The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
A Comprehensive Guide
Author: Andy Evans
Year: 2018
Publisher: SAM Publications
ISBN: 978-1-9996616-1-8
Format: 200 pp SoftbackT
his latest book from
SAM Publications had
its debut at this year’s
IPMS US Nationals and certainly
seemed popular. The book opens
with a useful glossary, before
moving on to an introduction,
which is followed by a look at the
type’s design and development.
The next chapters look at the
US Nav y and US Marine Corps
Skyhawks, first in service and
then during the Vietnam War.
The two-seat versions are
covered next, before we take a look
at the Aggressors. The Aggressors
feature some really cool colour
schemes, a number of which are
featured in a four-page gallery
section. Chapter 6 looks at the
export versions of the Skyhawk,
including of course Argentina and
the type’s role in the Falklands War.Before we move onto
the modelling section,
there are 12 pages of
colour profiles, with
two profiles to a page.
The profiles are by Ryan
Dorling and feature a
good selection of the
schemes worn by this
long-lived type.
The modelling section
features 12 builds of
the Skyhawk, four 1/72
scale builds and eight
1/48 builds. The kits
featured in this section
are from Esci, Fujimi,
Hasegawa, Italeri, and
Hobbyboss. The builds
again feature a good
selection of the type’s
operators and the colour
schemes worn, and I am sure
will provide plenty of inspiration
for the kits in your stash!
The next section has colour
walk-around images of the type,
including preserved museum
examples and a fantastic set of
images of a Brazilian Navy example.
Weaponry is covered next andit’s certainly surprising just how
much this diminutive fighter-
bomber could carry. The extracts
from the technical manuals
feature cockpit details as well
as diagrams showing the layout
of equipment during the engine
start-up procedure, which will be
very useful in laying out a diorama.The next section features
line-drawn profiles of the
Skyhawk, which highlight the
differences between the various
versions, while the last section
is the Kitography, which lists
the available kits, decals, and
accessories. The book ends with
some 1/72 and 1/48 scale plans.
If you have any of the available
kits of the Skyhawk in your stash
then this book will help provide the
inspiration you need to build them!
My thanks to SAM Publications
for supplying this book for review.
TMU-S194 Scale Plans Scale Plans 195Scale PlansThe Douglas A-4
Skyhawk
M D FSKYHAWK 31
MDF31 The Douglas Skyhawk1/72 SCALE112 Chapter 7 Modelling the Skyhawk 113Mario Serelle adds some flair to the 1:48 Hasegawa Skyhawk
Bkit in the fifteen-year celebratory markings of Brazilian Navy VF-1 Squadron. The cockpit of the Hasegawa kit is just eing a real enthusiast of Naval Aviation and a big fan of the A-4 Skyhawk, I would say Hasegawa have provided me some very pleasant hours as I built their A-4KU
excellent and the raised details are unmatched by any etched parts, and careful painting and detailing makes them stand out. Watercolour pencils were also used to pick various knobs
and switches and give some delicate colour touches to an otherwise drab ‘office’. Before closing the fuselage halves you need to paint and
build the engine fan and exhaust pipe. The fit of the major parts is great overall, including even the avionics hump, a real issue on other Skyhawk kits I’ve built. Filler was minimal,
restricted to small seams on the fuselage/wings joints.painting. ‘Falcão 04’ received its special scheme in October 2013 and Caracal Models offered this eye-catching scheme With such a painless build it was soon time to start
with a superb decal sheet. The idea was to represent the aircraft when it was presented to public, so no weathering on this one, not even any pre-shading was applied. So, starting
with the control surfaces, these were painted with a mix ofModel Master Aircraft Grey FS16473 and White to represent the original FS36495 used on Brazilian Navy aircraft. Next came the large Black tail airbrushed with Gunze’s
Tyre Black. Caracal instructions recommend FS36118 for the canopy, but this is not the correct shade to match the decals. Instead, the canopy was painted with FS36081 and thin layers
of Clear Smoke were airbrushed on to darken the colour until I was satisfied with the final look.The airframe was painted in FS36320 after careful masking
Small gaps were easily filled with plastic puttyBefore painting the nose area, paper masks for the Falcon’s head were prepared to delimit the area to be paintedAfter marking the edges with thin tape, the large tail was completely covered with paper and larger masking tapeThe Black tail was airbrushed with Tyre BlackA-4KU SkyhawkManufacturer: HasegawaScale: 1:4 8
Kit Type: plastic injection mouldedKit Number: 09729
Caracal Models #48070 - Brazilian Navy AF-1 (A-4M) Skyhawk DecalsEduard #FE482 A-4KU Etched SetFalcão 04 Brazilian Navy Bird!BOOKS & MEDIA
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