AgapeModels.com forum member Ken Judt (icekj) sent in this product review for a very good looking cockpit upgrade for the F/A-18D.
Subject: F/A-18D Cockpit/Correction set for Italeri/Revell 1/72 F/A-18D
Manufacturer: Modern Hobbies LLC.
Price: $12.50
Set includes: Resin cast nose correction with raised detail, resin cast cockpit replacement set. This set represents a BuNo 164196 or later night attack aircraft.
Quality: This is my first purchase from Modern Hobbies and I am very impressed. The pieces look to be accurate from the research I did on the web. Here is a listing of the various details I checked:
* Both the control sticks for the WSO are represented
* The aft deck is properly arranged and represented
* No rear control stick, as there are none on the night attack Deltas
* Front and rear instrument panels properly laid out
* Combing over the rear instrument panel is proper size and you can even see the chaff/flare dispenser buttons
* Replacement nose with raised panel lines like the kit it is intended for
* SJU-17 ejection seats are correct from the photos I compared them with
One of the things I was most impressed with this set was the way the casting blocks and parts were laid out. The control sticks were attached down their full length with very thin resin. There was no flash to be found anywhere on the set. There was some resin inside the ejection seat handles but that was included to allow for easier shipping without breakage. These will be very easy to delicately remove. All parts will be easy to remove from the casting blocks.
Drawbacks: There are no rudder petals included in the cockpit. While this would be noticeable at 1/48 or 1/32 I think that at 1/72 you will never miss them unless you are a judge in a modeling contest. There is no instruction sheet included with the product as shipped, however, there is a very nice PDF instruction sheet provided on his web site you can download and print.
Overall: I do not have the kit that these castings were intended to be used with. I do however see that it will be easy to modify a Fujimi or Hasegawa F/A-18D to use these parts. The replacement nose is not needed on either of these kits. I may do some serious cutting with the razor saw to remove the gun cover plate from the nose and use it with my build of the Fujimi kit. From the sprue shots I have found for the intended kit it seems to be a drop in situation with minimum fitting and sanding required.
Recommendation: Recommended to all who have some experience with resin cockpit replacements, even recommended for those looking to do their first resin cockpit if you have the intended kit.
To see this set and more, you can visit Modern Hobbies website.
