Hobby Master 1:72 F/A-18A VFC-12 'Fighting Omars'

The Boeing F/A-18 Hornet, initially developed by McDonnell Douglas, is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather fighter and attack aircraft. It first took flight in November 1978, with the first production flight occurring on April 12, 1980. The initial 380 aircraft were F/A-18As, and production shifted to the F/A-18C in September 1987. Variants A and C are single-seaters, while B and D feature tandem seats. The Hornet can operate from both aircraft carriers and land bases, with in-flight refueling capabilities. A total of 1,480 A-D variants were produced. In 1994, VFC-12 Fighting Omars swapped their A-4 Skyhawks for F/A-18 Hornets, primarily providing adversary training for USN and USMC units. VFC-12 is exchanging their F/A-18Cs for F/A-18A+s from VFA 87, with the incoming aircraft set to receive a distinctive splinter paint scheme designed by AD3 Darrall Taylor, mimicking the Sukhoi SU-35's scheme. In 1992, the original Hughes AN/APG-65 radar was upgraded to the Hughes (now Raytheon) AN/APG-73, with upgraded 'A' models designated as A+.