Jump to content

KA-3B Skywarrior (1/48 Trumpeter)


Recommended Posts

A rushed post on a Sunday night before departing up the line to work for the week. trumpeter's KA-3B, detail is excellent, but fit in some places is poor (internal bulkheads mostly too wide - luckly a tip from Zone-Five warned me off on this one). 3 pictures for now and I'll edit with some more text when I get 5 minutes!

IMG_05261.jpg

IMG_05251.jpgIMG_05241.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

She's a very big kit! at least an F-14 & a half as long! Can't see how to make her without folding the wings if it is to ever fit on a shelf. canopy has been modified, roof cut open and frames sanded down and masked to the correct latter style canopy found on KA-3Bs. Great detail on the internal bomb bay (hose reel included - what you see is all from the box), but forward section of bomb bay is an ECM operators cabin (suggesting that the kit should have been built as an EKA-3B (again the sponsons & corrected tail are included in kit). I have use left over kit etched bomb bay doors to line underside of this ECM cabin, I'll add some wiring etc and hope no one who ever served on these machines ever looks!

RFI: On pictures of A-3Bs & KA-3Bs on the rear st'b'd canopy glass is a series of horizontal lines (like the heating elements on a car's rear glass). Any one know what these are for? my 2 guesses are:

(1) pilot sits port side forward, therefore is this a visual aid for him when looking over right shoulder?

(2) Astro Nav sight is located port aft of cockpit, whilst I can do astro the old way from a ship at sea (nice & slow & steady!), from an aircraft are these lines a visual aid for judging the horizon for the poor sod trying to get a star fix whilst being bounced around in the skies?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brilliant build! This must be a ginormous model... I have the 1/72 Hasegawa EKA-3B and I find it pretty big already. I sure could not handle the space required for its big sister.

Same decal scheme though, and that's the one I want to do.

Keep up the good work!

JR

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

update: about 95% there, just the engines to attach (already painted) and outer wings.....oh, and the AN/ARR-15 aerial (using white decal stripes) to the canopy glazing (Thanks tailspin Turtle!). Only when the masking came off the canopy can I finally put my finger on the issue that i think "doesn't look just right": the canopy framing (brow) is too high. If I were brave, i'd sand it down and re-paint approx 1-2 mm further down........but I ain't touching that canopy again now!

Undercarriage is not strong enough and aircraft wobbles a lot. I'd recommend the SAC white metal replacements if I were to do another.

All-in-all, a great detailed kit, but with some fit issues that have somewhat taken some of the edge off the fun of building it.

Jean, as to size, last phot shows the kit next to a 1/32 Revell F-4 (forgive me I believe the international recognised scale for model jets is the 1/48 F-4, but 1/32 is what you see here - and "yes" Tez, that is the same F-4 that was sat at 90% complete when you saw it 4 years ago...... !)

IMG_05351.jpgIMG_05361.jpgIMG_05371.jpgIMG_05381.jpgIMG_05391.jpgIMG_05401.jpg

Edited by FIGHTS ON
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was right regarding the size, but ain't she a beaut?!!!

Great job on both kits: they look just great!

Obviously the last 10% of a build are the problem. I know the feeling!

JR

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...