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A-4 Skyhawk colours, photos, scale references


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Pete - can I just check - are you adding the spine and changing the fin because you like the Israeli scheme? Or do you want that shape? The IDF did use the A-4 quite extensively and flew many variants - INCLUDING the A-4E and F, without the spine, so building it as per the plan wouldn't be sacrilegious to the gods of scale modelling! Look! 89_1[1].jpg

If you knew this but still want the spine bulge I apologise. However if me sending you this has saved you a few hours work, then mine's a pint next time we are stood by a bar cheekybeer

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Ah thank you Phil - saved me some work - might still do the bulge (Ooh er missus) - was going to fashion it out of a piece of blue foam of which I have heaps left over as you can imagine. Didn't see this version in my research. Will have a think.

As the Jews would say "Shalom". Just a thought. If I build an Israeli version will I have to have a circumcision?

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douglas a-4 at sm.jpg

Skyhawk Disciples, I hereby join your great adventure! How's about a PSSA UK bird built all the way from over here across the muddy pond in Boston, Massachusetts, USA? I'm gonna give it a try!

Just this past Saturday I ordered the goodies from Traplet, they've got my money and fingers crossed the goodies arrive soon and I will hit this thing and hit it hard. I'll sure TRY not to throw it in Boston Harbor one night in a fit of Colonial outrage like happened with some tea here back in 1776 or whenever it was. More likely, however, it thing gets built I'll manage to drop it in the drink, probably more than once, and with deleterious effect, both here in Boston Harbor and down south a bit in Cape Cod Bay. There's some great slope soaring down in them thar parts!

Meanwhile, for religious worship / inspirational purposes, here's a sweet lil' Tinker Toy I've known for many years at Santa Monica Airport in my hometown of Santa Monica, California. I took this snapshot out on the ramp late one afternoon in Summer 2011. She's part of the collection at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying. Cheers, and thanks for having me.

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Posted by John_Rood on 03/02/2016 18:51:39:

Meanwhile, for religious worship / inspirational purposes, here's a sweet lil' Tinker Toy I've known for many years at Santa Monica Airport in my hometown of Santa Monica, California. I took this snapshot out on the ramp late one afternoon in Summer 2011. She's part of the collection at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying. Cheers, and thanks for having me.

Hey John

Welcome to the forum, I hope you will post some pictures of your build and we look forward to seeing some flying shots.

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Yes John welcome to the forum - great to see you on here! I think yours is the first of the Traplet A-4s being built in the USA, but the project is going global - we've already had modellers register to take part from Belgium and Australia.

Im still scouting for useful references for scale features and details, I think it would be great if we all added at least a couple of the Skyhawks characteristic features, its certainly not an A-4 without a stripey tailhook for example!

Heres a link to some great walk around photos, various marks in here...

**LINK**

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This is what I hope mine can look like.....

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=new+zealand+air+force+50th+anniversary+A4+skyhawk&rlz=1C1GTPM_enGB627GB628&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=971&tbm=isch&imgil=3PMjNtDBLfgD_M%253A%253BvrwavT7DscEqAM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.cambridgeairforce.org.nz%25252FRNZAF_50th_Anniv_Skyhawk.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=3PMjNtDBLfgD_M%253A%252CvrwavT7DscEqAM%252C_&dpr=1&usg=__G-vBN5kI97z59aTIetp5IAY0Vh0%3D&ved=0ahUKEwj4gr3T-t3KAhWGDQ4KHTovBHsQyjcIKA&ei=sC-zVvjqH4abOLrekNgH#imgrc=3PMjNtDBLfgD_M%3A&usg=__G-vBN5kI97z59aTIetp5IAY0Vh0%3D

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This is what I hope mine can look like.....

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=new+zealand+air+force+50th+anniversary+A4+skyhawk&rlz=1C1GTPM_enGB627GB628&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=971&tbm=isch&imgil=3PMjNtDBLfgD_M%253A%253BvrwavT7DscEqAM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.cambridgeairforce.org.nz%25252FRNZAF_50th_Anniv_Skyhawk.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=3PMjNtDBLfgD_M%253A%252CvrwavT7DscEqAM%252C_&dpr=1&usg=__G-vBN5kI97z59aTIetp5IAY0Vh0%3D&ved=0ahUKEwj4gr3T-t3KAhWGDQ4KHTovBHsQyjcIKA&ei=sC-zVvjqH4abOLrekNgH#imgrc=3PMjNtDBLfgD_M%3A&usg=__G-vBN5kI97z59aTIetp5IAY0Vh0%3D

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20160204_120020.jpg

Ed Heinemann, the man himself standing in front of the first Skyhawks he designed to come off the production line at El Segundo, Los Angeles in 1955. The original engine he chose was a 'British Sapphire' at the time in 1951 this jet engine was frenziedly coming into volume production in three US factories in an Americanised form however called the Wright J65.

I must mention about Heinemann he did not just design aeroplanes, he designed a complete series of external stores all based on bodies of minimum drag, the 'Aero -1A family of low drag shapes of 8.2:1 fineness ratio which for more than 20 years were used almost every externally carried store and fuel tank.

Many Variants listed .

20160204_120436.jpg

....more to come.

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For a solid. detailed overview of the Skyhawk, this 49 minute documentary is worth the time investment. Attention is paid to the design philosophy and the subsequent development of each variant, and the YouTube video quality is better than I expected -- especially for a video that was made before the year 2000.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLMM_jf6Lwc#t=2831.510065

Edited By John_Rood on 04/02/2016 22:06:01

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Welcome John, Thanks for posting the video - just watched it end to end - not sure what speed the A4 touched down at on the carrier decks - but that's some deceleration! (120 knots to zero in 75 feet ish?) Great stuff!

Thanks Mark for the quicklink.

Truly an international mass build now!

Regards H

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Posted by Flyer on 04/02/2016 11:03:15:

This is what I hope mine can look like.....

Great choice! I have actually sat in that one.

The RNZAF Scooters went through five or six different schemes. Here's my EDF version in the original SEA scheme - she's on her second fan and third motor, but still going strong. Glides well and I have flown her as a PSS with the inlets blocked off.

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Quick Size Comparisons:

img_9904.jpg

With an F-86 this past year at the Santa Monica Museum of Flying.

img_9907.jpg

And below, two early Skyhawks, A4Ds, with another superb Ed Heinemann design, the A3D Skywarrior, the beloved WHALE!

As the Whale lacked ejection seats for her 3-man crew, the A3D came to be known as "All 3 Dead". But a great airplane, superlative in every way. Notice the subtle family lines the A-4 received from the A-3.

Douglas A3D Skywarrior -- The Whale! -- and two A4D Skyhawks.

And note this Whale was still wearing Glossy Sea Blue overall, so this photo was fairly early in the Skyhawk's tenure.

Edited By John_Rood on 05/02/2016 23:22:32

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