The F/A-18C in 1/18 scale by bbi
bluebox toys came with a modest armament set up of 2 sets of MK82 conventional
bombs and two sidewinders which are molded onto the rails. The F-16C
also came with armament but a closer inspection reveals that the missiles
were a tad overscale and the Sparrow supplied with it is erroneously
referred to on the box as an AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Hornet needed a more
deadlier sting and I was fascinated by a pic of an F/A-18C with a full
AAM load of 2 sidewinders, 8 AMRAAMS with 2 more on the midship section of the
fuselage. I decided to give the plane an identical setup and I
immediately hit the drawingboard to fast-track some 1/18 scale missiles and
Air-to-Ground Weapons. These were definitely long over-due!
I elected to go
with a 2 Sparrow Set up on the fuselage and I updated my GBU-12s to
include the retractable fins and a more refined finish. On the
outboard pylon, I scratchbuilt the LAU-115 Missile Racks with the LAU-127 side-mounted
rails. The AIM-7 Sparrows were mounted to the midship fuselage
points. |
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I decided to
take the GBU-12s I initially built and refine the surface for more cleaner
appearance and finally added the retractable fins. Lastly, I made a
pair of AGM-88 HARM Anti-Radiation Missiles. I've also designed the
weapons for compatibility with the F-16C. I'm working on prototype
designs for Harpoons, JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) bombs, Targeting
Pods, and Zuni Rocket Launchers.
Rob |
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