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1/48 scale A-6E Intruder


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Joel! Looks great! Where'd you get that thing-a-ma-jig?

Yes I want to know as well.

She's coming along beautifully Joel! Looking forward to the finished product!

BTW, your progress isn't all that slow. Every time I get to working on my project, I have to wipe the dust and cobwebs off it first! whistle.gif

Jason

Shaka Hi & Jason,

Thanks for stopping by. Glad you like the progress so far. Still, a long, long way to go.

The stand is one of 4 models made by JH Models Inc. I bought mine through UMM-USA: http://umm-usa.com/ They have a great selection of high quality tools, and modeling supplies. The stand I bought cost $35, and I was somewhat disappointed when I built it (yes, it comes as a kit, but it's easy to build. Took me a hour). I felt that for the money the base should have been weighted so that you can't accidentally knock the stand, my base was warped and the stiffening wood braces really didn't get it perfectly level. Mine still wobbles a little bit. If I was to build it again, I would use yellow wood glue and clamps rather then the Super Glue as they suggest. I'm going to be gluing some weights to the underside of the base.

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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Check Six,

No problem with some eye candy. Love the picture. I've downloaded it, will do a little editing, and use it as part of my Aircraft Desktop Wallpapers I keep on rotating through.

Scott,

Thanks for stopping by so often and keeping me on track. And again, thanks for your information as I needed it. The Bottle of Mr. Color #318 arrived yesterday, and it's labeled Radome and lists some Navy aircraft. Going to thin it with Tamiya Yellow Cap Lacquer Thinner @ 1:1 for both the leading edge slat protective covers and the radome.

Joel

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Truly fantastic work. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

What are you going to use for ordnance?

11bee,

Thanks for stopping b , and your most positive comment on my progress to date.

As for the ordnance, being basically a WW11 prop guy, the world of ordnance is sure one confusing place, so I basically stick to what's in the box. I do try to do some research to see what typical loads were. Right now I'm looking at GBU-8's for stations 1 & 5, M117 for stations 2, and a rack of 3 Mk20s on station 4, with a centerline fuel tank.

Joel

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During the Gulf War,at the beginning we SUCAP "surface combat air patrol" with a load of 1 GBU-12, 2 rock eye, and 2 MK82's then we started putting 22 MK82's on all stations except sta3 centerline that had a DT.

Scott

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During the Gulf War,at the beginning we SUCAP "surface combat air patrol" with a load of 1 GBU-12, 2 rock eye, and 2 MK82's then we started putting 22 MK82's on all stations except sta3 centerline that had a DT.

Scott

Scott,

Thanks so much for that information. The HB kit doesn't come with GBU-12's. By Rock eyes I'm assuming you mean MK20's, which the kit does have. So would a realistic load be:

Station 1: MK82

Station 2: MK20. A single or a rack of 3?

Station 3: Centerline Fuel Tank

Station 4: GBU8

Station 5: Mk82

Joel

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Sure that's a doable load we flew many asymmetric loads as well our sucaps where loaded thusly Sta1 2 mk82 on a MER a low load bottom station on the forward and rear, sta2 empty, sta3 2000lb DT, sta4 GBU 12 and sta5 2 rockeye (mk20) on a MER low load. Very rarely did we fly GBU 8 those are heavy GBU 12 and 16's where mostly used. Situation would dictate load outs but almost never on center line especially aboard ship, I've seen some wacky loads though so most anything is possible on the intruder. The SWIP upgrade enhanced the weapon platform phenomenally, there just wasn't that many of them.TRAM was the last full out upgrade that went fleet wide.

Scott

Edited by ScotVA36
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Sure that's a doable load we flew many asymmetric loads as well our sucaps where loaded thusly Sta1 2 mk82 on a MER a low load bottom station on the forward and rear, sta2 empty, sta3 2000lb DT, sta4 GBU 12 and sta5 2 rockeye (mk20) on a MER low load. Very rarely did we fly GBU 8 those are heavy GBU 12 and 16's where mostly used

Scott

Scott,

Again, Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Until I slowly build up a good store of loads, I'll have to go with the options in the kits.

Joel

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I've worked on A-4's, T-2's and FA-18C/D's but the A-6 is my true love ,as quarky as that sounds I love it when others model it as I've built probably built 20+ kits and still have 5 in the stash I have Trumps 1/32 A version but I'm really waiting for the E as that's the one I worked on plus the tankers anyway glad I can be of assistance, this is truely one of the most amazing aircraft the US ever had!

Waiting for more progress it's looking good.

Scott

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Scott,

Once again I can use your expertise, The kit instructions show wing walks on both wings, and a walkway along the fuselage spline. The instructions calls out for flat black. The Fightertown decal sheet paint instructions don't have either showing. Finding pictures of the top of the wings and fuselage isn't a easy task, but I have more then a dozen. Almost all show both, but the color seems to vary from dark gray to a well weathered grayish color. None look black. Would I be wrong is going with a medium gray or a darker color like Nato Black?

Thanks,

Joel

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The walkways where painted with a non-skid type paint it's is a dark ghost grey in color to begin with but some times it was painted over so it's not black unless your dealing with pre 80s then it was a black

Scott

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The walkways where painted with a non-skid type paint it's is a dark ghost grey in color to begin with but some times it was painted over so it's not black unless your dealing with pre 80s then it was a black

Scott

Scott,

Thanks. You're amazing. the era on the decal sheet is 1978-79. But when you look at the picture below, it looks more like Dark Ghost Gray. I also gather that they actually dimensions really varied, so they must have been applied about ship.

Joel

Intruder_3.jpg

view2jpge24af123-196d-4ee4-8445-1e1462ae8905jpgLarger.jpg

Edited by Joel_W
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It's kinda hard to determine the color there but I have seen it maybe a light black only thing is the photo depicts only the #3 turtle back panel coated those are the panels on the top of the fuselage count them out and you will see 3 panels starting from the canopy #2 and 3 where always coated unles at times it was a GAG Bird.

Scott

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Scott,

I got it. Going to do the #2 &, 3 panels, and the wing walks as shown in the HB instructions in dark Gull Gray, then weathered like the rest of the aircraft will be.

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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But when you look at the picture below, it looks more like Dark Ghost Gray.

I wouldn't go by either of those as a definitive source since neither is a photo of a real A-6, those are definitely computer drawn (from a computer game/flight sim I imagine?)

Not your time period but I've been looking pretty extensively into Vietnam era and the walkway colors then also varied from a really light grey (almost lighter than the gull grey), to a "light" dark gull grey, to solid black-black. I suspect the colors also changed from sun fading, wear/grime sticking, and freshness of the application of course.

Steve

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Steve,

Thanks for the additional info. I only posted the pictures as references. Most of the pictures I have of actual A-6s aren't from a high to low angle. As I posted before, I'm going with just the #2 & 3 panels on the spline, and the walkways as shown on the HB instructions. I'll start with A dark Ghost Gray, then weather them during the weathering process.

Joel

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Finn, Thanks for posting the links to both pictures. I already have the 2nd one, but the 1st one is very interesting with respect to both length of both the spine and wing walks. It really seams like it varies all over the place.

Joel

Edited by Joel_W
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Crazy..but I can't see any of Finn's picts.. What is up with that?

(Oh...looking great Joel!)

It's on your side. What does, or does not, happen when you click on a link? Are they just Finn's links (which all happen to be nara.gov) or others? Can you see this A-6E on wikipedia?

Edited by David N Lombard
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