F/A-18E & F/A-18F Super Hornet

Developed to overcome some of the shortcomings of the original, or Legacy, Hornet and replace the aging and expensive to maintain F-14, the Super Hornet has proven to be nothing if not versatile. It has replaced not only the Tomcat and the Legacy Hornet, but the A-6 Intruder, and with the development of the EA-18G Growler, it has mastered the EA-6B’s electronic warfare role. Although the Super Hornet shares some equipment with its predecessor Hornet, it is essentially a new aircraft and bigger all the way around and the mainstay of the modern U.S. Navy. For modelers of the popular Super Hornet, there can’t be a much better reference than Detail & Scale’s F/A-18E & F/A-18F Super Hornet (Also includes the EA-18G Growler) by Haagen Klaus and Bert Kinzey. After detailing the Super Hornet’s development and features as well as its operational history, the 104-page softcover gets down to business with hundreds of photos, beginning with some of the aircraft in service. The core is detailed walkaround images breaking the plane down in section. Among the areas explored are the cockpits pointing out differences between versions, the ejection seat, flight suits, windscreen and canopy, radome and radar, cannon, antennas and probes, avionics bays, intakes, fuselage details, the wing fold, flaps, tails, landing gear, engines, ordnance, fuel tanks, and pods, including the Growler’s wingtip pods. Typical of the In Detail & Scale series, the book wraps up with the Modelers Section, featuring reviews of plastic Super Hornet kits available in 1/144, 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scales. Note: This edition was published in 2020, so the survey does not include Meng’s 1/48 scale Super Hornet family released since then. This book is indispensable if you are building a Super Hornet! ~Aaron Skinner, Editor of FineScale Modeler