Aircraft and History

The EA-18G is one of the latest approach to airborne electronic warfare. It’s roots go back to WWII when the radar made it’s first appearance and something as simple as aluminum foil was dropped by aircraft with the intent of fooling enemy radar. Technology made rapid advancements as did radar systems. Various airframes were used over the years to employ “jamming” technology with much success but there were also some limitations. Some of the airframes were effective but had a large crew required to operate and others were stable platforms but if put in a defensive position were sitting ducks. A couple of airframes (EF-111 and EA-6B ) had a great mix of capabilities with a solid jamming platform, defensive and evasive capabilities.

This is my sixth Eggplane and the second review of the Hasegawa Eggplane Series. As I mentioned before, they assemble quickly and are generally well engineered. This kit is no exception. I always attempt to try one new technique or skill on each of my builds; I wanted to practice a camouflage paint scheme. Also from experience I know that large decals are hard to get to conform to the typical Eggplanes contours. Therefore, I decided not to use any decals to for the darkest tone of the camouflage pattern,

I started by painting the engine exhausts (A2). I airbrushed them with a base coat of Tamiya XF-24 Dark Gray. I masked the center saw tooth band of the exhausts with Bare Metal Foil and painted the two remaining bands Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminum. After the paint had dried over night I masked the entire painted outer surfaces of the exhausts with Bare Metal Foil in preparation for assembly.

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Scale Aircraft Conversions

SAC has made an adaptation of the Me 262B-1/U-1 landing gear in white metal for the 1/32 Revell kit. The set contains the two main gear legs with oleo scissors and retraction struts. The main gear leg, its retraction strut, and its mount are also part of the set. I have seen photos of some 262s with an oleo scissor on the nose gear strut, but apparently, the B model did not have it. These are direct replacements for the parts that come in the Revell Me262B-1/U-1. Comparing the kit landing gear and the SAC landing gear side by side you will notice a lot of similarities between the two. Overall this is highly recommended for stronger landing gear especially since the 262 had tricycle landing gear and the nose will be weighted to keep the model from sitting on its tail. This is a great addition to the Revell kit.