1/48 scale A-6E Intruder

[Check Six]

Very interesting.

An A-6E TRAM with airbrakes with holes.

Does anyone know when they went to the solid panel airbrakes?

Thanks Finn for sharing the pics!

Edited July 16, 2014 by Check Six

[Joel_W]

Finn,

Thanks so much for posting those picture links. The 1st picture solved my dilemma. I just won't have the wing tip air brakes (?) open. The covers over the flaps will be slightly open so you can "peak in" as I have pictures of them that way. The biggest change will be to close the canopy as almost everyone seems to be closed when the aircraft is parked. It's always been ingrained in my model making memory that canopies are left open except during flight as it makes for a better display.

Gary,

Thanks for that information. I never knew that.

Check Six,

And thank you for posting that great picture. I've added all those pictures to my A-6 collection, as E is only the 1st of 3 builds: A, E, TRAM. As for your question, I don't really know the answer. On the FighterTown decal sheet #48063 A-6A/A-6E (& TRAMS), there is one A-6E form the VA-75 Sunday Punchers circa 1975 with the holes in the air brakes. My uneducated guess is that they were replacements.

Joel

Edited July 16, 2014 by Joel_W

[Finn]

Joel you still can have the canopy open:

http://media.nara.gov/stillpix/330-cfd/1986/DN-ST-86-06148.jpeg

edit: or if you want to have it landing with everything hanging, including the weapon load:

http://media.nara.gov/stillpix/330-cfd/1987/DN-SC-87-00480.jpeg

Jari

Edited July 16, 2014 by Finn

[PlasticWeapons]

A-6E/A-6E TRAM jets rebuilt from A-6A jets often kept the perforated (and deactivated) fuselage speed brakes while most new-build A-6E were delivered with the faired over panel.

[Joel_W]

Jari,

Thanks for those pictures.

And Plastic Weapons, I do appreciate your in put. Additional information is always a big plus.

I've pretty much decided to go with parked on a tarmac approach. slats & flaps in the open position. The flap top wing cover plates in just a slightly raise position. Will leave the wing tip air brakes closes, as well as the fuselage air brakes. Really haven't seen any pictures with them open on any parked aircraft.

Joel

[ziggyfoos]

I've pretty much decided to go with parked on a tarmac approach. slats & flaps in the open position. The flap top wing cover plates in just a slightly raise position. Will leave the wing tip air brakes closes, as well as the fuselage air brakes. Really haven't seen any pictures with them open on any parked aircraft.

Joel, the perforated fuselage brakes could be seen partially cracked open on the ground - at least in the early days when the brakes were still operational. I've not seen/noticed wingtip brakes open though (not to say it didn't happen?)

The solid plated over fuselage brakes I've seen in at least starting in 1969.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Steve Belanger

[Joel_W]

Joel, the perforated fuselage brakes could be seen partially cracked open on the ground - at least in the early days when the brakes were still operational. I've not seen/noticed wingtip brakes open though (not to say it didn't happen?)

The solid plated over fuselage brakes I've seen in at least starting in 1969.

Steve,

From all the information I've been sent, it appears that those fuselage brakes were wired shut well before my 1975 era build date. It's also been suggested that I could open up those wingtip brakes and drop the tow hook as part of a pre-flight inspection by the crew chief. Liking that idea a whole lot.

A strictly modeling issue that has been nagging me is just how much weight I'm going to have to install in the nose, as the A-6E is certainly a tail sitter. I've read every build/review I can find, and it's just not mentioned.

Joel

[VA-115EFR]

I thought I placed enough weight in the nose of my Revell Intruder, only to find It still sat on it's tail after it was put together! So I ended up placing nuts in the intakes, and will have to make intake covers to hide them! Can't wait to see your finished product. Looking STELLAR thus far!!!

Edited July 17, 2014 by VA-115EFR

[Joel_W]

Can't wait to see your finished product. Looking STELLAR thus far!!!

VA-115EFR,

Thank you.

It's sure looks like it's going to be a much longer build then the Academy F-4B I just finished. The parts fit just isn't in the same league. Doable for just, just a lot more work to get there.

Joel

[Devilleader501]

Joel what I do with my intruders and prowlers is dry fit all wings and control surfaces as best you can then attach the landing gear without glue and place the model on a counter top. Start placing weights on the nose until it rests on the nose gear. It works like a champ for me. You shouldn't have to worry about bombs and racks being dry fitted because they attach forward of the balancing point. Which should be in front of the main gear.

[Joel_W]

Devilleader501

Joel what I do with my intruders and prowlers is dry fit all wings and control surfaces as best you can then attach the landing gear without glue and place the model on a counter top. Start placing weights on the nose until it rests on the nose gear. It works like a champ for me. You shouldn't have to worry about bombs and racks being dry fitted because they attach forward of the balancing point. Which should be in front of the main gear.

Devilleader501,

Thanks for sharing your method. Mine is similar, but I usually wait until later in the build. With the access hatch still open on the bottom of the radar nose cone, I can get all the weight epoxied in there. I'm trying to get a feeling of just how much weight it will take, as just trying to balance the fuselage and inner wing sections (dry fitted), it takes a fair amount weight to get it to rock forward of the balance point. With the rest of the wings, it should need even more. I try not to count on the loads out to tip the balance forward so that it will stand on it's gear. They're my insurance for any screw up I may make.

Joel

[Joel_W]

Finally, I've gotten enough work completed on the A-6E for a small update. It's not that I haven't been plugging right along, but at this stage of the game,

a lot of the work just doesn't translate well into photos and an update.

Glued the cockpit to the right fuselage side, then installed the intake assemblies into both halves, the front wheel well assembly, ( which is shaped to be

part of the intake housing on both sides. I'm assuming is for support issues), and the arrestor hook housing.

Here's the one intake assembly ready to be glued into position.

Then I closed up the two fuselage halves and used Tamiya Extra thin to glue them together.

After a few days, I removed the tape and checked the fit. It was ok, but there were issues along the bottom and top spine, and the intake areas just didn't

align very well no matter how hard I tried. Now I'm not saying it's all Hobby Boss's fault, as I'm sure that I could/should have done a better job of it.

I decided that I didn't want to have the nose radar bay in the open position, and that was where I would be gluing in what ever weight was needed. The

directions have a symbol for added weight, but so far I still haven't found out how much they're calling for. There is a large access panel that installs in

the bottom of the nose cone right in front of the front wheel well that will allow for the weights to be added at a later date. So I glued up the two halves

of the nose cone, then glued it to the fuselage. In hindsight it would have been much better if I glued each half directly to their respective fuselage

half, as the fit is less then stellar.

Since I want to display the model as a land based aircraft waiting for the crew chief's inspection on the tarmac, this will allow me to have the flaps and

slats in the down position, I built and installed the inner wings with the brackets still in place, then glued them to the fuselage. One side fits better

then the other, but both sides needs some filler. For one side I just used Vallejo white putty to fill the seam.

Post continued.

Edited July 24, 2014 by Joel_W

[Joel_W]

Post Continued:

While the other side needed sheet plastic shims to close the gap.

Next I glued the engine exhausts in, then their respective access covers, which just didn't fit flush. They will need much work, and like the intakes, quite

a bit of rescribing, of which I'm terrible at.

I also needed to use some plastic sheet shims to close a small gap between the intakes and fuselage on both sides.

Here's one picture of the cockpit and IP installed.

And a few of the overall fuselage.

Joel

Edited July 24, 2014 by Joel_W

[wardog]

Joel,

Great job you're doing here. From your descriptions regarding fit it seems as though the A-6 must be a hard one to get right as fit quality seems to be a common complaint with all offerings on the market today. I've had some major fit issues with my Monogram A-6 but that's kind of expected. Keep up the great work and if you need some detail pics let me know. I've taken a bunch over the last few years and took about a hundred more yesterday just before coming back to Cali from an A-6 at Cherry Point NC.

Elmo

[Joel_W]

Elmo,

Thanks so much for your offer and more then kind words. The fit on just about all the panels is close to ok, but none are perfect drop ins. I'm sure that the better builders here would have done a much better job requiring less sanding and filling then I'm going to have to do. But I'm confident that I'll reach the finish line. Sure does look like I'll have to kick up my rescribing skills a few notches. Not that I would call my efforts of the past skilled by any means.

BTW, I leave about 45 min from Calverton. Grumman's has just two aircraft on display there: A -14A & a A-6E. For once I actually lucked out. Of course I've yet to visit either display.

Joel

[jgrease]

Joel- that fit is looking tough, but it looks like you're getting the better of it. I wonder if these fit issues revolve around the plastic shrinking or expanding after leaving the molds. Just a thought.

John

[Joel_W]

John,

Thanks for your most positive comments.

Just seems to me that some companies produce kits with near perfect, and others always seem to have issues. The Academy 1/48 scale F-4B was about the most perfect fitting model I ever built. The Hobby Boss A-6 series is also a new release, yet the fit issues are everywhere. One thing is that the HB kit has so many access panels and parts that have to transverse concave and convex angles, that it seems to be a recipe for fit issues. I guess it's just the nature of the beast. So far there isn't anything that I don't think I can't resolve, but there's always Tomorrow.

Joel

[wardog]

My personal opinion regarding fit issues is that they seem to plague the newer manufacturers much more than established kit makers. Although not always perfect, most of us (asking for trouble here) are for the most part pretty content with the fit of kits by Hasegawa, Academy and the king of all kits, Tamiya. I pretty much chalk it up to experience. These manufacturers have been in business for a long time and have had plenty of time to hone their skills and produce better fitting models more consistently on cost/schedule. This lack of experience i suppose could also translate into overrunning budgets if more time is spent fixing every deficiency they find prior to release. We have to remember that these are just models, no one will lose their life in one so a gap here or there is okay, especially if we as consumers continue to accept mediocre levels of quality.

E

Edited July 24, 2014 by wardog

[Joel_W]

Wardog,

By now companies such as Hobby Boss, &Trumpeter have been around long enough, and produced enough model kits to know what works well, and what doesn't. One issue is that while they're allowed to discuss what each will be producing, which is illegal here, they just produce way too many kits to have the same quality control, and as high standards as Tamiya. Also my T is a modeler. There also lies a huge difference in their philosophy vs Tamiya's.

Joel

Edited July 24, 2014 by Joel_W

[wardog]

Joel,

I also agree with your comments.......after all,it's all about generating profit right? I still feel we as consumers are to blame for accepting mediocrity though. As long as we're buying why change anything.

Anyway, those were just some thought. I don't want my comments to spin your fine build off into something other than your build as that happens too much already on this forum with other WIP threads. Good luck with the rest of your build and continue to march forward. I'll be awaiting updates.

E

[Peterpools]

JA

Super progress on the A6 and a nice job of working thought the fit issues. Completely agree that at this stage of the game, HB should have the basic fit issues resolved before going into production. I am going to assume that part of the fit issue is how they scaled down the Trumpeter A6 from a 32nd scale kit to their own 48th scale kit. From the Flory review, Phil compared both kits and it was pointed out that the instructions, except for a few pages were exactly the same.

The nose weight issue is just poor work on HB end. If you're going to point out weight is needed, why in the world wouldn't you just say how much?

Keep 'em coming

Bro

[Joel_W]

Pete,

Excellent points. Like I said, some of the fit issues has to be my fault, but the rest are just caused by poor engineering. And for a kit that costs over $80, I would have expected a higher degree of Quality Control.

Joel

[Joel_W]

Work on the A-6E has continued at a slow but steady pace. Lots of work/hours, just not a lot to show for it. Still working on the fuselage, as it's finally starting to look like a A-6.

Since the inner wings are part of the fuselage assembly, I've been working on the slats and flaps which will be in the lowered position.

Flaps and slats test fitted:

The outer wings have slowly turned into their own mini kits. The basic wing is comprised of the top, bottom, and end spar:

You'll note that there are two sets of holes on the top, and 3 on the bottom. These are for the supports of the wing tip flaps that I'm leaving in the closed position.

Both the inner wing sections and the outer wings each have one wing fence. They just looked too thick, so I sanded them down for a more scale appearance.

As you can see in a few pictures, I still have some cleaning up to do with injector pin marking and seams. Like I said, slow but steady work.

Joel

[Peterpools]

JA

Nice 'steady' progress on the Intruder; just lots of small sub assemblies that consume a ton of time and effort but you're nicely finishing them off. Detailing looks excellent and the wing fold mechanism looks too nice to close up.

Keep 'em coming

Bro

[Devilleader501]

I was wondering if the flap and slat parts are kit parts. Reason why is I am working on a Prowler with AM flap slat and air breaks. So far what i see looks really good just looks completely different from what i have going on. Great job on progress so far.