Douglas A-4F Skyhawk - VA-55 USS Hancock - Nam 1972 - Hasegawa 1/48

[basket]

Hello fellow modellers

 

It's not exagerating to say that it's a pure joy to publish this topic,  since it's my first finished model since last century !!! ( in fact my previously finished kit was a 1/48 Heller Rafale A completed in 1998 or so ... before this kit was even released ) .

 

The famous 2001 Hasegawa kit is splendid in some areas , and bizarre ,  really inaccurate or approximate in others . To me , it's the exact link between  vintage and modern kits .

 

Anyway I fell in love with this kit , not to mention the aircraft itself and  I plan to build at least ten more ...

 

No aftermarket parts were used or hurt during the building  , I tried to upgrade the model the old way , the modifications are as follows :

 

 - Model entirely rescribed

 - Cockpit / Canopy upgaded with PC , metal sheet , copper wire , tamiya tape etc ....

 - Seat almost totally rebuilt with head knocker , reshaped head rest , harness  etc ...

 - Landing gear  and doors modified and wired , front wheel visually detached from gear  .

 - Scratch built landing lights well in left leading edge .

 - Slat wells reshaped to be flush with the extrados.

 - Canons drilled.

 - Armament pylons rescribed , modified with scratchbuilt sway bars and connections

 - Fuel tank rescribed and " welded " , drain added .

 - Shrike missiles and Mk82 bombs detailled with scratched parts .

 - RBF and pins .

 

The WIP is located in the Skyhawk STGB here :

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235091381-a-4f-va-55-uss-hancock-nam-1972-hasegawa-148/

 

And now , here are the pics :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you like it .

for passing by §

Cheers !

 

[Farmerboy]

Absolutely gorgeous, everything is beautifully done, you have lost none of your modelling skills over the last 22 years, good job!

[Vultures1]

That is brilliant work, with so much skill to enjoy - well done!

[phildagreek]

Very nice!

[Bertie McBoatface]

It was a joy to read of your joy in publishing! 😀 It's also great to see your evident pride in your achievement. And what an achievement too. The kit is a lovely one, I know, and you've made a really good job of it. It's a gem. I'd like to see the display when you have built the other ten of them. 🤣

[echen]

I thought it must be at least 1/24 if not 1/1! Very fine work.

[Marcello Rosa]

Congratulations on the excellent result. The Hasegawa A-4M was  one of the first kits I built after a > 30 years pause, and I love it.

[Pete in a shed]

Soooooooo good! Detailing done the old way, fantastic skills.

Pete

[giemme]

Excellent model, mon ami!   Detailing, paint job, weathering: masterful job top to bottom.

 

An RFI that is definitely worth all that wait!

 

Ciao 

[Fabrice Simon]

I know the guy! it's my friend ! I taught him everything ! When i met him for the first time he was nothing but a poor clumsyboy !i swear

 

😄😄😄

[modelling minion]

A brilliant result Remy, your dedication to producing the most accurate Skyhawk was worth all the effort that you put in. It has been a pleasure to watch from start to finish.

Very well done.

 

🇺🇦

[SAT69]

7 hours ago, Farmerboy said:

Absolutely gorgeous, everything is beautifully done, you have lost none of your modelling skills over the last 22 years, good job!

Totally agree!

[basket]

9 hours ago, Farmerboy said:

Absolutely gorgeous, everything is beautifully done, you have lost none of your modelling skills over the last 22 years, good job!

 

Thanks very much but in fact , I learned everything , from scratch to painting and weathering . It's been a steep learning curve split between 3 kits , and the A-4 is the first I managed to complete .

 

7 hours ago, Vultures1 said:

That is brilliant work, with so much skill to enjoy - well done!

 

Thanks , forums and WIP threads are the best way to learn ( if you expect real life clubs ) and I try to share tips as much as possible .

7 hours ago, phildagreek said:

Very nice!

Thanks very much

[basket]

5 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

It was a joy to read of your joy in publishing! 😀 It's also great to see your evident pride in your achievement. And what an achievement too. The kit is a lovely one, I know, and you've made a really good job of it. It's a gem. I'd like to see the display when you have built the other ten of them. 🤣

 

Thanks !!!

And stay tuned ... #2 and #3 are allready on my bench .

 

5 hours ago, echen said:

I thought it must be at least 1/24 if not 1/1! Very fine work.

 

Thanks very much .

 

5 hours ago, Marcello Rosa said:

Congratulations on the excellent result. The Hasegawa A-4M was  one of the first kits I built after a > 30 years pause, and I love it.

 

  Marcello , I visited your thread a few hours ago , as written on your topic , your Mike is very nice .

 

4 hours ago, Pete in a shed said:

Soooooooo good! Detailing done the old way, fantastic skills.

Pete

 

 

Thanks Pete , much appreciated !    #3  will incorporate some aftermaket to increase my productivity ... slightly ...

[Bertie McBoatface]

I read a few pages of the WIP and was delighted to see that you model just like me, only better. I like your improvisation and lack of aftermarket. I'll read the whole thread when time permits but one question comes to mind already. Why was it necessary to rescribe the entire model?

[basket]

4 hours ago, giemme said:

Excellent model, mon ami!   Detailing, paint job, weathering: masterful job top to bottom.

 

An RFI that is definitely worth all that wait!

 

Ciao 

 

Hello Giorgio !

Nice to have you here , thanks for your kind comments , and ... BTW , an A-4 in 1/48 is smaller than a Ju-87 in 1/48 ...

 

 

4 hours ago, Fabrice Simon said:

I know the guy! it's my friend ! I taught him everything ! When i met him for the first time he was nothing but a poor clumsyboy !i swear

 

😄😄😄

 

Yes Yoda ... my master you are ...

 

4 hours ago, modelling minion said:

A brilliant result Remy, your dedication to producing the most accurate Skyhawk was worth all the effort that you put in. It has been a pleasure to watch from start to finish.

Very well done.

 

🇺🇦

 

again for running the A-4 STGB and for your patience !!!

 

1 hour ago, SAT69 said:

Totally agree!

 

 

[basket]

5 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

I read a few pages of the WIP and was delighted to see that you model just like me, only better. I like your improvisation and lack of aftermarket. I'll read the whole thread when time permits but one question comes to mind already. Why was it necessary to rescribe the entire model?

 

Thanks for taking time to read the WIP . ( even partially !  ) .... 

It was necessary because some areas of the model are not engraved as sharply as others : tail fin , fuselage ( mostly the center and rear part of it ) , extrados and pylons . This way I hoped to obtain an homogeneous engraving .

 

I checked this point on my other kits and the problem is still present . I know that this is not absolutely necessary of course , but it ensures a neat finish at the end , for me at least !

[Bertie McBoatface]

29 minutes ago, basket said:

 

Thanks for taking time to read the WIP . ( even partially !  ) .... 

It was necessary because some areas of the model are not engraved as sharply as others : tail fin , fuselage ( mostly the center and rear part of it ) , extrados and pylons . This way I hoped to obtain an homogeneous engraving .

 

I checked this point on my other kits and the problem is still present . I know that this is not absolutely necessary of course , but it ensures a neat finish at the end , for me at least !

 

Ah, I understand. Tidying up the scribing makes sense. I think it's difficult to get even depths of engraving all the way wound injection moulded parts. It's always worth the few minutes it takes to homogenise it. That aside, isn't the kit well moulded? I remember all those pipes in the undercarriage bays with delight! 

 

Oh my, you nearly have me looking for another one!

[basket]

47 minutes ago, Bertie Psmith said:

 

Ah, I understand. Tidying up the scribing makes sense. I think it's difficult to get even depths of engraving all the way wound injection moulded parts. It's always worth the few minutes it takes to homogenise it. That aside, isn't the kit well moulded? I remember all those pipes in the undercarriage bays with delight! 

 

Oh my, you nearly have me looking for another one!

 

 

Yes , but ... as written before , some part are absolutely stunning , some sorcerer's job  undoubtedly     : the  undercarriage bays of course !!! .

On the other hand , depth of engraving is not perfect on other parts of the kit .

And some parts are horrible in terms of adjustment : drop tanks , or just average : intakes ( external and internal parts ) and stuffs under the tail .

 

BTW , since you might crack for another scooter , you might try this , in order to combine this new project with entropy ... your favorite obsession !!!

 

 

[Electric Indigo]

A totally gorgeous build, and I blame you for making me want to build a Hase Skyhawk now.

[basket]

27 minutes ago, Electric Indigo said:

A totally gorgeous build, and I blame you for making me want to build a Hase Skyhawk now.

 

and ... but I understand . 

 

The A-4 has something special , and this kit also has !

The M model has been available in Europe  for a few months  at a decent price ( thanks Hase for reissuing it ! ) . Other Hase / Eduard packaging are outrageously expensive on the bay or elsewhere .

[DaveH]

Very nice Scooter.....

 

Dave 

[basket]

27 minutes ago, DaveH said:

Very nice Scooter.....

 

Dave 

 

Thanks Dave

[Ian]

Museum quality workmanship & finishing. Simple as that.

 

 

Best from New Zealand

 

Ian.

[Tempestwulf]

Gorgeous, love me a Scooter any day of the week. Weathering on point.