Small Scale Military Headquarters

BCA has BA F18 for pre order some time around 10/22.
Kurt

AHHHH!! A DREAM COME TRUE! Ha ha! Yes!!! This is what I've been hoping for... I must pre-order asap....
Photos of the F-18 -
http://store1.yimg.com/I/badcattoys_1815_11570949
http://store1.yimg.com/I/badcattoys_1815_11197406
http://store1.yimg.com/I/badcattoys_1815_12724074
http://store1.yimg.com/I/badcattoys_1815_11958285

*DROOLS*

Link to page on it.
http://www.badcataviation.com/fban1bybbcat.html

Wow. I still can't get over how awesome this looks.

NICE! Can anyone say "Thunderbird f-16"

If I'm looking at the photos correctly, the pilot seems to be wearing the correct blue flightsuit and yellow helmet. Too cool!! But is the undercarriage really this white?

ALL RIGHT!!! Now how am I suppose to explain to my wife that I need at least 3 or 4 of these to put in formation.

Hats off to BCA for knocking out the BA version. It looks pretty cool.

-Ski

Definitely have to give BCA credit for listening to the fan base. I know many of us were asking for Blue Angels.

This hobby kicks ass!!!

Mark

Lemme see, we'll be going to the Navy air show at Miramar this month, see the Blue Angels, get some autographs, & wrap a #1 from Santa. Ho, Ho, Ho....

(Technically it's a Marine Air Corps Air show!) and I shall be there as well!

Hey All,

I just pre-ordered mine. I know there are a bunch of smart folks out there. What is your recommendation as to how to put a gloss finish on it? Is it as simple as spray painting a gloss lacquer?

Thanks a bunch,

Andy

Airbrushing is the best recommendation. Spraying glosscote straight from the can often results in "pools" that are quite difficult to remove. Due to the size of the model, brushing is out of the question. I'd practice on something with an airbrush first before attempting the Hornet.

I swore that I wouldn't cave in and get the BBI F-18 (for size considerations only), however, being a Blue Angels fan as long as I can remember, this is just getting too tempting! I also agree with a previous post, a Thunderbirds F-16 is the next step.

Now, to those of you who will purchase one or more of these planes, you could make a very unique collectors item by keeping one MIB and somehow getting the actual Blue Angels pilots to sign the box!

Has anyone gotten their Blue Angel F-18 yet? I haven't ordered one as of yet... but curious for some reports on it.

I was really tempted to buy a Blue Angels but I figure I have one of these monsters hanging out in the garage as of now. I am going to hold my breath to get the F-16 Thunderbird variant instead (I hope they make one eventually)
Aaron

I received my Blue Angel yesterday. I not really into modern stuff but had to get this one. Still in the box but a one word description; Spectacular. I lack the room, but sure would be nice to be able to set up all six in formation.

Beautiful plane right out of the box. Could use some glosscote for that extra touch but I'm leaving mine alone.

I got mine last week. I've put a gloss coat but It still wasn't shiny enough so I'm going to give Future a try. I'm going to hang it so it doesn't have to perfect but I hope I don't screw it up.

ANyone want to take some photos??

Hi, I have one in progress shot of my F18
http://community.webshots.com/user/hornettrip
The only thing I added was the yellow pinstrip to the LERX strake. A coat of Model master gloss and about 1/2 bottle of Future. I'm waiting for the future to dry right now.

CW4USARMY wrote: Hey All,

I just pre-ordered mine. I know there are a bunch of smart folks out there. What is your recommendation as to how to put a gloss finish on it? Is it as simple as spray painting a gloss lacquer?

Thanks a bunch,

Andy

Hi all, longtime lurker at the old board here, and bigtime Blue Angels collector and modeler. I also am into all types of the big 1/18 planes.

Andy, be very careful as to the type of clearcoat you use, as the bbi toys have PVC vinyl in them and many solvents in certain types of paint wiil react with the PVC (the rubbery stuff that the LEX fences and intake strakes are made from) and never fully cure, but stay "sticky"

I have had good luck with Future Floor Wax shot thru an Airbrush...it's self-leveling, dries crysatl clear, won't ever yellow, and looks wet when done right. When my BBi Blues '18's get here I plan to use Future on them. My recommendation is to test a very small, out of the way PVC area on the jet before applying ANY Clearcoat. I certainly will, even though I've yet to have Future attack any substrate. Better safe than sorry...

I have six BA '18' inbound, and plan on customizing them to the nth degree, an will be assigning the current team members name to each corresponding jet. I also plan to have each team member sign the jets before I put them on the flightline display in my Blue Angels Room.

I am, needless to say, excited about recieving them.

Hope I wasn't to verbose or know it all in my first post here...just trying to help

BB

Great to hear your doing six. Your going to have to show us.
I put 2 coats of future with the airbrush but couldn't get a good think shinny coat (probably my poor airbrush skills). I lost my patience and ended up freehanding the future. It looks descent on the fuselage but the wings have some uneven spots. Very shiny and seems to be curing.

Yeah thats great that a hardcore blue angels fan is going to make the 6 plane airshow formation!

Here is a clip I shot at last years Chicago air show.

http://gordak.com/bluerollpass.wmv

Nice to meet you!

Going to hang them like this?



He he. If any of you need some Blue Angel reference images... feel free to hunt around the Blue Angel shots I got at MCAS Miramar (San Diego, California) a few weeks ago:
http://www.warbird-photos.com/miramar04/index5.html