I decided to make a Hobby Boss, A-4E Skyhawk. It happened to be the kit that supplied the F/A-18C Hornet and F-15E Strike Eagle with precious ammunition. I used the parts halfway to complete this kit to the end.
The assembly was smooth, and the cockpit had been built before I knew it.
10g fishing weight is put in the tip. If I forget this, this model will surely fall on the back.
This Hobby Boss kit includes a suitable decal for the cockpit panel. However, there are no detailed painting instructions inside the cockpit, so it would be better to check with some books or net information to paint details.
I can easily use the attached decal on the panel. I added only the third-party seat belt, like in the photo.
(2020/02/04)
The air intake and the wing were glued to the fuselage. The parts fit well.
As before, I glued all the landing gears this time. I’ll attach bombs and missiles later.
I installed the hardpoint where I was going to install the additional fuel tanks and the second part from the outside backward. I attached small parts to the bottom of the fuselage. It’s hard to fix it now since it’s stuck firmly, so I’ll adjust the tank connection points and proceed as it is.
I installed two large fuel tanks on the left and right sides, 2 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and 6 x 500-pound bombs, Mk. 82, in the center of the lower part of the aircraft.
(2020/02/06)
As usual, I blew black first to add some gradation.
Including the Indy-Blue part, I sprayed white first.
I looked it closely; it’s not as simple as the top is gray and the bottom is white, but rather a bit complicated. It is unexpectedly troublesome to apply separately. I want the maker could have included decals for all the blue parts.
I’m thinking of masking as precisely as possible, but it takes time. I think I’ll use a thin spray of an airbrush.
My wife gave me rare chocolate for Valentine’s Day. Maybe it’s planet chocolate. It looks like chocolates with complicated patterns and tastes. Few people in Ginza probably fear a new type of coronavirus.
(2020/02/08)
It’s Mr. Color Indy Blue, almost the same as the decal blue color.
I was thinking of painting with a gradation effect, but the gray FS16440 didn’t have that much hiding power, and Indy Blue couldn’t be covered up well, and it became a thick paint.
AIM-9B Sidewinder and bomb with decal.
It isn’t easy to paint curves on curved surfaces like the body of a jet plane.
(2020/02/10)
The assembly manual didn’t mention it, but I painted some hard points in black or black iron. Even though it’s a small plane, there are a lot of hard points. If it’s different from the real, I aimed to improve the appearance like a model.
I finished a basic paint and applied a decal, but it looks more like a toy than the usual making. I guess it can’t be helped because it’s a plastic model. It has no texture. Is it better to do some weathering? I thought it would change a little if it had missiles and bombs, but it wasn’t. I may change my impression by adding inking the panel lines and washing.
(2020/02/11)
Come to think of it. It was my first time making an airplane plastic model of a Hobby Boss. I have made some AFV plastic models and didn’t think they were easy to assemble. This time it was easy. The impression is not so different from the Trumpeter models. I heard that Trumpeter and Hobby Boss are affiliated companies.
After World War 2, the development of small carrier-based attack jet aircraft was delayed, and even after the Korean War, the Reciprocating aircraft A-1 Skyraider remained the main attacker. The priority was to develop a jet fighter to compete with the MiG-15.
Since the prototype of the A-4 first flight in 1954, a total number of 2,960 mass-produced aircraft in the production period of 26 years. Simplification of airframe structure and good maintainability were highly evaluated in many countries.
The engine performance of the A-4E was improved from that of the A-4 C, and the nose was slightly extended by strengthening the electronic equipment and changing the shape of the air intake.
Recently, I watched the Cuban Crisis theme movie “13 Days” again and noticed many airplanes, such as the A-4, F-100, and B-52. It looks so real that it’s probably real fighters and bombers. The movie itself is excellent.
In actual fighting, it was used by U.S. forces during the Vietnam War, Argentine forces during the Falklands War, and Israeli Defense forces during the Fourth Middle East War and the invasion of Lebanon. It has been deployed in more than ten other countries.
The clear epoxy putty is challenging to handle due to the adhesion of bombs, missiles, and fuel tanks, so I used instant glue. I wouldn’t say I like using instant glue after painting because there is a whitening risk. The risk of whitening is reduced if no accelerator is used. In the first place, if the bomb and the hardpoint had been adjusted more accurately at the assembly stage, epoxy glue would have been fine.
The military equipment consisted of 2 fuel tanks, 2 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and 6 x 500-pound bombs, Mk. 82.
The marking is U.S. Navy VC-1 (Fleet Composite Squadron One). The aircraft belonging to this unit provided training support for virtual enemy aircraft missions and onboard aircraft in target towing and fleet ECM training. The aircraft has a large blue band on its body, and the profile of a Hawaiian hero, “Ali,” is drawn in the center of a circle marked with stars. The nickname was Blue Ali.
The decal was thin, the color was good, and it was easy to stick. But I don’t know if the shape is accurate compared to the real airplane. Also, domestic distribution is very expensive. It was very nice to have many kinds of bombs. It might have been necessary to add various runners because of the combination of runners in the variation development of the A-4 series.
(2020/02/13)
