Most fast jet modellers consider Hasegawa’s 1/48 Super Hornet as the best in the scale – but Meng's recently released F/A-18E is a real contender says CHRIS CLIFFORD.
The gloves are off!
Last year I was looking for a 1/48 lockdown build to satisfy my US Navy desires, and one kit leapt out from the stash… Hasegawa’s F/A-18E, which I resolved to complete as a VX-23 test machine with a hulking weapons load. All was going well with the aftermarket cockpit I used, but when it came to marrying the nose, fuselage and full-length air intakes, all did not go well – and it was nothing to do with the replacement ‘office’. The fit was poor, prompting many expletives and it sat on the Shelf of Doom until I had the energy to start a filling and sanding extravaganza, which seemed to go on for days. It was, in short, torturous – and frustrating because the detail is actually rather good.
Above and below: Meng’s upper and lower fuselage sections (shown here), supposedly fit better than those in the Hasegawa kit.
So, once we received a review sample of Meng’s new single-seat Super Hornet I was desperate to lift the lid and see how it shaped up. While I can’t yet attest to the fit, I can say that it’s a stunning-looking product that raises the b…
