The Navy has eyes - a RA-5c Vigilante

[Anatol Pigwa]

Even though I have a huge backlog of models to be finished (around a dozen or so - the KUTAs cannot come early enough this year) @modelling minion tickled my ego and here I am with (hopefully first) entry to this GB.

 

The kit is a venerable Hasegawa Vigilante which I got as a gift after purchasing a stock of other kits on a classified advertisments website:

 

 

As one can see the wings are glued together and the cockpit has been glued in place (which I pryed out for painting anyway) - i consider this to be under 25% build. Should the hosts object, then  there will be one less Vigilante in this GB

 

The first task was to establish the eligibility of the aircraft for the use in ths GB. This required some research spanning several websites (mainly http://www.joebaugher.com/ it's search engine: http://users.rcn.com/jeremy.k/serialSearch.html and http://www.forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/ for airframe identification, www.gonavy.jp for squadron deployment). In turns out all the aircraft which can be depicted by the decals used to serve in Vietnam at that particular time. I was tempted to use the second scheme from the Trumpeter kit I build last year (pre-britmodeller), but opted againts It as it is a post-war shore deployment scheme.

 

After assessing the kit I noticed the WSO figure missing, which is not a dealbreaker for me since  a) I build my planes usually without the crew and b) he would go in the rear cockpit which is not visible with the canopy closed - which is the only way to build this kit BTW.

THe bigger issue was the lack of instructions. Although most of the parts are fairly self explanatory there are some small bits and bobs on the spruce in the foreground left, which have me some head scratching. Fortunately a good soul uploaded a PDF.instruction for another incarnation of this kit an Scalmates (thank you stranger).

Unfortunately I didn't have any information on the decal placement so more online research was needed. Google image search to the rescure! It turn out that pleople actualy draw (all?) these aircraft. After browing through several sites in the ilk of https://www.aviationillustration.com/ I found the necessary references. As for smaller decals, not shown in the above mentioned illustrations I hope that my Trumpeter build will provide me with ample reference.

 

I am not 100% sure for which aircraft I will go with. the BuNo.: 151626, 156625 or 156609 can be build. The finisherd Trumpeter kit (boy does this get mentioned a lot) is the 156609 in a later scheme but some decals for this aircraft are slightly damaged on the Hasegawa sheet. I am currently leaning to the 156625 with those big red arrows on the vertical stabilizer, but the blue lettering of the 151626 has also its' own appeal.

 

But let's get cracking. I started with prying the cockpit lose from the kit, which thankfully went of easily. This gave me the opportunity to airbrush it as well as the interior. The tanks - a feature missing from the Trumpeter kit have been glued together. Afterwards the fusealage was joined with cockpit and WSO cockpit windows where glued in place.

I painted the camera bays of the recon-pylon (which is slightly different than the Trumpeter one - I wonder which one is more accurate)  and placed their transparencies. Also I placed the engine baffles in the intakes which has been a nightmare.  I added plenty of weight (20g) behind the cockpit. This is a) due to the less than perfect location of the weight and b)  because I like the models to have some gravitas

Finally I glued the fuselage, wings, and nose together.

 

 

A days work. There is some putting & filing to be done.

 

Final thoughts: compared to the Trumpeter kit, this one really shows it's age. The only thing speaking for it are the external fuel tanks and slightly better researched details (the engine intakes have the right curvature for example). The moulding technology (recessed vs raised panels) , fit, flash and ejection pins (or absence thereof), the build options, decals and instruction of the Trumpeter kit are clearly superior. This is hardly surprising, as there is a gap of 36 years between the tools and 34 years between the decals. The Hasegawa kit is still an enjoyable build and I am sure will look spledind side by side with it's newer colleague.

  

 

[trickyrich]

woohooo a Vigilante!!!! 

 

Welcome along with one of my fav aircraft. I'm so glad someone is going to build one of these.

 

I don't know this model at all, but the Trumpie model (in both scales) does have a few issues, so the Hasegawa model may be the better choice even though it is an older release.

 

From memory (someone correct me if not, as I don't currently have access to my database) all the RVAH Vigilante squadrons served in Vietnam....well I do know for sure of a few. 4 of them I know tried out some of of the test cams schemes the Navy tested......I built a 1/48th full resin beast in one of these schemes. There were some crazy test schemes......

 

 

....this is an RVAH-13 aircraft.

 

Well good luck with the build, I look forward to seeing the scheme you go for.....will follow with real interest.

[theplasticsurgeon]

Ah - another Hasegawa Vigilante.  I've just revisited my build from In The Navy GB earlier this year.

Thinking back it was a very straightforward build,  wishing you well.

[helios16v]

Sweet, a Vigi!

 

Mine is still sitting on the corner of the bench patiently awaiting my return to it.  

[modelling minion]

Glad to see you joining in with your Vigilante Marcin, which was well below the 25% rule.

A great looking aircraft that myself and a fair few others on here will be happy to see.

[Anatol Pigwa]

 

A brief sign of life. I actually pushed the Vigilante, and now it is around 91% finished - everything is glued together - altough there is at least one more day of painting, decaling and finishing/weathering to go before this one gets on the shelf. 

 

 

Since I forgot to mask the small windows of the rear ckcpit, I will have to scratch the paint off.

 

 

Same applies for the camera bays of the recon package.

 

I like the wavy camouflage line but am not sure if this was the trademark of a certain squardon, or just painted on selected aircraft. 

 

[SoftScience]

That's a good looking vigilante (if there ever was such a thing ), Marcin. That wavy line really gives it some personality!

[Anatol Pigwa]

8 minutes ago, SoftScience said:

That's a good looking vigilante (if there ever was such a thing ), Marcin. That wavy line really gives it some personality!

Are you suggesting a Vigilante cannot look good ( braces his knuckles) ?

 

I like the way line as well, but it seems that modelling it with patafix wasn't the best way to go on about it

 

This - alongside with the painting of the thin red lines of the undercarriage doors, the decision if I should spray varnish over the clea canopy and successully painting wheels are the mysteries I have yet to learn to become a true modeller. 

[SoftScience]

Try a red sharpie marker. Just Seal with gloss clear first. There is a chance it can bleed into flat paint.

 

[Richard E]

53 minutes ago, SoftScience said:

That's a good looking vigilante (if there ever was such a thing ), Marcin. That wavy line really gives it some personality!

 

40 minutes ago, Marcin Kaminski said:

Are you suggesting a Vigilante cannot look good ( braces his knuckles) ?

If you need some one to hold your coat @Marcin Kaminski 

 

She's a very elegant aircraft which looks like it's travelling at Mach 2 even when standing still.

 

If I could make one observation about your model Marcin, I think the drop tanks in the Hasegawa kit have been moulded with blunt nose cones but these were very rarely carried when the aircraft was flying operational missions. 

[Anatol Pigwa]

6 hours ago, Richard E said:

Hasegawa kit have been moulded with blunt nose cones but these were very rarely carried when the aircraft was flying operational missions. 

 

I know, but since I have already build the Trumpeter kizt in the 'proper' configuration,. I thought; "Why no jazz up tgis build?"

 

Particularly since the tanks are abojt the only stand-out feature of the Hasrgawa kit.

[modelling minion]

Vigilante is looking very nice Marcin, great work.

[trickyrich]

she's looking great.

 

I do ave to admit I really do like the look of the Vigilante, very purposeful lines! 

 

If someone was to produce a good model in 1/48th I'd snap it up!!! I read someone years ago even did a conversion for the A3J-1......I have a first born son I'm willing to trade for that!!!!!!  

 

We won't mention Vigilante and Trumpeter....even Beelzebub won't go near that model.