1:72 Airfix Douglas A4D-2 (A-4B) Skyhawk

[heloman1]

Looking good Bill, a shame you have had to do so much work to 'kill' the panel lines. An interesting point re the trim tab, strange how these little bits of info pop up. Same with the speed breaks.

 

Colin

[Johnson]

 

14 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

I sprayed three coats of Mr. Surfacer 1000 into the lines

14 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

I have no idea if this will work

I don't see why not Bill. Looks OK.

 

14 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

a trip to the Billy Shears Fixing a Hole Department

At least there weren't 4000 holes 

[cmatthewbacon]

49 minutes ago, Johnson said:

 

I don't see why not Bill. Looks OK.

 

At least there weren't 4000 holes 

No… those are in the less well known Blackburn Lancashire, which never made it beyond the prototype stage…

beat,

M.

[Navy Bird]

Well, the panel lines are better but not as good as I would have liked. You win some, you lose some, and some get rained out.   

 

 

 

At least the panel lines are grey. After painting the fuselage prior to the Mr. Surfacer adventure, the panel lines almost looked black - they were so deep. This new application of Light Gull Gray needs to cure for a couple of days before I start masking and painting the red on the leading edge of the wings under the slats, the air brake bays, etc.

 

@Tailspin Turtle - how about Corogard? Quite a few colour photos in the Ginter USN and USMC A-4 books look to not have any. For example, the cover photo on Volume 49. The colour photos I have of 12874 look to just have the LGG wrapping over the leading edge of the wings. Some photos in these books, however, look to have the Corogard, so I'm not sure what's right. Maybe only on the fin?

 

Anyway, that's where she is. I think she'll look better with all the stickers on.   

 

Cheers,

Bill

[giemme]

I think she's looking good already, Bill

 

Ciao 

[David H]

I think it looks just fine from here, Bill. As long as you use a panel line wash that is not to contrasty or overpowering, i don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

-d-

[Tailspin Turtle]

12 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

 

@Tailspin Turtle - how about Corogard? Quite a few colour photos in the Ginter USN and USMC A-4 books look to not have any. For example, the cover photo on Volume 49. The colour photos I have of 12874 look to just have the LGG wrapping over the leading edge of the wings. Some photos in these books, however, look to have the Corogard, so I'm not sure what's right. Maybe only on the fin?

 

Cheers,

Bill

Corogard on all the leading edges was pretty standard. The problem is, it doesn't photograph well; the contrast is very dependent on the lighting and how fresh it is. I'm not surprised that in some photographs it is virtually indistinguishable from LGG. See https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2012/01/corogard.html. My post specifically for the A-4: https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2017/01/corogard-on-a4d-4.html

[Navy Bird]

18 hours ago, David H said:

I think it looks just fine from here, Bill. As long as you use a panel line wash that is not to contrasty or overpowering, i don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

Thanks David. For a Skyhawk in 1:72 scale, no panel line wash is probably best. As it is, the lines on my model are obvious enough, I don't think I want to bring any more attention to them!  

 

14 hours ago, Tailspin Turtle said:

Corogard on all the leading edges was pretty standard. The problem is, it doesn't photograph well; the contrast is very dependent on the lighting and how fresh it is. I'm not surprised that in some photographs it is virtually indistinguishable from LGG. See https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2012/01/corogard.html. My post specifically for the A-4: https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2017/01/corogard-on-a4d-4.html

 

Thanks Tommy! Corogard it is - although I'll have to get my extra strong reading glasses out to mask those babies.    👓

 

*****

 

The Light Gull Gray seems to be taking forever to dry completely. Maybe I should put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.    

 

Cheers,

Bill

[busnproplinerfan]

10 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

 

Thanks David. For a Skyhawk in 1:72 scale, no panel line wash is probably best. As it is, the lines on my model are obvious enough, I don't think I want to bring any more attention to them!  

 

 

Thanks Tommy! Corogard it is - although I'll have to get my extra strong reading glasses out to mask those babies.    👓

 

*****

 

The Light Gull Gray seems to be taking forever to dry completely. Maybe I should put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.    

 

Cheers,

Bill

I heard if you put it in one of those dryers you make jerky with, it'll dry faster.

[Navy Bird]

14 hours ago, busnproplinerfan said:

I heard if you put it in one of those dryers you make jerky with, it'll dry faster.

 

Perhaps, but it will pick up a strong moose piquant.    

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Navy Bird]

Glaciers melt and recede faster then my progress. I'm thinking this is due to me getting, well, old!    

 

Anyway, some detail painting has been accomplished. First, Corogard on the leading edges of the wings, stabs, and fin. (Devilishly difficult to mask. Not recommended prior to consumption of several drams of Scotch.) Luckily, I did not have to put Corogard on the intake lips as these will be red. Elevators painted and added to stabs. Ailerons painted - Airfix forgot to scribe the hinges, and I forgot to scribe them myself, so I cheated and just painted them in. Lastly, the top of the rudder was painted. I didn't paint the entire rudder white, since the yellow and red checks will cover up most of it. I was concerned that if there was some white under the checks decal, it might show through a bit. Probably not with Xtradecal, but I've seen it happen. Better safe than sorry.   

 

Main wheels stuck on for the photos and to check the stance. I guess that's OK.

 

 

 

 

Thanks to @Tailspin Turtle I learned that the speed brake well is the same colour as the fuselage, so that saved some masking there. You may recall that I purchased aftermarket guns for this model - but of course, they are wrong, being both the exact same length. The port gun on the Skyhawk was shorter than the starboard gun and Airfix have this correct in the kit. Quickboost (Aires) goofed up, which is not a surprise I guess. Why I continue to buy their stuff is a mystery never to be solved.

 

I have some work to do on the landing gear (seems I forgot to scrape off the seams) and there is some red overspray on one of the legs. Whoever painted this thing should be more careful. Although I was a bit chuffed with the Corogard application as no clean-up was necessary when the masking was removed. I might be getting the hang of this.

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

PS. I still don't like those panel lines. Arghh.

[David H]

Looking good from here, Daddy-O.

[Terry1954]

Those aileron hinges look so neat Bill. Your hands must be steadier than mine!

 

The corroguard looks cool too. She's really starting to look the part.

 

Terry

[Heather Kay]

6 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

PS. I still don't like those panel lines. Arghh.

Until you mentioned them I hadn’t noticed. I think my eyes were being drawn by the corogard… mmm, shiny! 

[gingerbob]

The fin is the only place where the panel lines really jump out at me.

[Heather Kay]

What I was implying, in case it wasn’t obvious - and it probably wasn’t if you were as bleary-eyed as I was when I wrote it! - once the stickers go on, things like panel lines will fade into the background. I think Bill's really aware of them, so they’re front and centre. I’m like that with most of my builds. There’s something that didn’t work, or sticks out a mile to me, but other folk never notice it.

[RidgeRunner]

What panel lines, Bill?

[busnproplinerfan]

Navy aircraft were also kept very clean, that's what I've been told by one guy I know who used to go around and photograph navy planes.

[giemme]

That's some proper job with them coroguards,  Bill!

 

I see what you mean about the panel lines (and I know you); I too think that with decals on the effect will fade - it is anyway an impeccable model, on par with NBS standard

 

PS: off the top of my head, and I've never tried that, but how about trying a light color panel wash, to trick the eye and make them panel lines look shallower?

 

Ciao 

[Brandy]

I was about to suggest the same thing Giorgio. Couldn't hurt to try it! However I don't think they're too overdone either, and I hate overdone panel lines!

 

Ian

[Navy Bird]

16 hours ago, David H said:

Looking good from here, Daddy-O.

 

Thanks mate.   

 

13 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

Those aileron hinges look so neat Bill. Your hands must be steadier than mine!

 

The corroguard looks cool too. She's really starting to look the part.

 

Thanks Terry. The hinges were easy to paint. The wing was already LGG, so I masked off the aileron and then used tiny bits of the 1mm wide Tamiya tape to mask where the hinges are. I used Alclad Aluminum for the Corogard - some photos show it only on the vertical fin and not on the dorsal extension; other show it all along both. I couldn't tell from my photos of this specific aircraft which method it used, but due to the configuration of the checks I decided to run it all the way to the fuselage.

 

11 hours ago, gingerbob said:

The fin is the only place where the panel lines really jump out at me.

 

Good - that will get covered up by the yellow and red checks!   

 

11 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

...once the stickers go on, things like panel lines will fade into the background...

 

You are right  - that will hide a lot of them and certainly focus our attention on other things. Thanks goodness this will be one of the proper USN schemes with lots of colour!

 

11 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

What panel lines, Bill?

 

Ha! In real life, the panels lines re pretty tight on a Scooter so they would be difficult to see in 1:72 scale. But that is true of most aircraft...    

 

10 hours ago, busnproplinerfan said:

Navy aircraft were also kept very clean, that's what I've been told by one guy I know who used to go around and photograph navy planes.

 

That seems true for the LGG over white schemes. Nowadays, the low-viz schemes weather terribly. I hate them.

 

9 hours ago, giemme said:

...how about trying a light color panel wash, to trick the eye and make them panel lines look shallower?

 

Interesting idea. Let me noodle on that for a bit.    

 

*****

 

More detail painting in process - red for the inside of the flap areas, LGG and Corogard on the slats, etc. Plus, silly sod that I am, I forgot to fill in the small exhaust port on the top of the spine mid-fuselage. I've read that was not present on the A-4B. I should be able to fix that with no problems (famous last words as they say).    

 

Cheers,

Bill

[RidgeRunner]

2 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Ha! In real life, the panels lines re pretty tight on a Scooter so they would be difficult to see in 1:72 scale. But that is true of most aircraft...    

Well, I love your build!

[Warwolf]

These are the kinds of build I like to follow! Stunning work on such a good little kit to begin with. All the extra detail is just *Muah! Chef's kiss* !

 

[Navy Bird]

On 19/02/2023 at 17:45, RidgeRunner said:

Well, I love your build!

 

Platonic I hope.    

 

On 19/02/2023 at 18:19, Warwolf said:

These are the kinds of build I like to follow! Stunning work on such a good little kit to begin with. All the extra detail is just *Muah! Chef's kiss* !

 

Thanks - more to come (see below):

 

*****

 

Stickering to commence forthwith!

 

 

 

 

The eagle-eyed amongst you will catch that I lost that handle thingy from the nose gear. This is why Eduard give you extras! Landing gear and wells got a few coats of liquid skill (Future wash) whilst their shiny parts received some Floquil Old Silver. Guns and fuselage intake scoops proved undesirable to drill out, so I faked it with some black paint.

 

(Also note the disappearance of the exhaust port on top of the spine. I'm not sure where it went. It was there one day and gone the next. I wonder if I've been sleep-puttying and sanding again?)

 

Cheers,

Bill

[cpoud117]

6 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Also note the disappearance of the exhaust port on top of the spine

Thanks for mentioning that, I've now got something else to fix on my Fuijimi A-4B

Great job so far, your buidling speed is impressive. I see that you haven't painted the red part around the intake, are you going for a decal instead?