MSRP: $36.00 USD
The EF-18G Growler is
the replacement for the EA-6B Prowler. A quick look says that it is due
out in 2009 from a few web sites that I found. I also found that the
name “Growler” might change also, but nothing concrete. Italieri is
first to the race with a kit of the proposed Growler. The EF-18G is an
F-18F with radar jamming pods and other modifications to allow it to
perform the electronic warfare role. Italieri’s kit comes in soft gray
plastic with nice recessed panel lines and options for two of the test
planes with a very nice decal sheet printed by Cartograph.
Construction starts
with the cockpit, which is sparse, with both side consoles and
instrument panels being represented by decals. Seat detail is OK for
injection-molded seats. I painted and installed the cockpit and fit was
good. Assembly after that is pretty straightforward for the forward
fuselage and the attachment to the top fuselage and fit is good.
The intakes were next
and present the same problem - seam issues - as most modern jets with
gloss white do. These were filled and sanded until a decent look was
achieved. Parts 23a and 27a are tricky as they are the inner part of the
intakes. Follow the instructions well and things should be OK. The
intakes are attached to the bottom fuselage and are fitted to the top
along with the leading edge extension bottoms. This was a tricky
operation and suffered from a couple problems. The intake/bottom
assembly fits against the forward fuselage- any slight misalignment and
you get a step between the front and bottom parts- needless to say, I
did, and spent time sanding and filling to get it right. Even more
difficult were the leading edges. There is no support and although the
fit was OK, each time I tried to fill a part, they flexed and
re-cracked. Very frustrating and in hindsight, I would brace the parts
and avoid this problem. The wings and tails fit well. The rear stabs are
integral to the fuselage. I decided to close the canopy and built the
kits closed. The front required sanding to get a good fit while the back
canopy was pretty good.
At this point, the
majority of large construction is done and I built all the fuel tanks
and jamming pods. When these were ready, I painted the kit dark and
light ghost gray. While drying, I built the landing gear. Be careful
about parts 43a and 46a – these are the axles for the main gear. I
reversed mine and didn’t catch it until I test fit the completed gear-
it sat like a wounded duck and I spent a bit of time prying the parts
off, reattaching and repainting the gear.
The decals were flat
when applied and reacted well the MicroSet system. There was a little
silvering but mostly due to me. I attached the remainder of the parts
and “things under wings” and flat coated the kit.
A nice kit, but there
were fit problems that have to be addressed by the modeler and the
cockpit will need rebuilt/replaced for a competition model. I would like
to thank Lewis Nace and David Veres and Testors/Italieri for the
generous donation of the review kit. |