AndyC Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) Hi all My proposed entry #1 for this GB is the utterly brilliant 1/48 Tamiya Skyraider...box shot Sprue shot... Aftermarket shot...Eduard p/e cockpit and True Details Yankee ejection seat (a bit blurred - sorry!) Being built as...A-1J of the 6th Special Operations Squadron, operating out of Pleiku AFB in Vietnam in 1968. I see a little ferment as to what qualifies as a CAS bird...please allow me to quote from the 'Hurlburt Field' website (home of Spec Ops) as follows: ...the unit flew combat missions including air support for ground forces...day and night interdiction, combat search and rescue support and forward air control I'd like to think this qualifies! Thanks for looking and roll on Saturday! Edited September 10, 2012 by AndyC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Great choice Andy, can't see any reason why this isn't a CAS bird!! Especially as I might build one of these if I get on well with my Dragonfly!! Are the seats any good? (why 2 in a pack?!!) That's about the only thing I think it's worth adding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Ah, the graceful Spad. The quintessential very close air supporter, known for taking out the bad guys right up to the point of hand to hand combat with blue forces. I've read the memoirs, seen the movies. And built the superb kit too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Great choice Andy, can't see any reason why this isn't a CAS bird!! Especially as I might build one of these if I get on well with my Dragonfly!!Are the seats any good? (why 2 in a pack?!!) That's about the only thing I think it's worth adding! Yeah I didn't realise there were 2 Yankee seats! Listen, if you are going to build an A-1J let me know and you can have the spare The rest of the kit is just great - I got the p/e for a couple of quid a while ago of eBay - so I may as well use it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 For a couple of quid there's bound to be a couple of bits worth using in the PE set! PM inbound about seat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 The quintessential very close air supporter, known for taking out the bad guys right up to the point of hand to hand combat with blue forces. You've got that right Don - was the first thing I thought of when Close Air Support was mentioned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 You've got that right Don - was the first thing I thought of when Close Air Support was mentioned! "Release your weapons on my location, over..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 "Release your weapons on my location, over..." Total trust between the Grunt below and Able Dog in the air Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W. Balmer Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Good choice!! My kit of this actually came with some PE in it by default which was a nice surprise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuts Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 Great to see a Spad in the GB!.. Andy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 I have the other Skyraider from Tamiya, really nice kit. Look forward to how this progresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Hi all Been busy on other stuff but finally have made a start on my SPAD. First up was some work on the cockpit - the True Details Yankee resin ejection seat was separated from its mould plug, washed undercoated and then detail painted...TBH the p/e probably would have tarted up the Tamiya original well enough for 1/48 - the resin mould is much sharper but I now have some spare seat etch for a future kit Now the Tamiya kit isn't bad but I bought the Eduard set cheap on eBay and decided to use it. The main part of the cockpit was undercoated and then sprayed Gunship Grey with the rear bulkhead (and seat frame) sprayed Light Gull Grey. A Flory wash was introduced. The console tops were painted NATO Black, dry-brushed with Neutral Grey and then highlighted with whites, reds and yellow for various switches. The IP was Eduard etch and was fixed after sanding off the Tamiya raised detail. The switch panels and trim wheels were also added from etch. I did a Brown Flory wash on the seat and then quite a bit of fettling of the resin with file and scalpel to get it fit and sit right. I added an etch ejector handle. Finally when happy I CA'd it into place, having glued the rear panel onto the tub I then glued the IP in place I also added the cockpit grab rails in place using copper wire - they may be a little proud of where they should be - they were then painted Flat Black Will have a bit of a session with Tamiya XF-2 Flat White later as a lot of this a/c seems to be initially painted in it! Thanks for looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Good start Andy, got mine one of theses out the stash earlier and fondled it again! The Dragonfly is progressing nicely so might have to do a second... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Good start Andy, got mine one of theses out the stash earlier and fondled it again! The Dragonfly is progressing nicely so might have to do a second... I keep having a fondle with mine, unsure weather to start it or not for this GB, Might just stick to the Strikemaster though. Good progress Andy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Looking excellent so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Good start Andy, got mine one of theses out the stash earlier and fondled it again! The Dragonfly is progressing nicely so might have to do a second... Thanks Phil - remember that seat is available if you want it mate I keep having a fondle with mine, unsure weather to start it or not for this GB, Might just stick to the Strikemaster though.Good progress Andy.. Cheers Radleigh - I would also do a Strikemaster if one was available in 1/48 - stick with it mate Looking excellent so far! Thanks Chris - I have a couple of free nights coming up - hopefully some further progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Cheers Radleigh - I would also do a Strikemaster if one was available in 1/48 - stick with it mate Would love one in 48th, I'll just stick with the Airfix 72nd though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W. Balmer Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Looking good so far.. did you have to shave much off the panel to get the seat to fit onto it ok? I have the same seats and they seem to stick out a MILE from that bulkhead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Looking good so far..did you have to shave much off the panel to get the seat to fit onto it ok? I have the same seats and they seem to stick out a MILE from that bulkhead! They do stick out and I shaved a ton off the back of the seat and notched the bottom part - perhaps I should have taken a pic? Much easier to trim the seat than the panel Chris. Even then, you have to trim the bottom off the stick and relocate that slightly forward as you cannot put it into its recess in the floor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) Evening all Bit of a push on with this! Got the cockpit finished and inserted into the fuselage halves which were then joined and sanded Next up...wings. Tamiya's engineering means you install the gear doors before the top wing as they form the well walls. These had been pre-painted white. Once in then the top wings were glued and the seams sanded. Then it all gets joined and left to set with tape ensuring the correct dihedral Except...on mine, the joint right under the nose is a little skew, so a little filler has had to be put there for sanding down later. I fitted all three air-brake doors (no pics of these open on the ground). Flaps up or down? Probably up - again I'm not sure I've seen too many pics of Able Dogs with their flaps down when parked. I have time to change my mind yet. Next - weapons! I did a USN A-1 last year and built it as a total bomb-truck. I don't want to do that on this, as the USAF was a little more varied in its load-outs. My a/c was involved in both day interdiction and Sandy operations. This usually meant no bombs but plenty of other 'useful' ordnance. A good link to this stuff is here so I am going for the following... I have 15 weapons stations to play with. The centre-line is for fuel and I think the big inside pylons will be for that too. That leaves 12 pylons. I have bought (but not yet got) 4 x True Details BLU-32's which are 500lb napalm bombs. I intend to have 4 x CBU-25 dispensers (the triple pipe thingamajiggy), and then either 2 x LAU-3 or LAU-68 rocket units. I could have both and that would be me full, but I think I should have some 100lb M47A4 white phosphorous bombs. Nobody makes these, so I will have to scratch build these (that's what those ones lying in the foreground were for but they are too big). Although the above website appears to suggest that the BLU-32 may have been rare for a pure Sandy mission, I have pics of my chosen a/c being bombed up with these and in the above configuration = which suggests it was also used for pure interdiction/CAS roles too. I would have thought that throwing napalm around when active in a SAR mode would have been a bit hazardous for the rescuee! Anyway - onwards and thanks for looking Edited July 10, 2012 by AndyC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabat Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Not that unrealistic to use napalm on SAR, it could be used to create an effective block/screening effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted July 11, 2012 Author Share Posted July 11, 2012 Not that unrealistic to use napalm on SAR, it could be used to create an effective block/screening effect. I quite liked the idea of having the napalm load anyway, so that's OK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 Hi all There's not much point in showing too many details of the build as the kit really is quite simple - a couple of bits to mention. I'm still awaiting the napalm bombs, so I decided to experiment with some small bombs in the spares box because I really wanted to have a couple of White Phosphorus bombs. I found a couple of suitably thin candidates, but the noses needed blunting, so out with the sanding sticks - whatever they were previously, they are pretty close in diameter and length to what I was after - they'll do. The will look OK painted white and hung between the napalm bombs. There was also a little etch on the tail wheel. Painted the exhaust Mr Colour Iron and gave them a polish and they buffed up nice - tacked in place for photo! Pylons and flaps on (actuators still to go on)...you can see my c*ck up with the slight misalignment (cue the filler!) Canopy masked up - there is some tiny etch to go inside - I will tack the canopy in place for painting - its a great way to mask the cockpit I've fitted the glare deflectors, drilled holes in the fin and fuselage top for the wire aerial, have fashioned a base for the whip (I think FM?) aerial on the port shoulder which isn't in the kit She's good to go. Wheel wells and doors masked off. Engine and cowling is masked and will be tacked on. Should get some primer on tomorrow and a start on painting over the weekend. Thanks for looking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintsPhil Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 You're flying through this Andy, how you going to tackle the Camo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 (edited) I wish I had the time to get as much modelling done as some on here! And I do a 9-5 job Doing well Andy, Looking forward to seeing some paint on her! Edited July 13, 2012 by Radleigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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