Best 1/48 A-37/T-37: Monogram or Trumpeter?

[Gator52]

I've got a Monogram A-37 to Tweet conversion underway...looking forward to your info on the seats.  I ordered the Quickboost A-37 seats (designed for Trumpeter kit), don't know if there are any other options out there to replace the kit seats.

 

Chris

[BWDenver]

2 hours ago, Gator52 said:

I've got a Monogram A-37 to Tweet conversion underway...looking forward to your info on the seats.  I ordered the Quickboost A-37 seats (designed for Trumpeter kit), don't know if there are any other options out there to replace the kit seats.

 

Chris

The Aires set is also for the M5 catapult ballistic seats.  The Monogram seats are for the final Ballistic/Rocket seats.  The primary difference between the A-37 and T-37 Ballistic seats is the T-37 seats had a decal on the head pad, warning the pilot not to put the harness over the top of the seat.  The A-37 seats were just red for the head rest.

[Paul Boyer]

I think most of the "bulge" is on the bottom of the aircraft. I noticed on all the 1/72 scale renditions that the flat, semicircular ramps on the fuselage in front of the intakes are missing. I notice that more than the "bulge." 

[Ben Brown]

Here ya go. Courtesy of Cessna about 30 years ago.

 

Ben

[BWDenver]

While the T-37A, powered by the J69-T-9 is "smaller", USAF apparently uprated the birds with the J69-T-25, completing the upgrade by mid 1960.

 

So would not the Tweet be basically the same cross section be the same after the engine upgrade?  Specifically, the T-37B/C and A-37A/B?

 

I would assume, not always a good idea, the A-37A's deployed in Viet Nam had the uprated engines.  And all the Export Tweets are 37B & 37C's.

 

Admittedly I'm more up on the Webber ejection seats in the Tweet, than the airframe. 

 

Somewhere in all the moving boxes I have a factory model of a T-37A...

 

On second thought....

Just got to reading a rather interesting USAF paper: "A Systems Engineering Approach to Integrated Structural Health Monitoring for Aging Aircraft".  Covers the Tweet and now I understand the A-38A started life as the YAT-37D with J85-J2/5 2400 Lb thrust engines.  The initial 39 AT-37D airframes were redesignated in August 1966 to A-37A's.  And used in Operation Combat Dragon in Viet Nam.

 

Two shots below were taken at Langley AFB in Nov 1980.  I was going through the Aviation Maintenance Officers Course at Ft Eustis VA.  Finished up with the OH-58A Test Maintenace Test Pilots course.  Whenever i got a chance i would go over to Langley and shoot the ramp.

Edited December 10, 2024 by BWDenver

[BWDenver]

On 12/8/2024 at 4:56 PM, Gator52 said:

I've got a Monogram A-37 to Tweet conversion underway...looking forward to your info on the seats.  I ordered the Quickboost A-37 seats (designed for Trumpeter kit), don't know if there are any other options out there to replace the kit seats.

 

Chris

Be a couple of days before I can finish the Webber T/A-37 seat article, but here's a bone for you...

[Ben Brown]

I was under the impression that the contours of the upper part of the fuselage around the engines are the same on both jets and the A-37 has a deeper fuselage under the wing for the bigger engines. 
 

Ben

[BWDenver]

5 hours ago, Ben Brown said:

I was under the impression that the contours of the upper part of the fuselage around the engines are the same on both jets and the A-37 has a deeper fuselage under the wing for the bigger engines. 
 

Ben

Possible, It would be nice to have a nose on shot of a t tweet.  Some photographs indicate the intake area and lower fuselage was "flatter".  Or at least it appears that way based on the 3 view.

[BWDenver]

Not sure if this helps or not, but the 3 View v the A-37 front shot

[PeepingBear]

Just in case someone arrived here because of his/ her desire to convert an A-37 to a T-37. Oldmodels Decals (NZL) produces a really nice set of decals for the T-37. I ordered the set and really like the graphics, alas I do not yet know about ease of application. You can find the decals here: https://jaysmodelkits.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=85_140_87&products_id=2974

 

Having hands-on experience both with Monogram's and Trumpeter's A-37 kits, I would recommend the Trumpeter kit as a starting point for this conversion - there is more than a bit of hacking and slashing to be done and the recessed lines of Tumpy's kit will help with any subsequent sanding, fillling etc.

 

The pictures in Lorebor's Britmodeller post are a good information source about what to change.

[Ben Brown]

On 12/11/2024 at 2:14 PM, BWDenver said:

Not sure if this helps or not, but the 3 View v the A-37 front shot

That helps. I haven’t been able to find any section drawings of the A-37 to compare, but I haven’t been really looking very hard lately.
 

Ben

[BWDenver]

Well finally got the T/A-37 series done.  just have to post the part about the seats in kits and resin...

[BWDenver]

On 12/8/2024 at 4:56 PM, Gator52 said:

I've got a Monogram A-37 to Tweet conversion underway...looking forward to your info on the seats.  I ordered the Quickboost A-37 seats (designed for Trumpeter kit), don't know if there are any other options out there to replace the kit seats.

 

Chris

There are several options for the ballistic M5 catapult seats.  The Quickboost and Aires seats are 'awfully similar", and are even very close, if not identical, to the Encore seats.

 

Depending on when you want to do a representation of the bird will ultimately depend on what you need to do to the seat.  If you want to do a seat post 1960 you will have to rework the seat guide rails, at the very least.

 

I did manage to get most of the info posted on the T/A-37 seats.  Still need to post some info on aftermarket resin sets.  If you're doing a Tweet trainer the seat is the least of your issues...