Italeri 1/48 scale
A-4F Skyhawk

by Sasha Miloshevic

Italeri's 1/48 scale A-4E/F/G Skyhawk is available online from Squadron.com

This is my second finished model after a 15-year hiatus, a US Navy Scooter from the Vietnam war in 1972. It's an old Esci kit repack with a new decal sheet.

The build took a couple of years from start to finish, including several long breaks.

This vintage kit features raised panel lines on all horizontal surfaces, and my first task was to scribe them. I scratch-built a lot of details in and around the cockpit: gunsight, ejection handle, seatbelts, rear bulkhead, canopy rear wall and mirrors.

Windshield framing was not oval enough, so I sanded it down and masked it to a more accurate shape.

Air intake splitter plate braces were scratchbuilt, as well as an AOA sensor, temperature sensor, pitot tube, ECM antenna between the horizontal stabs and an antenna at the base of the fin.

also added catapult hooks and other small details to main wheel wells.

Carrier configuration means two TERs, I obtained them by splitting a kit supplied MER. I made sway braces for all pylons and shortened the fuel tank. Cannon tubes are from Quickboost.

The model is brush-painted. Top paint is MM acrylic Flat Gull Gray, white is Humbrol enamel.

Decals gave me a lot of trouble, they are thick and mostly of the wrong size and shape. Anti-glare panel and wing walkways are painted on.

I managed to mess up the intake warning markings while applying them, and had to buy aftermarket. Unfortunately, it turned out the red was a lot darker than the intake lip color.

Rescue arrows are from the same sheet and stars and bars are from another one.

Sealing coat for decals and oils was Tamiya acrylic gloss clear. I used DecoArt artists' acrylics for panel lines, toning down some of them with oils. Different oils were used for wear and tear, leaks and cannon grime.
Everything is finally coated with several layers of Humbrol Matt Cote (excellent stuff).

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I enjoyed building this kit, it's a perfect choice for improving different skills, with decals as the greatest disappointment.

Now it's time to finish ICM's 1/48 P-51B in NMF.

Happy modeling!

Text and Images Copyright © 2014 by Sasha Miloshevic
Page Created 20 June, 2014
Last Updated 22 June, 2014

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