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A-6A Intruder Formation Lights


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Hi, I’m building the 1/32 Intruder and am making a KA-6E of VA-65 embarked on US Independence 1974/75.

 

My question is, did the Intruder have the strip Formation lights fitted, as depicted on the Trumpeter kit? I’m seeing conflicting pictures on the web and would like to make sure I’m getting the correct era aircraft.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Ian. 

Edited by Wafu
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This is not a definitive answer, but ... The Monogram/Revell 1:48 kit depicting an A-6E in the 1970s does not show or provide formation lights. However, a sheet from Fightertown, which has a very good reputation for accuracy, does show and provide formation light decals for aircraft from the 1990s. There are also a couple of Vietnam era videos at Youtube that clearly show A-6's without formation lights, and there are any number of photographs of them in Compass Ghost schemes that have formation lights just forward of the NAVY designator. I'd therefore speculate that they weren't originally fitted, but were added at some point between the 70s and 90s.

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No slime lights.  This is around '73-ish:  

VA-65 KA-6D Intruder BuNo 152892, AG-423

 

 

Note this is probably all Indy had (early KA-6D's), later variants had the slime lights added.

 

Below are two tanker intruders...you can see the different wingtip variants:

 

Older:

aero_a-6d_003.jpg

 

 

Newer:

aero_a-6d_009.jpg

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7 hours ago, Wafu said:

Hi, I’m building the 1/32 Intruder and am making a KA-6E of VA-65 embarked on US Independence 1974/75.

 

My question is, did the Intruder have the strip Formation lights fitted, as depicted on the Trumpeter kit? I’m seeing conflicting pictures on the web and would like to make sure I’m getting the correct era aircraft.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Ian. 

 

Did you pick up the Steel Beach conversion set? I'd love to see some pictures when you're done!

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13 hours ago, Darren Roberts said:

 

Did you pick up the Steel Beach conversion set? I'd love to see some pictures when you're done!


Hi Darren, Yes I did. I wanted to do something a little different from a bombed-up Intruder so your set provided me with the opportunity. I am using the Avionix cockpit with your panel’s, the decal sheet from AOA 32-023 and I plan to change the centre line tank with the deployable basket tank from SAC.

 

Thanks to all who answered my question, I know you guys know your stuff.

 

Cheers Ian.

Edited by Wafu
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15 hours ago, Wafu said:


Hi Darren, Yes I did. I wanted to do something a little different from a bombed-up Intruder so your set provided me with the opportunity. I am using the Avionix cockpit with your panel’s, the decal sheet from AOA 32-023 and I plan to change the centre line tank with the deployable basket tank from SAC.

 

Thanks to all who answered my question, I know you guys know your stuff.

 

Cheers Ian.

Awesome! Take pictures when you're done.

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I've been looking at photos of A-6Es over at airliners.net. The earliest ones I've found of planes with the formation strips are dated 1985. Does anybody know if there was a particular point in time when the strips were officially mandated? Some of the photos show the strips overlapping the existing markings which suggests that they were MU rather than factory upgrades.

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11 hours ago, Collin said:

http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2015/?m=1

 

According to the link above, wingtip slime lights didn’t hit production on the Intruder until 1982. 

 

Confirms my thoughts above that your during your specific timeframe, a converted A-6A to a KA-6D would not have them. 

 

Collin

A better link: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2015/09/grumman-6a-vs-6e-intruder.html

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