lgl007 Posted October 4, 2024 Share Posted October 4, 2024 Hey guys... Ok starting the build. The kit: Will model the 0024 Diamondbacks liveried A-4M. I'm going to have this guy in flight... wheels partially up taking off from a runway. Thank you to Jason who created some awesome blurred images ... one of which I will use as the base of the diorama. Thanks to Steve for sharing awesome photos here: And thanks Steve for photos of the Pilot with helmet... Col. Lake, call sign "EAGLE": Since this jet will be in flight I needed to pull an old Hasegawa 1:48 pilot I had lying around... started on the helmet. Tried to replicate best I could. Will be in a closed cockpit situation so I think it'll be ok... More to come as events warrant 😉 Cheers gang, -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichB63 Posted October 4, 2024 Share Posted October 4, 2024 (edited) Head first! Looking forward to your build Greg. 😊 Rich Edited October 4, 2024 by RichB63 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted October 4, 2024 Author Share Posted October 4, 2024 Well you know what they say, "It's not the plane, it's the pilot!" 😜 -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted October 14, 2024 Author Share Posted October 14, 2024 Quick update. So I’m well into this project and I have to say I’m NOT enjoying this kit at all. I read and watched a number of reviews of this kit… all extremely positive, with very few negatives. But let me just say, for those thinking of buying this kit, take a few minutes to consider the following before shelling out your hard earned dollars… Cons: Craterous panel lines – way, waaaaaay, too heavy! Incalculable riveting. Soft plastic, so when putting pieces together you don’t aways get a good seam match. The soft plastic is also hard to sand in that when you sand a flat surface, the plastic is so soft it plastic filed residue keeps hanging on to the edge of the surface you were just sanding/filing. Kit does not go together very well at all IMHO. Prepare for lots of sanding and putty work (been using lots of Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer to fill the small seams that seem to be left everywhere after assembly), which is all the more complex with all the riveting. Frustrating instructions. They could have broken out the processes further with more close ups which would have made the build up process so much more enjoyable. Generally the instructions are hard to read and in some cases hard to follow… so dry test fit as much as possible before committing to cement. I'm finding myself going back and forth in the instructions way to much even just to understand placement of a piece or what it should look like later in the build. This is definitely not a ‘shake and bake kit’. You would think that with all the modern tech they could produce kits closer to Tamiya quality… which I was hoping for based on the reviews, but nope! Way too many pieces to this kit. It’s almost as though they have made this kit overly complex – unnecessarily over-engineered. But I think they are planning on different variants in the future so all this over-engineering will mean less casting of new bits for Magic Factory in the end. No pilot – and very expensive to buy the official Magic Factory pilot(s). I’ve used an old Hasegawa pilot which works very will with some creative alternations. Pros: Great internals that enable you to display the jet with all it’s hatches open – kit is designed for this. So if you want to build an A-4 with closed hatches or even in flight… do yourself a favor and buy the Hesegawa kit – which is what I should have done. Great decals Great weapons options We get another Scooter 😊 Overall: So overall I would not recommend this kit. Now, if you want to build this kit with all open panels and all ‘dirtied up’ with lots of pre-shading and wear and tear… in other words heavy weathering, then you can easily hide many of the imperfections, including all the heavy panel lines. But if you want to stay true to the decal sets included - from those dates with those markings, the jets did not have heavy wear and tear and therefore no need for any level of heavy weathering. And why would you not use the decals sets provided... wonderful decals by Cartograph. I don’t like building models from fantasy land, I would rather replicate what they were like in the real world at the time. Just my personal preference. I’m actually dreading the painting process as I just don’t know how it will turn out in the end. But onward and forward! Kit is not cheap so I felt obligated to give you guys my 2 cents worth before any of you decide to make the purchase. For me, I should have just stuck with the Hasegawa kit for this project... I was way to optimistic about a new mold that everyone was so hopped up about... Cheers guys and Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canucks! -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JackMan Posted October 15, 2024 Share Posted October 15, 2024 Wow, Greg. I can feel your frustration in your post. But it's a great post and I appreciate the way you detailed out the pros & cons. Very informative and makes me think that I was right in avoiding it and sticking to the Hasegawa Skyhawks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted October 15, 2024 Author Share Posted October 15, 2024 Should have stuck with the Hasegawa kit myself 😉 Less than half the price... -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted October 15, 2024 Share Posted October 15, 2024 Very nice work on the helmet. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted October 16, 2024 Author Share Posted October 16, 2024 I think it's close enough ... I always think of it this way... if it looks good from a couple of feet away, then it's good enough for my shelf 🙂 -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AD-4N Posted October 16, 2024 Share Posted October 16, 2024 I’m just finishing up my first 1/48 Hasegawa A-4C. Thanks for the heads ups and I’m glad I skipped this expensive mistake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted October 16, 2024 Author Share Posted October 16, 2024 Cool. You gonna put up some pics for us to see the finished beast? 🙂 -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AD-4N Posted November 26, 2024 Share Posted November 26, 2024 On 10/16/2024 at 11:06 AM, lgl007 said: Cool. You gonna put up some pics for us to see the finished beast? 🙂 -Greg My finished A-4C is over in the Display Case forum. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted November 29, 2024 Author Share Posted November 29, 2024 (edited) Ok... so progress is slow due to real life getting in the way of fun 😉 Here's the old workstation... working on the project... Fit is not the best for sure... but I have worked with worse. Definitely had to use the filler: I've decided this bird will be in the air, taking off with wheels half way up... something I've never attempted before... I'm trying a unique way of mounting this bird via a very thin wire through the mail fuel drop tank... stay tuned. But to accomplish this I needed to reinforce the mount points for each piece. Notice the incredibly deep (and prominent) panel lines and rivetting of this kit - I'm not a fan... prefer the more subtle Hasegawa and Tamiya panel lines... So I've decided I need to some some very subtle pre shading on this bird to give it some depth when finished and used German Gray, basically as a primer... As this bird will be in flight (take off)... I've gotten the base plate ready as well as the blurred runway I'm going to use: A HUGE THANK YOU TO Jason (JNordgren42) ... a member of our community... who graciously sent me some wonderful blurred images of runways, wooded areas and oceans, not only for this project but future projects as well... THANKS JASON!!!! U DA MAN! That's it for now folks. Will continue to update as events warrant 🙂 Best, -Greg Edited November 29, 2024 by lgl007 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted November 30, 2024 Share Posted November 30, 2024 Looking good so far. Sorry it has been such a challenge, but if you pull it off, I am sure you will feel a sense of satisfaction with it. I'm along for the ride, that is for sure. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted November 30, 2024 Share Posted November 30, 2024 Nice work so far. They way over did the surface detail on that kit, too bad. I like the concept of the gear rotating on take-off. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Thadeus Posted December 1, 2024 Share Posted December 1, 2024 This is a great idea for a project. Panel lines do remind me of first Kinetic F-16. They do however look pretty nice under a coat of paint. Perhaps giving one additional coat of paint could help? Powodzenia! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted December 1, 2024 Author Share Posted December 1, 2024 Thanks everyone for the encouraging words 🙂 That's a thought Thadeus for sure. I'll see how the painting process goes... -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted December 20, 2024 Author Share Posted December 20, 2024 Hey everyone, A bit more progress made. All painted up and ready for the gloss coat before decal application... tried to keep the pre-shading subtle on this one. Without it, it just looked too 'toy like' and anemic... Masks provided by the kit worked the charm for the canopy and front anti glare black area on the nose. -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 She's coming along nicely. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
strikeeagle801 Posted December 21, 2024 Share Posted December 21, 2024 Looking good to me! Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichB63 Posted December 21, 2024 Share Posted December 21, 2024 Looks great Greg! Magic Factory would have you install two radar altimeter fairings under the wings. In fact, only one should be present (on the LH side). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted December 22, 2024 Author Share Posted December 22, 2024 Hey Rich, you gotta help me out... got any photos? Not sure what they look like on the A-4... -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
A-10 LOADER Posted December 22, 2024 Share Posted December 22, 2024 32 minutes ago, lgl007 said: Hey Rich, you gotta help me out... got any photos? Not sure what they look like on the A-4... -Greg It's the raised fairing on the underside starboard wing, it shouldn't be there. Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichB63 Posted December 22, 2024 Share Posted December 22, 2024 (edited) 7 hours ago, lgl007 said: Hey Rich, you gotta help me out... got any photos? Not sure what they look like on the A-4... -Greg Greg, Part C22 should be omitted. Sorry for not pointing it out sooner! Edited December 22, 2024 by RichB63 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lgl007 Posted December 22, 2024 Author Share Posted December 22, 2024 Oh hell, I already have it glued on... No worries Rich... thanks for pointing it out. I'll have to think on this... not sure I want to go through all the surgery at this stage of the game. was hoping it was something simple that wasn't glued on yet 😉 Thanks Rich. Appreciate the help. -Greg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RichB63 Posted December 23, 2024 Share Posted December 23, 2024 I feel silly for bringing it up…it’s a little thing. And either way, you’re going to turn out a great looking model! Rich Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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