RA-5C Help

[GW8345]

8 hours ago, Tailspin Turtle said:

Still doing them - the latest: $34.95, shipping included (Media Mail, US only). 1754 Warfield Circle, Simi Valley CA 93063.

 

You can contact him at nfbooks at sbcglobal dot net for availability and pricing of his other books.

 

Thank you sir!

GW

[Pappy121]

On 2/27/2025 at 5:43 AM, davetur said:

Hi Pappy, if it may help, I've just finished a Trumpeter late RA-5C in 1/72. I think most of the issues I've found also apply to the 1/48 case.

Regarding your questions:

Point 1: thanks, I did not notice that!!! I'm still in time to correct it on my model. Based on different drawings in different books, I've made some rough calculation and the trailing edge should to be 2,5 to 3 millimeters lower (in 1/48).

 

Point 2: I'm almost sure it could carry external fuel tanks, although I don't recall having seen any photo of the RA-5C with them. Just on some A-5, but that's anothr story.

By the way, why do you want to spoil the beatiful lines of the Vigilante with external stores...? 😉

 

Point 3: In my Display Case model, you can find a comparison of the late ECM fairing I built from sprue with the one supplied by Trumpeter. It's not difficult

 

Regarding what you call "two doors of the rearward facing bomb bay" I honestly don't understand what you mean... what you see in the photo is the end of the loooong internal fuel tank. In the 1/72 model, its shape is not so bad compared to that, only on some cases I have seen photos of Vigilantes with a lightly fatter end, but if you choose carefully the aircraft you want to model, the Trumpy end will be OK.

Cheers

 

Davide

 

G'day Davide,

 

Thanks for answering the questions, one of the few that did

 

Yes that is the object I am referring to. It is more rounded and bulbous on later build jets rather than the more tapered shape provided in the kit which is more appropriate for an earlier aircraft. 

 

You said that you derived the measurement for the tail fin from several books, which books?

Could you send me a partial scan of the fin?, I don't need the whole drawing

 

Your kit turned out very nice, I think it would still look nice up close 😃 What colour did you use on the wing leading edges? It looks like a dark metallic colour,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

[davetur]

Hi Pappy, here's the scans from three different books:

 

[davetur]

The last one is from a Japanese book, it seems the most accurate.

Regarding the leading edge, I am not 100% sure since I painted it some time ago, but I think it is Gunze C-08 Silver (for sure not the Aqueous H-8).

Happy modelling!

 

Davide

 

PS: PM inbound

[Pappy121]

6 hours ago, davetur said:

The last one is from a Japanese book, it seems the most accurate.

Regarding the leading edge, I am not 100% sure since I painted it some time ago, but I think it is Gunze C-08 Silver (for sure not the Aqueous H-8).

Happy modelling!

 

Davide

 

PS: PM inbound

 

G'day Davide,

 

Thank you very much! Thatis exactly what I need and will be extremely helpful,

 

kind regards,

 

 

Pappy

[Finn]

Here is some info from manuals, first one is the RA-5C:

 

 

The early bomber version:

 

 

 

Jari

Edited March 1, 2025 by Finn

[Pappy121]

Thank you Jari, great info as always

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

[Tailspin Turtle]

The top of the vertical fin of some or all RA-5Cs slopes downward to the rear because of the addition of an antenna to the top of the fin. I wrote IFF here but I could be wrong again: https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2010/12/vigilante.html

[Pappy121]

Thank you Thommy,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

[BWDenver]

A couple of shots from Summer Fest, 1971 in Milwaukee WI.  The airshow was always interesting.  

 

The flasher pods (?) under the wings are interesting, not a lot of shots of those...

 

 

[STEN8]

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

 

Harry

Lutz, FL

[Tailspin Turtle]

2 hours ago, BWDenver said:

A couple of shots from Summer Fest, 1971 in Milwaukee WI.  The airshow was always interesting.  

 

The flasher pods (?) under the wings are interesting, not a lot of shots of those...

 

 

Thanks - Great picture of the open roll-control surfaces, too. For more on the flasher pod (e.g. the generator fan blades on the aft end of the pod), click here:https://tailhooktopics.blogspot.com/2021/08/north-american-ra-5c-flasher-pod.html

 

Note that the roll-control surfaces are in speed-brake mode. More here (scroll down): https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2010/12/vigilante.html

Edited March 6, 2025 by Tailspin Turtle
And roll-control surfaces statement and link

[BWDenver]

If it helps someone, all the better.  I knew I had the shots somewhere, just had to find them.

[Paul Boyer]

Does anyone make this flasher pod in any scale?

[STEN8]

The Trumpeter 1/72 kit comes with two flasher pods, Trumpeter flash pods, so I can't speak for the accuracy. But I hung one anyway. It fit.

 

Harry

Lutz, FL

[Finn]

Flasher pod being installed:

 

 

 

Jari

[Pappy121]

G'dsay Jari and Bob,

 

Thank you, pure gold as always!

 

I was aware of the interesting roll control design but that is the first picture I have seen. Thommy's site has a great explanation and drawings but you just ca't beat a pic. The flasher pods are included in Trumpeter's 172 and 1/48 kits but the back end is very different, as the kit items lack the spinner and blades and the small area above the spoinner is just a truncated flat shape instead of the teardrop section of the pic. Outstanding work once again,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy