Up hill task ended, 48scale Monogram EA-6B Prowler Options

[RedFlag]

I have finally started the uphill journey of building my Prowler, something i long to build yet extremely reluctant to start at the same time…....mainly due to the difficulty level it entails in dealing with this infamous kit.....Not to mention the whole loads of AM stuffs required to get it right. But, as the old saying goes, life needs to be challenged. So I am taking the first step....with my SAW!!

After consulting around on the nose issue, I decided to do a comparison and measurement using a Hasegawa’s 72scale prowler kit and it came up 4.5mm short. I struggled with this for awhile has I have no clue how to rectify this fault….yet it bothers me very much as it affect the overall silhouette of the aircraft. So after some pondering, below is the result…off it came with the saw but still I have no clue how to lengthen it….


Next is about the dome on the vertical fin. A quick comparison with the Hase kit again revealed that the shape on the monogram kit is not correct. So off it came with the saw, again not sure how I will correct it….


Then is the intake which has no depth….while it may be acceptable on a 72 scale, it is waaaay ugly on a 48. The easy solution is of course a pair of seamless intake from CE. Here’s a look… The shaded areas are what needed to be taken off while the other is how it looks with the resin intake in place… No big issue with the fitting, just lots of drilling, cutting and grinding.


While happily cutting and sawing the left intake, I also took out the ugly stair well. This will have to be rebuilt but at this point in time, not sure how….need reference pics too.

Lots of uncertainty yet somehow feels really good about the challenges ahead….some thing is wrong with me…..

Anyone with suggestions on how to go about resolving the issues above are welcome

Thanks

This post has been edited by RedFlag: Jun 1 2009, 02:18 PM

[Clumber]

I have finally started the uphill journey of building my Prowler, something i long to build yet extremely reluctant to start at the same time…....mainly due to the difficulty level it entails in dealing with this infamous kit.....Not to mention the whole loads of AM stuffs required to get it right. (snipped...)

And that is exactly why I have yet to start my own Prowler! I will watch your build with anticipation and hope yours inspires me to try mine... I do need to get the seamless suckers, still, though....

Party on, Red!

[RedFlag]

Hi Dave,

Appreciate your generosity. Will definitely ask for help as i am short of reference material. As for the nose issue, I actually read this from an article which indicated that the nose of the monogram prowler kit being alittle too short. This is what prompted me to carry out the measurement.
As there are no other 48 scale prowler around, i figure the best bet will be a 72scale kit from a reputable manufacturer...still not too late to re-attach it back

May I ask which are 3 prowler squadrons as i understand there are many configurations on the EA-6B and the best bet is a reference from the exact bird...the marking i am interested is either the Night hawks or the Cougars.

Thanks in advance.

[strikeeagle801]

Hi Red

From what I understand (And Dave or Karl Sander will either back me up or correct me) the changes in the Prowler over the years have to do with antenna configurations and cockpit changes. Not actual airframe changes. A prowler nose is a prowler nose, the intakes are all the same, etc. What you are talking about are the ICAP changes, and again, the guys that I mentioned can tell you more.

As for the article you read, I'd have to go with Dave on this one. Like he said, he's got the real deal right there. If he has measured and said that the Monogram nose is correct, you can rest assured that it is correct. And as far as Hasegawa's prowler is concerned, they may be a reputable company, but the are not infalliable. Look at the 1/48 F-16 kit. Until the Tamiya kit came out, it was conisidered the best F-16 kit hands down. But now that the Tamiya one is out, we see just how many mistakes they've actually made. The tail's the wrong width, the refueling receptacle is off, and there are vents and other such little things that have been left out.

I think I'd re-attach the nose if I were you, and before you go much further, consult Dave and Karl on where to go from there. I don't know if it's in the gallery yet, but Karl did a write-up for the ARC main page a while back. It is an excellent reference on what needs to be done to bring the kit up to date.

Aaron

This post has been edited by strikeeagle801: Feb 6 2008, 04:53 PM

[PBoilermaker]

The biggest problem with the CE Prowler intakes is that they left off the integral 'flat' that serves as a step. This was not on A-6 intakes, but I guess CE figured that it was close enough for the Prowler. Try to find the Seamless Suckers versions if you can.

Agree with what everyone else has said. Plus, you have SSGT Roof offering to help, so I would make good use of that resource if I were you.

-Mike

[marine4 ever]

I've got to ask. Why would you make corrections on a kit, based on what you find in another kit of the same subject in a different scale?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I've had the opportunity to measure the EA-6B, and there is nothing wrong with the Monogram nose. It actually measures out just right. All of the panel lines are off though, and this is what may have caused the profile to look wrong.

If you have any other questions, I have three squadrons of Prowlers within a 1 minute drive from my office. Would be happy to help with references. Just don't want to see you chop up/correct parts of a kit that don't need to be chopped up/corrected.

Also, the Cutting Edge intakes are wrong for the EA-6B. Again, if you want close up photos of the Prowlers intakes to see where they pooched it, let me know.
Dave

you beat me to it Dave! i concur with everything that everyone else has said. the issues that i've found with this kit have more to do with panel line and extra armor plating. etc. etc. And Dave i may hit you up for references when i start my next Prowler, or intruder!

Semper Fi
Dan

[Girolamo LORUSSO]

good luck for this job: it's a very long and binding!!!
I remember the mine!


bye

[Petrov27]

Wow - that is an awe-inspiring Prowler; is there a build thread around for it? Would love to know the steps you took to pull it off so well!

[Aggressor Suppor...]

Be interesting to see what you can do with this Prowler kit.

[RedFlag]

good luck for this job: it's a very long and binding!!!
I remember the mine!
bye

Wow, Mr Girolamo, you have no idea how long i have stared at your Prowler before starting mine... I saw this wonder in the "Model Master-series" book and it got me all inspired. Thanks for the encouragement

Of course, your work is waaay beyond my league, I just want to put together this beast with the AM stuffs and get the shape right. If this project ever reach painting stage, i'll die a happy man

Chris

[Lock n' Load]

good luck for this job: it's a very long and binding!!!
I remember the mine!


bye

.... Da *bows* if i ever get a prowler.. would you be my guide?

[Girolamo LORUSSO]

ok guys... follow me!
thank you so much to everyone

[Pruz]

Shame you hacked up the Monogram Prowler to match the Hasegawa one - you should be the other way round!!

I don't know why people automatically assume that the Japanese produced kits are more accurate (although they do fit better) - getting the basic shape right is something Monogram have been historically much better at.

[RedFlag]

Hi,
Here’s a little updates on the progress…

With the help of Dave, I was finally able to figure out the “hole” at the bottom right of the intake and also replicated the stair well on the left. Thanks a million Dave.



Also managed to fit the resin tub into the fuselage, surprisingly with minimum grinding work…


That’s all for now. Next step would be to attempt to re-scribe those panel lines…Any tip anyone?

Thanks for looking.

Chris

This post has been edited by RedFlag: Feb 10 2008, 06:06 PM

[gharlane]

i have one in the pile . i will be following this thread so that i know which mistakes to make and which ones not to make

[mhsuzuki]

Ok guys, after reading about these issues with CE and Seamless intakes I would like to know: what are the differences between them and which one belong to which model?

I have an A-6 and an EA-6B I bought from Dave and he would beat me if I destroy one of them by doing wrong things!

I also have Verlinden´s detail set for the A-6, and together there is a PE ladder...Is it correct?

[marine4 ever]

That’s all for now. Next step would be to attempt to re-scribe those panel lines…Any tip anyone?

Thanks for looking.

Chris

well all i can say is patients, patients, patients! i used a scribing tool and Dymo tape as my guide. slow light passes until i get the desired depth. i also used a verlinden scribing template for the odd shaped areas. but patients is the key.

Semper Fi
Dan

[RedFlag]

well all i can say is patients, patients, patients! i used a scribing tool and Dymo tape as my guide. slow light passes until i get the desired depth. i also used a verlinden scribing template for the odd shaped areas. but patients is the key.

Semper Fi
Dan

Thanks for the tip Dan
A quick question though, how do one decide which panel line to rescribe/replicate and which panel line is consider superficial and skip. Is the line-art on the decaling instruction good enough or should one just rescribe all the raised ones on the kit?

[Karl Sander]

Not so sure I'm an expert, but after 800+ hours in type, I'm not so sure the nose and the football are Monogram's biggest transgressions.

But - there's no Prowlers near me at present... and when they pass through, i'm too busy to fly (read: preflight) them. So, take it for what it's worth.

[RedFlag]

Hi all,

I am back working on the prowler...started on the football..


This is a look at the wrongly shaped "football" as compared to a cut-out tracing from a 48scale line drawing of the Prowler's tail. notice it is much smaller...


Generous amount of milliput to fill up the volume and lengthen using pla-card


Sand to shape using 30mins of elbow grease...at least now the size is correct


This the final result. Corrected and primed, complete with the resin spine from CE.

That's all for now. Cheers!

Redflag