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Well I could not wait. Plus ran out of masking tape for TA-4H. So started on A-4K with the Pro-Modeller A-4E kit.

I have decided to build one early in their service career with the straight refueling probe.

One of the first things to get rid of are the diamond shaped reinforcement plates on the side of the intakes.

Reinforcement Plates

Edited by Scooter Fan
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Making progress. The cockpit is all painted. Used a True Details resin Escapac ejection seat instead of the kit one. Added lap-bets and made the ejection handles from thin wire.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-meVSwCE3Isg/VhhPeaJ4WZI/AAAAAAAAAYM/j_T0I6dxlEw/s1600/DSC02915a.jpg

Edited by Scooter Fan
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Well I could not wait. Plus ran out of masking tape for TA-4H. So started on A-4K with the Pro-Modeller A-4E kit.

I have decided to build one early in their service career with the straight refueling probe.

One of the first things to get rid of are the diamond shaped reinforcement plates on the side of the intakes.

Reinforcement Plates

RNZAF A4K sounds awesome- I had thought about joining with a Kiwi Skyhawk, but just too much on the modelling plate right now :rolleyes:/>

How "early" are you planing on building? Reason I ask is that for the first 7-8 months of their operational service with the RNZAF (May- Nov/Dec 1970), the "Kiwi" was not used in the roundel, the "Silver Fern" was.

Looking forward to watching your build progress :D/>

Regards

Alan

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RNZAF A4K sounds awesome- I had thought about joining with a Kiwi Skyhawk, but just too much on the modelling plate right now :rolleyes:/>/>

How "early" are you planing on building? Reason I ask is that for the first 7-8 months of their operational service with the RNZAF (May- Nov/Dec 1970), the "Kiwi" was not used in the roundel, the "Silver Fern" was.

Looking forward to watching your build progress :D/>/>

Regards

Alan

Well not going that far back. There is large B&W photo of 6210 in the book "Topped Gun" with the Kiwi roundels and armed with four Zuni pods and empty centerline MER. That is what I am going for. Looking at the picture again, the leading edge slats for both wings are locked up. Interesting. Will make this "Model" even more different than the other Scooters built.

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Well not going that far back. There is large B&W photo of 6210 in the book "Topped Gun" with the Kiwi roundels and armed with four Zuni pods and empty centerline MER. That is what I am going for. Looking at the picture again, the leading edge slats for both wings are locked up. Interesting. Will make this "Model" even more different than the other Scooters built.

Cool choice, its my understanding, that only those A4K's used in the Aerobatic team had the slats locked for safety reasons, rest of the fleet had them per normal.

Look forward to some photos of your build :)

Regards

Alan

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Well the wing is all buttoned up. Lower anti-collision light and fuel dump mast have been swapped over.

http://projectskyhawk.blogspot.com/2015/10/a-4k-wing.html

And just realized I need to remove the slat arms and glue the slats in the retracted position to match photo of 6210 in "Top Gunned" on page 8.

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).

Edited by CraigSargent
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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).

Okay I see what you mean in that 1982 photo.

Can someone help me here. The photo on page 8 in Topped Gun of 6210 has the straight fin flash, not the angled one in the '82 photo. Has the Kiwi roundel. Straight refueling probe. Also it has the forward RWR for the ALQ-100 under the nose but no warning antennas under the cannons. Only the tip of the nose is painted black. It is normal markings. Equipped with 4 loaded Zuni rocket pods. But photo is in black and white and the undersides are heavily in shadow.

Is there anyway to date that photograph? And know on which side the fuel dump was located? Though I have the sinking suspicion I will be moving things around again.

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Okay I see what you mean in that 1982 photo.

Can someone help me here. The photo on page 8 in Topped Gun of 6210 has the straight fin flash, not the angled one in the '82 photo. Has the Kiwi roundel. Straight refueling probe. Also it has the forward RWR for the ALQ-100 under the nose but no warning antennas under the cannons. Only the tip of the nose is painted black. It is normal markings. Equipped with 4 loaded Zuni rocket pods. But photo is in black and white and the undersides are heavily in shadow.

Is there anyway to date that photograph? And know on which side the fuel dump was located? Though I have the sinking suspicion I will be moving things around again.

The RNZAF began replacing the straight refuelling probe with the "Dog Leg" type around April 1973 and some if not all the fleet (A4K & TA4K) had them circa October 1973, when they were first used for Overseas flights.

So that should date your photo some what to at least 1973.

This link will help I think with markings etc.

http://redkiwi.weebly.com/delivery-and-new-schemes.html

Hope that helps?

Regards

Alan

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