 The ambition and innovation being shown by 3D Design Deck appears to know no limits, and I'm all in for it. After taking a look at the tiny Beech 1900Ds a few weeks back, in this week's review I go even smaller as 3D Design Deck have expanded their military lines to include 400 scale fighters. Considering the size of these it seems cheeky to review them the way I would a 747, but I can't resist taking a closer look. Obviously the caveat for this review is that a model of this size is testing production capabilities to there limits and when the model is so small what can be seen by the human eye and caught in a macro photograph are not the same thing. IF YOU ENJOY MY REVIEWS THEN PLEASE DONATE TO HELP ME MIGRATE THE WEBSITE TO A NEW HOST AND INFRASTRUCTURE SO I CAN CONTINUE WRITING THEM! LEARN MORE HERE Each review is to split into three key areas:
This review is sponsored by Northeast Diecast. Check out their store for an excellent range of hard to find 200 and 400 scale collection sale models and get 15% off!  MOULD  With 3D Design Deck's B-2 Spirit Release There have been fighters made in 400 scale by real brands before, but as far as I am aware only from Dragon Wings in association with larger models like KC-10s and only without undercarriage. This isn't surprising as in 400 scale even a sizeable fighter is tiny. 3D Design Deck's unique production model enables them to take risks a diecast brand wouldn't dare to and along with these F/A-18s they also have an F-35 available.  With a British Penny! It is vital to understand just how small these F/A-18s are. The wingspan is only 3cm and the entire fuselage measures only just over 4cm. That tiny size introduces limitations in what is possible and also makes macro photography a little unkind. In my view it is as much what these look like with the human eye that matters as under magnification.  The result here is that this is an excellent looking Hornet with the human eye and still a decent looking one even under magnification. If it seems rather unfair reviewing this like I would a much larger standard 400 scale model I apologise, but I'll give it a go anyway.  The general shape of the aircraft is good and it is clearly an F/A-18. The broad form of the wings and especially the nose region is excellent, capturing the unique shape of the Hornet well.  Another area of the airframe that impresses are the intakes, complete with the splitter plates separating them from the fuselage itself. The detailing on the underside and the curving forewing area is superb.  The angled tailplanes also look good, but I do feel the extended engine exhaust region aft of the tail is a little too long. It isn't especially noticeable with the eye but stands out more under magnification. I'm loving the detailing of the arrestor hook on the rear underside.  Some other areas that pass the Mk1 eyeball test don't look quite as good in close-up. The cockpit is a little too large (or at least the lack of the lower rim is noticeable) and the dorsal aerial obviously doesn't match the shape of the real thing. Nonetheless features like the aerial look great without the macro-photography and are worth keeping.  This model comes with droptanks. Their shape, and that of the pylons joining them to the wing, is good, but the tanks themselves could be a little larger.  Lastly, the model features undercarriage, and even more impressively, maingear doors! There are serious limitations to what is possible here but the result is good. The nosegear even includes the forward process (giving away the Hornet's ancestry as catapult launched carrier based aircraft). I would suggest the nosegear leg should be a little further aft. A tiny bit more height would also be beneficial.  This model includes an impressive amount of mould based detail considering its miniscule size. With the naked eye it is an excellent looking F/A-18 (or CF-188 as the Canadians designate them). Macro photographs do illustrate some of the limitations of the 3D print technology, but even with that there are some mods that could be made - mostly related to nosegear placement and size of the engine exhaust region. SCORE - 7  PAINT & LIVERY  It turns out that this particular airframe, 188784 of the 409 Tactical Fighter Squadron, is quite well represented in photographs, partly due to a deployment to Romania in 2021 where it was captured in some exquisite shots by Chris Wood - see here and here.  Detailing such a tiny model poses arguably more challenges than printing it in the first place, especially as under magnification the texture of the printed model itself begins to play a part when the model is so small.  Even with that model has some nice touches. Often these are not well defined at magnification but are more than good enough to fool the human eye. At macro level the model looks quite light, but the stippling effect makes it appear the correct tone of grey from a few cm away.  The white Canada markings on the upper fuselage are present, but the Canadian flag and reg number on the tailplanes can only be hinted at. The 'Nighthawk's squadron logo is just too small to be captured on the tailtop.  The RCAF / ARC logo on the lower fuselage is too dark and rather blurry and the 784 on the nose is missing. On the plus side the white RCAF roundel and 784 on the wingtops are much better defined and look great. SCORE - 7  PRINTING & QUALITY CONTROL  3D Design Deck's mechanism of UV printing enables an impressive array of linework, which really elevates the look and feel of the entire model. There's more panel linework and control surface print than on most regular 400 scale models and it doesn't look thick or out of place.  Captured on the underside is the fake cockpit print. I also really like the area around the nose cannons forward of the cockpit.  Producing such tiny models must be both a labour of love and also a real test of patience, but the build quality here is very good. The model comes in the standard cuboid box with sleeve, both finished with the usual high quality. SCORE - 9  CONCLUSION  This is not a normal 400 scale model in anyway. It is obviously 3D printed with UV printed detailing and is so small that it is dwarfed by even a Saab 340. The size really does introduce some limits in terms of fidelity, but really these are only noticeable under magnification and the model in hand looks like a mini-masterpiece. I suspect 400 scale fighter jets of this quality for the mass market are only ever likely to be a niche product. However, as with a lot of what 3D Design Deck has made they are a breath of fresh air and a testament to the march of technology and an individual's dedication. Despite the relatively low score this is a great model that deserves a lot of credit for competing against much larger diecast editions so well. FINAL SCORE - 23/30 
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AuthorI'm Richard Stretton an aviation enthusiast and major collector of 400 scale models. On this page I take a detailed look at new releases. This site is free. Please donate to keep it going.
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