aimlessly and not entirely forget my working life often takes me away on flights of fancy, where future plans can capture my imagination and set in train future projects.
One of those projects that I seemed to spend a lot of time thinking about over the last few weeks was the 1/32 Hasegawa F-18 that sits atop the ‘to do’ pile. Truth be told it’s been there for some time now, which is something of shameful burden given that A) I’ve wanted to build it for as long as I can remember and B) it was kindly send to me by Mike Reeves all the way from the States, after I mentioned just how much I wanted to, you know, build it…
The first F-18 is not only my favourite prototype, it carried my all-time favourite scheme, one that is only matched depending on my mood and need to be contrary, by the Alcock & Brown commemorative Phantom FGR2, XV424.
My love affair with that particular Hornet began the second I spied it on the cover of the June 1980 edition of Scale Models magazine. There in all of its glory was Joe Saki’s superb build; there within the editorial pages was Joe’s assessment. I was hooked, both on that model and the desire, deeply felt at the time and little-dimmed over the following 40-odd years, that I wanted to build models like that and write about them, just like Joe did.
So the urge to build the Hasegawa’s F-18 burns bright. With the weather warming up, the highest hurdle, that gloss white plumage, might be easier to deal with, aerosol can nozzles replacing airbrush cups and delicate tips. I’m not the best when it comes to spraying gloss white, so being able to simplify the process and do it outside on one of the UK’s two warm days a year might be a sensible plan of action. Then and only then, can I give thought to those glorious blue and gold stripes…
I guess as modellers we never really switch off, ideas sloshing around our heads most of the time. We just have to be careful that that’s all we do: think about building. As far as the Hornet is concerned, it really is time to turn thoughts into deeds and heed my own advice from last week: if not now, when?
See you tomorrow.
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
My Hornet prototype fling was with the Italeri 1/72 one
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I have two of that kit, still not built also. When I bought the first one I also ordered a resin conversion set to turn it into a C version from the prototype. The resin set took almost a year to come in from England to the States. In the meantime the Academy kit was released, an amazing kit to build, gobs of detail. Alas it was severely damaged in a move, I finished it with a CAM decal set for one of the planes that downed an Iraqi fighter on the opening day for the first Gulf War. I seriously doubt that the decal sets that came with the kits are still good but I’ll find out soon. I’m planning on a prototype for one and the C version for the other. I saved the landing gear and tail surfaces as well as other goodies from the Academy kit for the C build. We’ll see I’ve got an F16A kit I’m working on at present, an early Hasegawa kit 1/32 also. I’ve also got a pretty large kit stash that is waiting, Airfix B1 1/72 with decal set and correction sheet for Enduring Freedom to name one. I’ve had to take a break due to a spinal fusion and my juices are flowing again, strange how that works.
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Good article as always. How does one get on the list to order your A-4 Skyhawk book?
Thanks
Jeff Wilson.
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I have the old Monogram kit. I notice some molding issues with this. I can fix this, but it will not be perfect. It is my kit, and I want to do it the best I can. I do not like how the elevators work on this kit. They are very weak in this. Cockpit is really nice. Simple but sweet and the ejection seat is not too bad. I have to fix a antenna but it will be a easy fix.
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