Canada's Hornet: Part 2

In this model, I'm going to closely follow the instructions: usually when I go off the beaten track, I end up in some form of trouble that takes a while to fix. I started the CF-18 with the cockpit, one of my favorite parts of making an aircraft. I used a toothpick, with its end trimmed to a nice point, to paint the fine details of the instruments and buttons. I then applied a decal for the screens of the HUD and instruments, a task that I was NOT looking forward to after my last, nightmarish time with decals. Happily, this time, they went on just fine (sigh of relief :P) and it looked good.

Canada's Hornet: Part 1

Last Summer, I bought Revell's 1/48th scale F/A-18 kit and was not overly happy with the decal schemes provided, so I bought Leading Edge Decals for it, representing a Canadian Air Force fighter. Ten Months later, I'm finally getting started. 

The first thing that I noticed when I opened the box was the massive amount of parts, over 125 parts, and many took up the entire length of the box. Then I realized, this was going to be a massive project; But not to worry, I have my loyal assisstant, Hairy, as seen in the photo to help me! :P

Changing Gears...

I know that some of my readers are probably looking forward to seeing my finished Tiger. Unfortunately, I am losing interest in that model, so I am taking a break and starting on my next one, Revell's F-18. Over the next whileI will work on two models,  the (C as I am modelling a Canadian Plane) CF-18 and the Tiger when it strikes my fancy; I will keep you updated on both as they are under progress.

Tiger I Information

I figured that some people would be interested to learn about the Tiger I tank, so I am using the best of the information from "Tiger I Information Center" http://www.alanhamby.com/history.shtml

Production was ordered to start in August 1942. It took 300,000 man hours to build one Tiger, almost twice as much time as a Panther required.

The average cost of a Tiger was 250,000 Reichsmarks. In comparison, a PzKpfw III cost RM 96,200, and a PzKpfw IV RM 103,500; all these figures do not include weapons and radios. The Tiger cost $100,000 in 1941 U.S. dollars. Adjusted for inflation, a Tiger I today would cost approximately $1,282,051. By comparison, the United States current M1A1 Abrams tank costs $4,300,000.

The new tank was officially designated Panzerkampfwagen VI H (88mm) (SdKfz 182) Ausführung H1. The design program had been known as the Tigerprogram and in March of '42 the Germans began referring to the panzer as the Tiger.The influence of the Tiger on Allied morale, known as Tigerphobia, was so powerful that British General Montgomery banned all reports mentioning it's prowess in battle. The Tiger's greatest fame was gained in a single action in Normandy where the SS Obersturmführer Michael Wittman destroyed an entire column of 25 tanks, 14 half-tracks and 14 bren-gun carriers in a few short minutes with one Tiger.

The vehicle used in this remarkable feat is the one I am currently modelling.