Jump to content

Search the Community

Showing results for tags 'VNAF'.

  • Search By Tags

    Type tags separated by commas.
  • Search By Author

Content Type


Calendars

  • Community Calendar
  • Group Builds
  • Model Show Calendar

Forums

  • Forum Functionality & Forum Software Help and Support
    • FAQs
    • Help & Support for Forum Issues
    • New Members
  • Aircraft Modelling
    • Military Aircraft Modelling Discussion by Era
    • Civil Aircraft Modelling Discussion by Era
    • Work in Progress - Aircraft
    • Ready for Inspection - Aircraft
    • Aircraft Related Subjects
  • AFV Modelling (armour, military vehicles & artillery)
    • Armour Discussion by Era
    • Work in Progress - Armour
    • Ready for Inspection - Armour
    • Armour Related Subjects
    • large Scale AFVs (1:16 and above)
  • Maritime Modelling (Ships and subs)
    • Maritime Discussion by era
    • Work in Progress - Maritime
    • Ready for Inspection - Maritime
  • Vehicle Modelling (non-military)
    • Vehicle Discussion
    • Work In Progress - Vehicles
    • Ready For Inspection - Vehicles
  • Science Fiction & RealSpace
    • Science Fiction Discussion
    • RealSpace Discussion
    • Work In Progress - SF & RealSpace
    • Ready for Inspection - SF & RealSpace
  • Figure Modelling
    • Figure Discussion
    • Figure Work In Progress
    • Figure Ready for Inspection
  • Dioramas, Vignettes & Scenery
    • Diorama Chat
    • Work In Progress - Dioramas
    • Ready For Inspection - Dioramas
  • Reviews, News & Walkarounds
    • Reviews
    • Current News
    • Build Articles
    • Tips & Tricks
    • Walkarounds
  • Modelling using 3D Printing
    • 3D Printing Basics
    • 3D Printing Chat
    • 3D Makerspace
  • Modelling
    • Group Builds
    • The Rumourmonger
    • Manufacturer News
    • Other Modelling Genres
    • Britmodeller Yearbooks
    • Tools & Tips
  • General Discussion
    • Chat
    • Shows
    • Photography
    • Members' Wishlists
  • Shops, manufacturers & vendors
    • Aerocraft Models
    • Air-craft.net
    • Amarket Model
    • A.M.U.R. Reaver
    • Atlantic Models
    • Beacon Models
    • BlackMike Models
    • Bring-It!
    • Copper State Models
    • Freightdog Models
    • Hannants
    • fantasy Printshop
    • Fonthill Media
    • HMH Publications
    • Hobby Paint'n'Stuff
    • Hypersonic Models
    • Iliad Design
    • Hobby Colours & Accessories
    • KLP Publishing
    • L'Arsenal 2.0
    • Kingkit
    • MikroMir
    • Model Designs
    • Modellingtools.co.uk
    • Maketar Paint Masks
    • Marmaduke Press Decals
    • Parkes682Decals
    • Paulus Victor Decals
    • Red Roo Models
    • RES/KIT
    • Sovereign Hobbies
    • Special Hobby
    • Test Valley Models
    • Tiger Hobbies
    • Ultimate Modelling Products
    • Videoaviation Italy
    • Wingleader Publications
  • Archive
    • 2007 Group Builds
    • 2008 Group Builds
    • 2009 Group Builds
    • 2010 Group Builds
    • 2011 Group Builds
    • 2012 Group Builds
    • 2013 Group Builds

Find results in...

Find results that contain...


Date Created

  • Start

    End


Last Updated

  • Start

    End


Filter by number of...

Joined

  • Start

    End


Group


AIM


MSN


Website URL


ICQ


Yahoo


Jabber


Skype


Location


Interests

Found 7 results

  1. Hi there! Here's my latest, 2nd for 2024. Skyraider A-1H (former AD-6) from the 83rd Special Operation Group middle 60's, South Vietnam Republic.
  2. I've wanted to build the famous close air support workhorse for the long time but didn't want to go the usual way as most of the fellows around here, so I picked this peculiar camouflage and started to research the story behind it. I found out that US were transferring their surplus A-1H airframes to the Republic of Vietnam in early 60s. Some of these Spads found its way to the elite 83rd Special Air Group "Thần Phong" (Divine Wind). This unit was established in 1965 and drafted only the best pilots of VNAF. Nguyễn Cao Kỳ who later became a prime minster and vice president of Democratic Republic of Vietnam personally handpicked unit's elite members. 83rd SAG personnel wore all-black flight suits which became a trademark of the unit. Skyraiders used dark green/dark brown camouflage. Only the bottom plane surface, serial number and eventually some spare parts wore original light gull grey paint in which it was delivered from the USA. Due to the nature of its missions unit didn't use any of the VNAF insignia except of the Flag of South Vietnam on the tail, which was also dropped later. 83rd SAG emblem depicting white dragon under five white stars was used instead. Most of the airframes used a yellow Chinese symbols as a nose art. According to unit's members, there was at least four different symbols used, all originating from the traditional Vietnamese card game called BAT. The symbol on my model reads "Cửu Sừng" which means The Best of the Best. Missions were flown over Laos and Cambodia where Vietcong insurgents were on the move. Usual ordnance loadout was up to 8 Mk. 82 bombs, 6 rocket pods or 6 napalm canisters and 4x 20 mm cannons. VNAF Spads had some interesting quirks in comparison of its American counterparts. Most of the antennas and aerials were repositioned or changed completely, Yankee Extractor seat was removed and replaced with the original bucket seat while Yankee Extractor mechanism was kept intact, tailhook was removed and main gear was equipped with taxi lights. All VNAF Skyraiders had their airbrakes deactivated, so they couldn't be used in flight but could be opened manually on the ground. I've used good old Tamiya kit as a base for this project along with a bunch of aftermarket detail sets from Master, Reskit, Aires, ANYZ, HGW and Brengun. Handful of decals came from AOA and the rest was a spray mask designed by Vietnamese fellow modeller and cut by Miryoku. I also used some 3D printing and scratch building in order to bring the model as close to its real life counterpart as possible. All painted with Mr. Paint colors and weathered with Rembrandt oil paints.
  3. Hi all, While researching for a new project, I stumbled on this colourful picture of a VNAF Skyraider. From the nose badge, I supposed that the plane belonged to the 520th Squadron Than Bao (Divine Panther) based at Binh Thuy, South Vietnam between 1965 and 1968. What’s unusual is the blue star-studded rudder reminiscent of the blue fuselage sash on VNAF A-37s. Incidentally the 520th Sqn converted to A-37 in 1968. Can you, Skyraider experts, tell me more about it ? What I’d need most is the serial number of this aircraft. I also remember having seen a picture of another 520th plane with a red rudder instead of blue. So if you have other photos, they would be very welcome. Thank you all for your assistance. Cheers, Quang
  4. Well as a result of looking for references for @stevej60's potential A-1E build and after seeing the simply fantastic job that @SoftScience is doing on his Tamiya A-1, not to mention our Glorious leaders ( @trickyrich ) brilliant looking 1/32 resin A-1E I fell into the trap of getting caught up in Skyraider research, a truly dangerous trap for which there is only one way out, build one! So off to the stash I went and I pulled out an anonymous looking cardboard box; The keen eyed among you may well be able to read what has been written on it by it's previous owner, Skyraider, Monogram, 1/48. Lets see whats inside shall we; Lots of bits loose from the sprues but after having a closer inspection all appears to be complete. In fact a good many of the parts are for the underwing stores, the actual airframe doesn't have that many parts. I have decided to build the kit OOTB complete with the ( deal breaking for many) raised panel lines and with the cockpit which has the seat moulded as part of it. Well thats the kit sorted, now what about the markings? Well I have long thought that the part played in the Vietnam War by the VNAF is often overlooked in favour of the various American air arms and I don't believe that this is correct as the crews of the VNAF fought a very long and very hard war and were fighting for their country and their families and at the end a great many of them lost everything, including their families. So with this in mind I will be building my Spad as a VNAF machine and am leaning heavily towards one of the early ones in the all over grey scheme with large national markings and a colourful band around the rear fuselage, I shall be building one of the options from this Cutting Edge sheet which I have had for a long time; I really like the bottom one with the swirly Tiger stripes. I have a couple of reference books which will come in handy; Perhaps I should have started with " my name is Craig and I have a Skyraider problem". I shall be making a start soon as an antidote to the ongoing T-28 build, not a lot of fun, and hope that it will be a relatively quick and painless build. So there you have it, thanks for looking in and any comments and criticisms will be gratefully received. Craig.
  5. An angry Tweedy Bird that can sting. I have an old Monogram kit that's been sitting around for decades. Now's a good time to start working on it.
  6. Hi modellers, few days ago I’ve started a new entry to my Vietnam War aircraft collection. It was the De Havilland RU-6A Beaver in VNAF colors. In the early 1960s, the Electronics Warfare Laboratory developed airborne radio direction finding (ARDF) electronic gear and installed it in three de Havilland U-6A Beavers, re-designating them RU-6As. Apparently no special code names were applied to those aircraft at the time. Assigned to the Vietnam Flight Detachment of the 3rd Radio Research Unit in March 1962, those three aircraft became the first Army reconnaissance airplanes in Vietnam. Time later a group of ARDF Beavers went to the Mekong Delta in 1964. Sometime before 1966, three RU-6A aircraft equipped with standard U.S. Army ARDF equipment were given to the South Vietnamese Air Force. Those systems worked so well that more Beavers and U-8Ds were converted under the ‘R’ version, incorporating AN/ARD-15 surveillance equipment for Vietnam service. Example 51-16862 /mM available on decal sheet was delivered to US Army on January 1953 as L-20A and re-designated U-6A in 1962. Later converted to RU-6A. Then this aircraft was given to VNAF, served with 33rd TW (tail code mM), 716th Rec. Sqn. AF. It had the earlier style airborne direction finding equipment (with Collins R-390 radios) instead the newer AN/ARD-15 system that the U.S. used for their RU-6As. (photo credit: http://www.dhc-2.com) Kit is the rather basic Hobbycraft in 1/48 scale but it is a good point to start, a sort of blank canvas… As my usual, I love to show my models fully opened, so that first step was to separate front/back doors from the clear fuselage and replace them by styrene. According a lot of pictures taken in http://www.dhc-2.com website, I was quite sure that cockpit floor was wrong. Much better to replace it by styrene too… Instrumental panel next to come… (photo credit: http://www.dhc-2.com) Ciao, Alex Rome
  7. So this arrived all the way from ‘the old country’ this afternoon: Even with the postage it’s still cheaper to have the thing delivered from the UK, than buy it across the counter here in NZ (even if you can find one !!). As this is written I’ve only had a cursory glance at the contents of the (end opening) box, and surprisingly it isn’t the neatly packaged bits of plastic that made my jaw drop, it was the superbly presented, stapled, 32 page instruction manual. The 12 steps are individually drawn in large A4 LANDSCAPE format, one step per page and so explicit that even a serial styrene mangler like me has no excuse for scr*w*ng-up the construction. Ahh but that only takes me to the centre-page. The following 16 pages are the paint/decal options !! – That’s 16, count them, 16 options, 3 USAF, 3 RCAF, 2 Klu, 2 RNoAF, 5 HAF and bringing-up the rear the sole VNAF machine…. So here’s a wee clue as to what I’m planning for mine: I know that the Vietnamese machines had scabbed-on appliqué armour on the undersides protecting the engines and it shouldn’t be too difficult to fabricate these out of plastic sheet. There’s a good series of reference photos over on ARC (I think), which I’ll be using very soon. But other than this and a change in loadout, and maybe a replacement resin seat this will be almost straight from the box. Won’t be starting for a couple of weeks, after the RF-4, Harrier and StuG have cleared the bench, but I have to admit, the thought of starting this wee project does give me a very definite ‘buzz’ Updates ‘as-and-when’ AFN Ian
×
×
  • Create New...