1/48 Italeri Skyraider AEW1 (AD-4W)

[SteveMc]

Good Afternoon
This is my finished 1/48 AEW Skyraider by Italeri. According to Scalemates the kit was originally released by Esci in 1979.

AEW was developed towards the end of WW2 in part to receive early warning of kamikaze style attacks. The sturdy Skyraider frame was adapted to the role by the addition of AN/APS-20 radar housed under the fuselage and 2 operators seated in the rear, beneath and behind the single pilot. Originally operated by the USN and the USMC, 50 examples were delivered in 1951 to the Royal Navy for use from British aircraft carriers until being replaced by AEW Gannets in the early 60's. With the demise of the RN's large carriers in the late 70's, the radars were transferred to RAF Shackletons and soldiered on until the early 90's

This was an OOB build and has been finished in the Royal Navy scheme as flown by 849 SQN during the 1956 Suez campaign. The kit instructions state that this aircraft was flying from HMS Albion, although the 'J' tail code would suggest 'A' Flight from HMS Eagle.

The first task was to remove and re-scribe the raised panel lines. 
Paints were Tamiya acrylics. I originally painted the Skyraider with X-3 Royal Blue which looked too dark to me. I mixed in XF-19 Sky Grey until I got a colour which seemed to match my references.
Normally I would paint the stripes but the fuselage stripes, serial numbers and side numbers were combined in one decal. So the decals it was and they went on.quite easily.
Weathering was limited to grey wash and Abteilung oils for exhaust stains. 

Italeri kits can be hit or miss and this one was closer to a hit except for raised panel lines. The fit was good with little filling and sanding required. I bought this kit to add to my Suez collection. I have an Airfix Hunter F4 in RAF Suez colours in the stash which will be my next addition. I would like a 1/48 Sea Venom but they're as rare as hen's teeth.

 

Photos on a home made section of HMS Albion deck in 1956.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Suez collection so far

 

 

 

Cheers

 

[BerndM]

A very nice build that looks great in your flightline.

[GREG DESTEC]

Excellent modelling, the colours look spot on to me.

 

Well done 👍

[djos]

Great looking model and also beautiful collection.

Regards

Djordje

[LaurieS]

Loveley job Steve. Masterclass. Great finishes.

 

Just love the understated effects. Superb work.

 

Very nice photos.

 

Laurie

[silverkite211]

Very nice! I built the ESCI kit years ago, although I went for one without the stripes. I also merely sanded down the panel lines so that they barely show and installed a cockpit from a scrapped Monogram Skyraider, it may not be entirely accurate but I thought it looked better than the one that came with the kit.

[SAT69]

A great looking model and a very nice collection.

[wellsprop]

Superb! 

[bigbadbadge]

Oh boy this looks lovely,  I always wanted one of these but never had the money at the right time in those days.  You have done a cracking job on this.  Great work 

Chris

[RMCS]

Fantastic

[NAVY870]

Very nice build

[hopkp]

Very nice-looking AEW Skyraider, I'd love to have a go myself but have always been put off by the fact that the kit is so old. Re-scribing makes it look much better, your beautiful result would almost make me try it!

 

Your pictures also - for me anyway - confirm that you can't rely too much on photos for colour reference and that maybe your own eye is better, some of the time at least. Your blue looks spot on to me, but if you look closely it seems a slightly different shade in some of the pictures, which just goes to show how much colour changes in appearance depending on lighting conditions.

Edited April 21, 2021 by hopkp

[SteveMc]

4 hours ago, hopkp said:

Very nice-looking AEW Skyraider, I'd love to have a go myself but have always been put off by the fact that the kit is so old. Re-scribing makes it look much better, your beautiful result would almost make me try it!

 

Your pictures are also - for me anyway - confirm that you can't rely too much on photos for colour reference and that maybe your own eye is better, some of the time at least. Your blue looks spot on to me, but if you look closely it seems a slightly different shade in some of the pictures, which just goes to show how much colour changes in appearance depending on lighting conditions.

This was the first time I had re scribed a whole kit but I think it was worth the effort. As for the colours, you’re spot on with the shades changing with the light. It the same as painting the house. You can pick a colour in the paint shop but it looks quite different on the wall.

Also the camera can affect the look. I use a Nikon DSLR for most of my photos but I also use a LUMIX travel camera sometimes. If I paint something in a sandy colour the LUMIX makes it look grey whereas the Nikon gives the right look.

Many thanks to everyone for looking in.

[Mark Strasser]

A REAL STUNNER!!!! Great work.

Mark

[F-32]

Wonderful work and a great collection

[Orion]

Hello Steve,

Great Skyraider. You did put a lot of effort in this construction, but it was worth it. As mentioned above, the coloring must be spot on.

Squadron complete. waiting for the Westland Wessex (Rotor Power 1/48 scale.)

Regards, Orion / The Netherlands.