3rd Wire Models

1/48 Wingfolds for the Hasegawa F/A-18 Legacy Hornet

Product # 48-004 for $9.99

Product Article by Steve Filak on Sept 13, 2005

 

 

 

I'm very proud to be able to introduce a new line of resin accessories.  3rd Wire Models is a result of the collaboration of three of our very own fine folks here at ARC:  Thomas Doane (Fury), Jack Zeleznik (Bugfan), and Steve Stohr (Stevenator LTFO).  3rd Wire Models made their debut at the 2005 IPMS National Convention last month in Atlanta, and are hitting the ground running with their new line of products.  In the coming months, they'll be releasing even more great stuff which I GUARANTEE you will like, especially if you're a fan of 50's Naval Aviation.  For now, here's a quick review of their first 1/48 release: a set of resin wingfolds for Hasegawa's F/A-18 Legacy Hornets.

WHAT YOU GET:

Two cast resin wingfolds, and a set of instructions on how to install the wingfolds.  The instructions are no-frills, yet clear and concise, and each wingfold is a one-piece casting, with the wingfold mechanism integrally mounted to the wingtip itself.  Installation is very simple - just remove the casting blocks, cut the kit's wings at the points indicated on the instructions, and then insert the tabs on the wingfolds into the Hasegawa wings.  A small amount of filing or sanding may be necessary, but the end result is a pair of no-fuss, no-muss wingfolds, installed in a very short period of time.

My sample arrived intact, and both wingfolds were well-formed.  No short casting, bubbles, or warps.  Also, there is visible panel line detail on the parts themselves, but this did not show up very well in photographs.  

I'd like to thank 3rd Wire Models
for providing me with this review sample.  Additionally, I'd like to wish my friends Steve, Thomas, and Jack the very best of luck in their new venture, and I'll be looking forward to future releases. 

Steve
Additional detail shots can be seen below.

Click on images below to see larger images

Photos and text © by Steve Filak, Sr