F/A-18 Super Hornet

This is a model of the Blue Angels' iconic F/A-18 Super Hornet, finished in the squadron's distinctive livery. Designed to capture the legendary skill and sophistication of the demonstration team, this model features smooth sculpting and detailed landing gear. The F/A-18 Super Hornet is perfect for any collector looking to pay tribute to one of aviation’s most recognizable icons.When I browse Makerworld, I rarely come across fighter jet models that include landing gear, and this is a feature I always look for—one that’s almost always present in traditionally cast aircraft models but rarely in 3D-printed ones. That’s why I’m offering an F/A-18 with landing gear, faithfully reproduced based on the real aircraft. The landing gear was difficult to model at a size small enough to fit on the A1 Mini build plate. My solution maximizes the build plate’s surface area, which means you’ll need a well-maintained, high-performance printer to print this model. Some parts of this model, such as the landing gear struts and tires, are small and have less surface area in contact with the build plate. I conducted all print tests on—and I recommend printing this model with—the Bambu cold build plate, as it offers unmatched adhesion, allowing ambitious models like this one to print successfully. I initially planned to release it as a card kit, but the A1 Mini’s size constraints made it impossible to fit the parts at this scale, and I found it very difficult to print the landing gear at a scale smaller than 147%, which is the default print profile I’ve set. By default, the model is split across two build plates, with the canopies on a separate plate. This not only saves filament and time by reducing the number of layer changes on the main build plate, but also allows users with a single AMS unit to use a fifth color for the canopy, such as translucent PETG. Please read the assembly instructions before building your F/A-18, and happy printing! About Assembly A warning: When placing the cockpit canopies into the slot on the model’s upper fuselage, please proceed with caution and care, as the section separating the two parts is only a few walls thick and can easily be broken by careless assembly. The tolerances aren’t very tight at the default scale, so please use gentle force during this assembly step. Also, be sure to remove all supports and excess material from the parts. I recommend using sandpaper on the inserts if they do not fit into their slots, as tolerances may vary depending on the printer and filament used. Please download the PDF guide from the Documentation section below.