My Scale Model Making Journey
I’ve wanted to own this model for a long time now, and I finally got it – the E-2C “Hawkeye” JASDF version by Hasegawa, in 1:72 scale. This is of course, the version used by the Japanese air force (or air defence unit), and it is really quite big for a 1/72 scale kit.
The quality looks good, with recessed panel lines, although I know this is not really a “new’ kit. I’ll be building this kit in “flying” position so all that extra detail for the landing gear is really wasted on me.
The F-117A is a must-have in any scale aircraft model collection. Just like the Blackbird, it’s an iconic aircraft not just for it’s day, but even now. My kit is from Hasegawa, in 1/72 scale. I’m really excited to build this aircraft, and by looking at the manual it seems like a relatively straightforward process. The entire fuselage and wing area is made up of only a handful of parts.
One of the most iconic aircraft ever built, the Blackbird is both striking and mysterious at the same time. Owning a model of the Blackbird has to be on the top of any aircraft modeller’s list.
I got mine, after waiting for so long. The SR-71A Blackbird in 1/72 scale, again from Hasegawa, who in my opinion makes the best in model aircraft kits. I should have know though that this is no new kit – in fact it’s probably a reissue of the same model kit that has been around for ages. I know this because of the raised panel lines, which makes it all the more difficult for a beginner like me to work with it.
It does have some recessed panel lines, so I guess this kit is not that old after all, but most of them are raised lines. However, the entire fuselage and wing is in only two separate pieces, so it’s really easy to put this model together. Painting is easy too – just use flat black all over.
After my last post about the 1/72 scale aircraft carrier model, Simon pointed out in the comments that there’s something even better. It will blow your mind – a 1/72 scale RC (remote controlled) USS Nimitz aircraft carrier model.
See the entire set of the 1/72 scale RC Nimitz aircraft carrier here.
Some big mistakes I did while building this kit:
Well, since my Harrier II kit from Hasegawa contained two Harrier kits, I guess I’ll have a second chance at building this.
About the same time I completed my P-51D Mustang, I also “completed” my F9F-8 Cougar. This was another “practise” model kit so I’m pretty ok with the results. Although the model is off balance and the nose always gets lifted up, it was a real learning experience doing this kit. It’s wasn’t the highest quality kit, but i had a good time.
Some of the mistakes I made with this model:
What I like about Hasegawa models kits though is the decals. They are really easy to use and not so easy to break, as compared to decals by Tamiya or Italeri.
This is one of my first modelling projects with aircraft – the P-51D Mustang by Italeri. Although it looks pretty ok in these pictures, I know better. I made a lot of mistakes with this model kit, including:
But what the heck, it was a cheap model kit and this was supposed to be “practise” anyways. It was a good opportunity to use my airbrush on such a small model. It was so small in fact that I dropped it more than once which building it. The antenna was glued and re-glued many times.
But like I said, it looks not too bad in this picture, right?
This is my new Hasegawa F-15E Strike Eagle modelled after the Iraqi Freedom versions. I’ve always wanted to own a F-15 model aircraft and the one by Hasegawa looks great.
The model kit itself is of excellent quality, good details and over 190 parts so you know it’s pretty detailed. I can’t wait to start building the F-15E although I don’t think I’m going to build it exactly as it is. The kit contains way too many weapons / bombs which I think draws attention away from the plane itself. I prefer to make it simpler.
I never bought a Tamiya aircraft kit before, so I was pretty excited to get my new F/A-18E Super Hornet. The Tamiya kit looks to be of much better quality than most of the Hasegawa kits I’ve bought so far. To start with the plastic feels much smoother and solid. The seam lines are also very clear, with lots of details too.
The only thing is that this particular kit has very, very few decals. Still it looks like building this Tamiya F-18 model kit is going to be relatively easy. I tried dry fitting the parts and they all come together superbly.
A couple of weeks back I got two plastic clamps from Excel, which cost about $2 I think. Initially I thought it would be great to use them to hold two pieces together when I glued them.
However, I found them to be quite flimsy and I think it’s way better to use a tape of rubber band to hold pieces together instead of trying to adjust the clamps to do the job. I will probably used them as a model “stand” instead to hold models while I airbrush them.