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Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 9:31 pm
by Ian
The venerable Airfix A-4 Skyhawk. A wonderful kit that fits perfectly, has lots of detail and is a joy to build.
Not!!!

I got this in the Falklands set.
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And this is what it's supposed to end up looking like.
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I had to set my camera to wide angle to get all the parts in the photo.
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And look at this, page upon page of instructions......
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And a lovely colour painting guide.....
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Let's take a closer look at some or the kits' finer points, shall we?

Some lovely sink marks, which will be completely out of sight when the kit is assembled.
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An amazingly thin canopy.
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No flash at all.
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And it sits nice and flat on the mat, so it's not at all warped.
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There's some lovely intake trunking.
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And lot's of detail in the cockpit.
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Well there will be......

So I started with the seat. Filled and sanded.
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And made a floor.
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A quick dry fit showed it would also need a bulkhead.
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So I made and installed that too.
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And while I was at it I added an IP too.
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Not perfect but better than the gaping void that was there before.
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And with the perfectly molded seat.
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Next job was to do something with the intakes, so I cut some straws and taped them down to try to make them a little less round.
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A bit of superglue and we have the startings of something.
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It still needs some work and some trimming.
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So I do just that.
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And doesn't it look a whole lot better. Still a gaping chasm in there though.
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And a triangle of plasticard takes care of that!
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A whole lot better.
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Now to look at the back end. Just as I suspected, another gaping hole.....
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It needs something shoving up its bottom. This bomb might do the trick.
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So I chop it up.
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But there's a joining pin.
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Soon gotten rid of and that's going to look a whole lot better.
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Out with the paints for the interior.
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The seat.
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And the IP.
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And then it can all be closed up.
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Perfect from the front.
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And perect from the rear.
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The wings were perfect too.
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Look at this great fit.
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And speaking of a great fit, I only needed a tiny bit of filler on the underside.
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It was at this point in the build that I gave up taking photos as there is just so much that this kit needs to make a decect job of it. So after getting it all glued together it sat on a shelf on my desk for months.
Until Friday. When I decided that it needed to be finished and nothing at all to do with the fact I was running out of space....

So here it is, the finished product.
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I know there's an anchor missing from the underside of the starboard wing. Little Ian used one when making my Fathers Day present. I have a whole box of spare decals but no, he had to use one I needed. Bless him. Couldn't be cross with him.
I would take close up pics of all the extra work I did but to be honest it's a waste of time. Airfix did the right thing in creating a new tool Skyhawk. Just a shame it wasn't in time to go the Falklands 25th set....
If you are ever tempted to build this old dog, walk away. A very long way away.....

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 9:38 pm
by shangos70
Well you have made a damn good job of a real clunker. Nice one.

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 9:40 pm
by Sissel
Excellent introduction, Ian!
I really enjoyed it. Glad I'm not building this. :ha:
You've done a great job with it and the extra work you put in sure paid off. It came out looking really good in the end!

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 9:53 pm
by Ian
Blast! Just noticed I haven't painted the black stripes on the arrestor hook.
Another perfect model ruined.....

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 9:54 pm
by shangos70
Ho ho, I hate that job, never looks right.

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 9:56 pm
by Sissel
I really dislike arrestor hooks. Always looks odd when I'm painting them.
If you hadn't said anything I wouldn't have noticed.
Just calmly take it down, find a tiny small brush easily dipping the tip in black paint and carefully go over. ;-)

And while you're at it, have a double Cognac then paint the anchor free hand. :-D

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 10:01 pm
by Ian
Forget it. The hook and the anchor are both on the underside, so I can't see them. If I can't see them, they don't matter and can be ignored!

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 10:46 pm
by vacant
It all brings new meaning to what it means to be 'venerable'. You have, however, taken a very old kit and got on with improving it. The result is a fine looking model that would stand proudly on any shelf.

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 10:58 pm
by despondman
Nicely done. I understand why you stopped taking the photos but I really enjoyed the sequence of photos, as a relative newcomer to modelling I always find I learn so much from more experienced modellers doing a bit of good old scratchbuilding. The work on the intakes is especially smart.

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 22nd, 2013, 11:25 pm
by BlohmWolf
That's quite nice. Especially from the OLD airfix kit.

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 23rd, 2013, 12:40 am
by Clashcityrocker
Agree with all previous comments. Nice use of an old credit card? and drinking straw.

Nigel

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 23rd, 2013, 1:28 am
by Chris
Great job on a craptacular kit.

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 23rd, 2013, 7:46 am
by Eric Mc
Phew - I assumed at first the build was of the new kit.

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 23rd, 2013, 8:31 am
by Ian
Thanks guys. You are all terribly kind.

Re: Airfix 1:72 A-4 Skyhawk

Posted: September 23rd, 2013, 8:42 am
by Nax
Looks fantastic Ian, I love your build review, love the fact you used bits and bobs for your detailing with a great result. ;-)