[dmthamade]

Hey guys!! Starting in on my second build. This will be a bit of a "what if" as i`m going to hang a LANA pod from the A-7E(Flir pod) on this bird. The 188th TFS, 150 TFG New Mexico ANG were the first unit to get the LANA pods, giving them day/night attack capabilities. They were 1989 Gunsmoke Champs and were 1991 Gunsmoke A-7D Top Guns. I don`t know if they ever carried LGBs but that is also what i will hang from the build, and maybe an ALQ-119 ECM pod. Other than those mods it will be OOB. The LGBs might come from the kit or spares box, the ECM pod from the kit or spares. I`ll probably hang Sidewinders as well. Something i find on most Trumpeter kits is the large number of sprues that i don`t use. Sometimes it weapons, engines, even fuselage halves. Wish they would simplify. This kit i am sending 14 sprues to the spares, keeping 8-9 for the actual build. I will also be closing up access panels, and steps. The slats and flaps i`ll think about, will let the airbrake sag a bit.

Don

[dmthamade]

Felling under the weather today, spent it watching DVDs and doing some work on the build. I cheated a bit, i took the wheelwells and Gatling gun from my aborted A-7E build and installed them on this build. I did a bit of detail work on the wells and didn`t want to waste them. The gun isn`t really seen except for the muzzle ( barely ) so it was painted and installed. I glued the access doors for the avionics, RAT and O2 bottle shut as well as the steps. The fit of these parts needed some work as Trumpeter didn`t plan on these being shut. They needed sanding of the edges and removal of the flange around the opening in the fuselage to fit. The wells where the steps are were cut out. I did this to allow me to push out on the steps when glued to aid in alignment. There are a couple of more parts i will use from the E build when i get that far. Few pics for the night.





Don

[dmthamade]

Hey all!! Turns out my not feeling well is infected sinuses and bronchitis. Still managed to do some work on the cockpit. The kit parts aren`t too bad but a little plain. I added some cabling, boxes and stuff. The seat cushion was small and plain so i made a new one and textured it with a knife blade and added the kit belts. An O2 hose was made up by wrapping fine wire around a thin piece of Evergreen rod. Still working out a way to do the ejection handles. Just a few pics for the day.





Don

[dmthamade]

Been a while between updates. I`ve managed to close up the fuselage and build up the main wing parts. The fit of the wing parts is OK, just basic sanding to get a good fit. The slats, flaps and ailerons needed a bit more work. I want to do this build with the flaps and slats deployed. They built up OK, but when dry fitted to the wings, they did not sit properly. I had to cut and scrape away material from the wing parts to have the slats deployed. They should fit tight to the wing on the bottom surface with a gap on the top. If not modified there is a gap top and bottom. After working at it i was Ok with the fit. The flaps and ailerons if assembled from the box are too thick. I had to thin the leading edge of the ailerons for the thickness to be the same as the wing. The slat needed work as well, they were much too thick. Didn`t take any pics, but i might be able to show with the leftover A-7E parts. The ailerons are at neutral position, and only the flaps and slats are deployed. I cheated again, using some assemblies from the E build. I built a tube to extend the intake deeper into the fuselage. None of this will really be seen, but i did it anyway. The kit intake tube had OK fit, i glued and sanded this together first, cutting out the end of it. I reinforced the seams as the plastic was a little thin. I then built a collar around the end with thin sheet styrene. I did this so the tube extension would line up, take the proper shape, and allow the inside of the tube to match up to the same level as the kit tube. I put the seam to the top, as it wouldn`t be seen after installing. An engine face from a F-14 Tomcat was painted and installed. Some pics below.

This pic shows the collar i built around the tube.


This shows the complete assembly dry fitted to the A-7E fuselage. Shows the tube in place, and the reinforcements on the kit tube.


A pic down the intake showing how it looks.


Pic of it installed in the D. Doesn`t really show much.


I`ll see if i can show with the E parts to show what i had to do to the Wing stuff.

Don

[Ian Cooper]

Hey, Don. Nice detail in that cockpit. Guess that's the benefit of 1/32 Scale, the problem being finding room for storage when they're finished! Looking forwarding to seeing this finished (not rushing you!) as I'm guessing the colour scheme is a good one.

All the best

Ian

[dmthamade]

Thanks Ian!! This is in the two tone grey version like yours. The markings are for the New Mexico ANG. I have made some progress on the build, getting the color coats on. These are Model Master Acryl paints applied with an Aztek airbrush, FS36118 and FS36270. Masking was done with blu-tac worms, there are a few areas that need touch-ups and the nose and top of rudder need to be painted black. No preshading was done, as the finish on these birds was kept in very clean condition, i may hit it with semi-gloss as the finish coat.



I finalized the weapons load starting on the right outer pylon. An ALQ-119 ECM pod, TER with 3 MK82 AIR Ballutes, LANA pod, Sidewinders on fuselage pylons, Drop tank, TER with 3 MK82 AIR Ballutes, and the outer pylon empty. I found these Ballutes in the spares box, they come from the Tornado IDS kits by Revell/Monogram. Don`t see these too often on any builds.



Don

[Rick De Smet]

Nice process Don! Really like the sharpness of your camo paint job. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to camo.

Can't wait to see it decalled

Greetz
Rick

[dmthamade]

Rick De Smet, on Feb 5 2010, 01:39 AM, said:

Nice process Don! Really like the sharpness of your camo paint job. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to camo.

Can't wait to see it decalled

Greetz
Rick

Hey Rick!! I did the masking with Blu-Tak worms. Still had to go back and do some touch-ups but find it`s the best for very tight demarcation lines. Finally managed to get everything painted and glosscoated and will start decalling tomorrow. The dark grey looks blue, trust me it is Gunship Grey.


Don

[Ian Cooper]

Looking good Don. Nice work.

Ian

[dmthamade]

Ian Cooper, on Feb 8 2010, 04:08 PM, said:

Looking good Don. Nice work.

Ian

Thanks Ian!! Started in on the decals tonight. Not a lot of stencils on this build , which i like. The AirDoc decals are very nice, but due to me not having a smooth enough glosscoat, some of them silvered. These decals have to have a glass smooth surface to apply right. I`ll have to cut and reapply decal solution to get rid of the silvering. I think next time i will use Future as a setting solution. Still have to decal the weapons, i`ll use the kit decals for them. One pic for the night, showing the tail markings.



Don

[AndrewS]

Looking very nice, Don.

Sorry I'm late to check in with your build. You've certainly got the blu-tac masking method down pat; the finish looks perfect. Hope the rest of the decalling is free of silvering.

Cheers,

Andrew.

[Ian Cooper]

Yes, looking good, Don.

I used AirDoc decals - 48 scale on mine - and they were pretty good. I managed to get a pretty smooth gloss coat thankfully so they went on OK with regular setting solution.

And I love those crocodile clips. I really must get some of those to make the painting of "the fiddly bits" much easier. Thanks for the tip you've given without knowing you've given it!

Don't drop the pace now Don, get it finished!!

Cheers

Ian

[dmthamade]

Thanks for the positives, guys!! The Crocodile ( aka roach clips ) i bought a loooong time ago from the now defunct Radio Shack. I bought a big bulk bag of them, cheaper that way. The boards are just scrap wood with finish nails driven in. I clear coated the boards with polyurethane to make them easier to clean. I`ve had these for a loooong time, will have to do a few more. The long narrow two row ones seem to be more useful.

I finished the wash and final clear coats. I used Promodeller dark dirt wash for the light grey and made up my own very dark almost black wash for the dark grey. The dark dirt wash disappeared on the Gunship Grey, so i went with a darker wash, turned out OK. The final clear coat is a departure for me. Pictures i found in old Air Combat magazines and on the `net show these birds had a clean satin finish, definitley not flat. I should be able to begin final assembly today, might have it done by the time the long weekend is over.





Don

[POMPEO]

nice build, the paint job, and the wash looks great

cheers

[dmthamade]

POMPEO, on Feb 15 2010, 12:56 PM, said:

nice build, the paint job, and the wash looks great

cheers

Thanks, POMPEO!!! I managed to finish the build today. Despite the fact it has a squashed face, it looks like an A-7D to me. The build itself was relativley painless, at least it stayed glued together. I have to say, after building a few Trumpeter kits i`m pretty pleased with the way they go together. Anyway, back to the build. Paint used was Model Master Acryl for the main colors with Tamiya and Pollyscale used for minor areas, all applied with a Azet airbrush. I left the Sidewinders off as i need find striping to finish them. The canopy seals i used Aizu masking tape, .7 mm thick on the INSIDE of the canopy. I think painting the seal on the outside looks "wrong" as the seal is under between the canopy and frame on the real thing. I then painted it black to dirty it up a bit and to blend in on the inside. Anyway, on to some pics.

[dmthamade]

Few more







Don

[AndrewS]

Very nice result, Don.

That's a lovely looking A-7, especially in this scheme. Any chance of pics of the Corsair and Crusader together? Either way, very well done to get two kits finished (especially with the setback of the non-gluing kit).

Cheers,

Andrew.

[POMPEO]

Awesome job, congratulations, i really love the paint job

cheers

[dmthamade]

Thanks, guys!! build was a lot of fun. Will do on the pic with both. I`ll try to post before weekend.

Don

[dmthamade]

Few pics with the SLUFF and `Sader together.




Don