ESCI – McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet

Description:

No major maker of plastic scale model kits can skip an F-18 model, specially those who has been (or was) around in the 80s, when F-18s where at their peak, being the newer and most capable aircraft of its type.

ESCI of course was not an exception, and in 1980 released their first F-18 kit, the ESCI 9001 MDD F-18 Hornet, starting a series that will last till 1998 with the last reissue of the kit under ARMT/Ertl brand.

ESCI 9001 MDD F-18 Hornet

The first set by in the series by code number was the 9001, issued in 1980 and 1984, it’s the box cover than open this article, although 1984 edition varied a bit the box cover, as well as “Scale Craft”, Revell or Ertl releases of this same kit with their own code numbers and decals. This was one of the first F-18 kits in 1/72 scale and market was eager of it.

Sadly the time and evidences wouldn’t be fair with the kit, produced at a time where information about the real subject was little, as the F-18 itself, entered service officially several years later, in 1983.

Many modelers argue that ESCI was working on the kit based on the prototype YF-18, with differers quite a lot of the production versions that entered in service years later, but in any case, the kit is not accurate even to depict an early A variant, though this is the closest the kit can get, and maybe acceptable if you can find it for a low budget. So important subject as the F-18 has been released by many makers since the 80s, in different variants, and many modelers has compared and build the kits, with ESCI F-18 never standing out as a good kit. Together with common problems of the era such basic cockpit detail or not very good payload options (common ESCI problem in many sets) the set has some shape problems and also is not reported as a fine fit.

This original release included a decal sheet with two markings, for 5th and 6th prototypes, Patuxent river Naval Air Test Center, both dated 1980. The kit parts were tooled in white color.

ESCI 9040 “Frelon” Canadair CF-18

After the initial release of the kit, from 1985 to 1986 a number of variations were introduced, the first one, this Canadair CF-18, though official designation was CF-188, the export variant produced for the Canadian Army (CAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

The title hided decals for three other nations, as included markings for Canadian, Spanish, Australian and U.S. Navy service. In difference to the original release this kit was tooled in a more nice grey color.

Some sources state different parts in this kit, compared the original 1980 release, but sprue included are exactly the same from what we have seen. The kit was released again under the ESCI/Ertl era in 1988.

ESCI 9047 Leatherneck F-18

The last of the originally ESCI releases of the F-18 was this 1986 kit, ESCI 9047 Leatherneck F-18, which basically added new decals to the series, with U.S. Marine Corps markings (The name reference Leatherneck is a nickname of the U.S.M.C., referring to a leather neck collar worn in earlier times, also shared with British Marines and sailors referred as “Bootnecks”). The set was reissued again in 1988 under the ESCI/Ertl time and one more time in the 90s with a renewed box art.

ESCI 9117 F-18A Hornet Desert Storm (AMT/Ertl 8703)

In the late 80s and 90s ERTL took control of the ESCI brand reissuing their kits, some times with updates, some times just with new decals. For every aircraft model kit when it was possible, the brand issued an special edition with occasion of the 1991 operation Desert Storm in Irak, and the F-18 kit was not an exception.

The same topic was issued under AMT/Ertl brand in 1992, under code number 8703. This AMT box was the only in the series using the F/A-18 designation.

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Other releases under AMT/Ertl

As with many of the ESCI kits that were issued in the ESCI/Ertl time, mostly all of them, AMT/Ertl continued releasing them duaring the 90s, focused in the U.S. market, and many of the ESCI kits perdure on sale thanks to the AMT reissues. In general terms AMT did little updates in the kits, with some exceptions, and mainly just reissued kits with new decal sheets. Together with the above mentioned Desert Storm issue, AMT/Ertl issued 3 more code numbers for the old ESCI F-18 kit.

AMT/Ertl 8802 McDonnell Douglas F-18A Hornet

This was the first ESCI F-18 released under AMT/Ertl brand, in 1989, and the first time the kit was labeled as a F-18A, included two U.S. Marine Corps markings, VMFA-323 and VMFA-531, two of the first USMC squadrons to get the Hornet.

AMT/Ertl 8697 McDonnell Douglas F-18A Hornet Force One

AMT/Ertl always had devotion for the “Force One”, the air guard of the U.S. President when flying. As most of the moves happens on the Air Force One it’s usually the F-15s or F-16s who the take the role of escort the president, but if flying in a U.S. Navy or U.S.M.C. aircraft, then the escort is taken by F-18s, and that is what this kit depicts. AMT/Ertl did the dame with both their F-15s and F-16s, a special release “Force One”. This kit was released in 1990.

AMT/Ertl 8079 McDonnell Douglas F-18 Blue Angels Flight Display

The last release of the series of ESCI F-18 was this AMT/Ertl McDonnell Douglas F-18 Blue Angels Flight Display, a package that included four full kits inside !!! with markings for the U.S. Navy demonstration squadron “Blue Angels”. Released in 1998 this is a pretty hard to find kit.

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Conclusion

Three brands jumped in 1980 into the F-18 race, Hasegawa, Italeri and ESCI with the kit view above (Airfix released their new kit in 1981). At that year, they all only could depict early F-18As and though none of them is particularly a very good kit, Hasegawa is accepted as the best option amongst modelers. Together with common simplifications of the time (and still nowadays) such cockpit or landing gear bay, ESCI added not well shaped intakes, exhausts and a really early depiction of the F-18A without the patches to the fins and the small ‘finlets‘ above the wing strakes. The nose section is not also greatly portrayed in the ESCI kit and the payload, two AIM-7 Sparrow (under fuselage) and two Sidewinder in the tip of the wing, are not greatly shaped either (and this was a constant mistake in several other ESCI kits).

Italeri and Hasegawa kits have keep popping out from time to time, but for an easier and straight F-18A for the less skilled modelers, Hobby Boss kit is probably the best option (Hobby Boss – 80268 – F/A-18A HORNET). The Airfix kit from 1981 is either not a bad consideration for F/A-18A variant, but keep in mind that all of them, are early 80s kits with their common simplifications and problems, and so, you might still want to go with the ESCI variant, which is widely available in the second hand market, though often overpriced, as sellers pretend to sell all old kits as truly collectors pieces, while not all of them are.

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