Monthly Archive for November, 2011

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk ‘TOPGUN 56′

Posted on November 22, 2011 in Projects. 0 Comments Tags: .

While I’ve been more careful with my construction for this kit, I still let something slip. I made a mistake attaching the left intake. There is a 1mm step with the intake being lower if I looked at the kit full on.

This drastically affects the look from the top. If I looked carefully, the gap between the intake and the nose section looks shorter on the left. While I think most people might not notice it without it being pointed out, I know it’s there. :P

Anyway, another round of primer next. Hopefully this one round of putty is enough.

Douglas A-4E Skyhawk ‘TOPGUN 56′

Posted on November 16, 2011 in Projects. 0 Comments Tags: .

Kit Info
Manufacturer: Hasegawa
Scale: 1/48
Media: Injection Plastic

This one’s been in the backburner for awhile (what else is new?) so it’s time for it to see the light of day again. The plan is OOB with decals from TwoBobs Decals.

Back when the US Navy ran the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School aka ‘TOPGUN’, it operated A-4 Skyhawks in the role of the adversarys, ie. the bad guys. This particular Skyhawk took that role to the extreme by having an actual silhouette of a MiG-17 painted on it.

This project is heavily reliant on the excellent article by David Aungst at Hyperscale, who did all the research required to do up an accurate Top Gun #56. In fact, the TwoBobs decals are also based on this same research. The kit itself is the excellent 1/48 Hasegawa A-4E/F kit.

The cockpit is surprisingly detailed and with the canopy opening being so small, I think it looks more than adequate.

Based on the article, I needed to modify the cone shaped fairings that’s attached all over the airframe. The cone tips need to be cut off first.

Work is actually quite straightforward and I managed to get quite far in assembly. The kit also broke down into very easy subassemblies. The landing gear and landing gear doors were all handbrushed with white and given a wash of black gray.

This is how it looks like right now. I sprayed some primer on the main joints to get an idea how much work will be needed to fix the gaps.

On the workbench

Posted on November 6, 2011 in Musings and The Hobby. 0 Comments Tags: .

Been snapfitting kits all week along. Four done!

First up is the Bandai HGUC RGM-89De Jegan ECOAS Custom. A nice thing is it can be easily backdated to the normal RGM-89D Jegan D.

Then it’s the Bandai HGUC RGM-96X Jesta. What can I say, this is one of the best RGMs ever designed. It’s right up there with the GM Sniper II and GM Custom in my book. Unfortunately a part on the shield went missing. I’ll figure out what to do about that.

Next up is the Bandai HGUC RGZ-95C ReZel Commander Type. Comes with a BFG that unsurprisingly has a long seamline running down the weapon. Sigh. And while it looks good, it’s kind of fiddly. The joints aren’t loose, but it doesn’t feel solid at all.

And lastly, the Bandai HGUC MSN-06S Sinanju, yet another big ass red mobile suit used by the enemy ace, this time Full Frontal (sounds like a porn actor’s name I know). People really like the Sinanju but I find the design awkward: small feet, white (for some reason) propellant tanks and thruster shrouds and it’s going to a bitch to paint those itty bitty ornamental markings on the chest and arms. Still, it does have a presence although the Sazabi looks more bad ass.

So you see, I’m slacking but not totally…