CraigSargent

SPAD is 1/72 and 1/48. Sheridan is 1/72 and 1/35

That camo B-58 was there but moved to the “What If” category because, as per builders notes, there is no photographic evidence Hustler wore that scheme, only speculation and rumour.

Nothing that hasn’t already been announced. Kinetic has built ups and sprue shots of the 1/48 M-346 Master, MBK has the box for Wingnut Wings 1/32 Manfred von Richthofen ‘personality’ edition which will include a resin figure, Zoukei Myra had some new 1/48 and 1/32 pre-finished airfield and carrier bases along with separate wooden frames to hold them, and there was the earlier announcement by Kinetic of the 1/48 Mirage F-1. There is not really a large manufacturer presence here, only Eduard and Kinetic. Eduard has one of the largest vendor areas at the show, and plenty of the new 1/48 109G-10 on sale, and lots of kits and overtrees and other aftermarket. Pretty much all the overtrees went pretty quickly. They have not got anything new announced here though.

Looking for 2 x decal #14 (red eagle, globe and anchor from the tail) x 2 from this kit. If anyone has it and is not planning to use those two decals, would be very much appreciated.

Nice to see you got this finished. Mine progressed considerably since those last updates elsewhere, but I am trying to find out more info about the cockpit layout to get it correct. Like you I used the Hasegawa engine deck heavily modified. Glad my articles were of use and nice end result.

Airfix and Italeri are very basic kits with heavy raised panel lines. Sword kit is quite recent, with finer recessed panel lines, and although not without a few issues, is going to be your best starting point in 1/72.

Those items are actually on the correct side out of the box for an early A-4K, and shouldn't be swapped over. You can see the fuel dump mast clearly on the starboard side of this A-4K https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/A-4K_75_Sqn_RNZAF_at_Clark_AB_1982.JPEG Also don't forget to shave 1/2 mm off the mounting cylinder for the left landing gear leg, which is moulded in to the left landing gear bay. It is actually about .6mm deeper than the one for the right gear. What this means is, if the kit was built with the issue uncorrected, the left wing will sit around 2-3mm higher than the right wing (drops the right wing and raises the left wing due to the left main gear leg acting as a pivot).

Just been finishing up this one. Will get on to the A-4K soon. Pictures of the finished model. Ended up scratchbuilding some intake blanks. TwoMikes Escapac ejection seats WIP thread here if anyone interested: http://www.kiwimodeller.com/index.php/forum/a-4-skyhawk-challenge/30008-skyhawk-challenge-hasegawa-1-48-oa-4m-skyhawk/edit/71996

Just about to head up to Phoenix for 12 days, so not going to get much posted before I go. This is the Hasegawa Top Gun boxing, which includes all of the parts necessary to build an early A-4K in the SEA camo scheme. To the kit, I will be adding the following aftermarket: Master Models NATO refuelling probe Quickboost A-4E/F gun barrels Eduard Brassin LAU-10 Zunis TwoMikes Resin 300 gallon centreline tank Gekko Graphics RNZAF A-4G/K Skyhawks part 1 decal sheet I plan to add a pilot from the spares and build the jet in flight. Plan is to depict NZ6206 as it is starting its firing run on the trawler. The kit:

Already working through that one. May be something here of help to you. http://www.kiwimodeller.com/index.php/forum/a-4-skyhawk-challenge/30008-skyhawk-challenge-hasegawa-1-48-oa-4m-skyhawk

Hasegawa 1/48 A-4E converted to early A-4K. Aftermarket: Master Models NATO refuelling probe Quickboost A-4 guns Eduard Brassin LAU-10 Zunis Two Mikes 300 gallon drop tank Gekko Graphics RNZAF Skyhawks decal sheet Jet will depict the aircraft in flight, as it fired on the Korean fishing trawler Kin Nan - the only time an RNZAF Skyhawk fired its guns in "anger".

Thanks but apart from the IAF specific mods, didn't do much different from what you are doing and your detail work is very nice. I couldn't make the angled main rotor work, so ended up tilting the whole rotor including the shaft, which is not correct. The Master brass barrels really make this kit. Let me know if I can offer any assistance at all. Looking forward to watching yours progress. I love the little Hasegawa Cibra and have more in the stash. I also note they are about to release the kit again as an IAF version with resin in the box for all the mods. The paint scheme on the JASDF ones is very OTT but cool to see come together in scale.

Love the attention to detail and in proper scale too. I ran into the same issue with the round cross-section skid supports when I built my last AH-1 (IDF/AF version) and ended up using some copper tube to bend new skid supports from. Hasegawa 1/72 IDF/AF AH-1F Tzefa

More progress - had a good few hours at the bench tonight, so been trying to get model to a point it's ready to paint by the end of the weekend if I can. Almost finished tidying up the fuselage and the wings are now on. Few small seams which will need attending to. Note nose gear leg only inserted temporarily to keep model off it's nose. Got some painting done on the arrestor hook - once yellow and black has dried, I'll mask the stripes and paint the hook and pivot/mount assembly white. Drop tank cleaned up and with final coat of gloss white. Nice and clean ready for some light weathering, decals and the blue nose. Wheels with some pure black, tire black and gunship grey shading. Will add a little more weathering but plan to keep wheels reasonably clean. Got fin tip pitot installed and added missing small flange to upper copper wire antenna. Cockpit instrument panel coaming installed and painted. Added some frames for the glass. Also redid the port side cockpit sill as it didn't marry up to the windscreen correctly. Doesn't show too well, but the coaming and HUD parts have had a wash and some filters added. Underside showing cleaned up seams and amount of detail that has to be worked around here. Redrilled the hole for the arrestor hook in a better position. Chaff/flare dispensers also fitted. Tomorrow, I hope to get everything masked ready to paint the undersides and gear bays and landing gear gloss white.

I'm actually enjoying this one so far, so making good progress. Cockpit painted and finished. Intakes painted and installed, fuselage halves closed up, hump on, lumps and bumps added to the nose. Panel lines have all been cleaned up, spurious panels and fairings removed, refuelling probe and Master Models probe tip added. Little more cleanup around the front of the hump still to do. Had to add a little more Tamiya putty to the port fuselage side to correct profile. Still have to add instrument coaming. Nose with lumps and bumps added. Clear ARBS window will be painted over for this jet so no need to keep it clear. Tail with fin tip hotdog and trailing edge lumps and bumps added. Tailplanes with thinned trailing edges were also added. Removed the rudder for three reasons; 1) move rudder lower down to reduce gap; 2) thin trailing edge which is way too thick in scale; 3) add missing rudder extension at top of rudder. Still need to refine the speedbrake panel lines. Rudder repositioned after thinning trailing edges and with extension added at the top. Bit hard to see on this, but A-4s tend to have a rather prominent set of tread ridges so spun the wheels up in the Dremel and added 3 equally spaced grooves for tread on each tire. Will be easier to see once painted.