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Monogram A-6E TRAM 1/48


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It's the monogram part just modified. Tha damper was simply modified to fit snugly and then super glued in place. I'll post more pics today but I will appologize in advance as this build wasn't intended to be a posted project and therfore I don't have a lot of pics. I also don't build in the traditional way like following the instructions sheets step by step and therfore you'll see pics of completed weapons and pylons yet the cockpit hasn't even been started.

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Toadwbg, that is a nice build. I had already seen it before and was hoping to go with the same markings but I'm buildind a composite winged bird. No need 2 feel inadequate, u have a great build. I choose to super detail but doing so takes a lot of time. At least you are almost done, I'm nowhere close. I've been on this project now for a few years on and off and now being married with kids I don't have a lot of time so this build should be ready in about 10 years.

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Here is a pic showing the beginning of the engine installation.The cutting edge intake had to be sawed off where the trunk meets the forward part of the intake,sanded at an angle and re-glued as the engine was originally coming in contact with part of the interior fuselage.

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I've been on this project now for a few years on and off and now being married with kids I don't have a lot of time so this build should be ready in about 10 years.
Nice work! You sound like someone I know? In fact, I recognize this build. Is that you E***? :coolio:
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:worship: :worship: :worship: Another modeling god has chosen to make himself known to us. Oh great modeling god of the A-6 please impart upon us your incomparable technique for us mere mortals (and some lessers like me)may attempt to emulate your magnificence. To sum it up in a word WOW!!!
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Wardog, I think that is every A-6 Intruder modellers dream build right there!!! What I would give to build like that! With detail like that, I think you must've built the real thing for Grumman! Please please PLEASE keep posting progress of this beautiful bird no matter how long it takes!!! :woot.gif:

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Thanks for the kind words guys. I'm definately no model god, just another modeler like the rest of you guys. What this type of modeling does require is an enormous amount of research time and the willingness to follow thru with the build. One of the drawbacks to this type of modeling is burnout, as completion does not come swift and for me, completion is the ultimate joy of the entire build process. I'll post more later today.

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here is one of the intakes showing the modification i made to the mold line on the upper side. I used Tamiya putty to re-contour this line as i felt it slopes too much compared to what i have seen in pics. the other issue i encountered was when i re-scribed the rather soft panel lines. For some reason, the white resin does not take to re-scribing as smoothly as the yellow type. it felt rather grainy and proved to be difficult to get a smooth line. Who knows, maybe it was just an issue with my set.

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Here is another view of the right side showing a few other details. The right side you see here was one of the first things i started on this model and has now been in this stage for quite some time while i worked on other stuff. I recently completed the left side intake and realized when i first started to work on it that i had Gotten into some real trouble.Since it had been a long while since i had finished the right side and had built up a lot of the surrounding structure, it was now practically impossible for me to measure the angles, up and down and side to side that i had sanded onto that trunk to make the engine fit. These angles would of course have to be duplicated onto the left side intake to assure that both the r/s and l/s compressor blades sit at more less the same position when viewing the aircraft from the front. Needless to say, this was no easy task. Much like the the r/s, the repeated sanding efforts to try and achieve the proper angles eventually shortened the trunk length considerably making the compressor blades look closer to the intake lip than desired. to fix this, i grafted a section of tube to the aft end of the trunk to bring it back to proper length. This also means that i now had to sand the interior of the trunk to eliminate the seams left behind from the original separation of the trunk and the addition of the extra tube section. Bummer to have to do all this work on intakes that were fine from the start.

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The boarding ladders were scratch built completely from a styrene and a few metal pieces. I was planning to use the Verlinden steps as opposed to the Eduard set mainly because you get two step assemblies and i liked the size better. I wasn't crazy about super gluing the Verlinden steps as i felt the glue would leave behind residue that is visible once dried on the metal. This of course we could not have and therefore I decided to make them out of styrene and use liquid cement to glue everything together.I will say u have to be very careful with liquid cement, especially when working with .005" styrene as it tends to melt it quite easily. I've learned this lesson the hard way as I've ruined plenty of other items with that stuff.

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When you built the engine, where did you get the references for it? I'm too far on my intruder to "attempt" this, but would maybe be willing to do this on the Prowler.

Are the intakes the Seamless Suckers? That's a big difference in the modification. Looks much better tho!

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Most of the reference is whats already out there like the walkaround and detail and scale series books. I also stumbled across a link for an A-6 build in 72nd scale on ARC that has a lot of good pics including some engine pics. The address is:

http://s362974870.onlinehome.us/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=156997&hl=a-6 intruder&st=20

That site was a little weird and you have to play with it to get the pics to show. Just follow the directions on the bottom of page 2 of the article and click on the address that ends with 01288.jpg. After that i believe you have to change just the picture number in the address bar to view whatever pic you want to see.

Prime portal is another great site for reference photos. Just look under the "airstrip" section.

The intakes are made by cutting edge. I have a set of seamless suckers for the A-6 that were given to me for free by the owner of SS's a number of years ago but quite frankly, the CE intakes are much better. I wish you luck if you attempt something similar on your prowler as the engine modification was difficult and required me to use 2 sets of intakes just to get 1 pair to work. As far as the modification with putty, not quite sure if my end result is more accurate but they look better to me as i feel the non modified CE intakes have too much of a slope beginning at the aft end of the top section.

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