1/48 Tamiya A-1H Skyraider

Gallery Article by Burt Gustafson on May 17 2010

 

For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of my 1/48 scale Tamiya A-1H Skyraider. The Skyraider was a Korean and Vietnam War era Air-to-Ground Attack and Close Air Support (CAS) aircraft. It was an extemely versatile single engine propeller driven aircraft, and performed in many roles over 35 years of service. 

About the Kit: This is a great kit even though it is an old kit. The parts feature plenty of detail and nicely engraved panel lines. Cockpit detail is excellent which includes a seated pilot. Clear parts include canopy and navigation lights. Under wing things include rockets, bombs, drop tanks, and a centerline fuel tank.

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Construction: This kit goes together easily because the parts fit is excellent, requiring very little filling or sanding. It was a straight out of the box build all the way, and a pleasure to build. 

Painting: I airbrushed the model for a factory fresh paint job, using Model Masters and Floquil enamel paints. U.S. Navy Skyraiders sent to Vietnam were painted with a light gray over white paint scheme. White areas were airbrushed with Floquil Reefer White, and the glare panel was airbrushed with Floquil Weathered Black. The upper fuselage, wings, and tail sections were airbrushed with Model Masters Flat Gull Gray (FS36440). Bombs were airbrushed Olive Drab and the bomb stripes were hand painted with Insignia Yellow. 

Once the paint was dry (72 hours) I airbrushed the model with a coat of Future in preparation for decaling. I let the Future dry overnight, then applied a pin wash to enhance the panel lines. I let the pin wash dry overnight, then hand painted a coat of Future over the model and let it dry for 72 hours.

Decals: For the model decals I used the kit decals. Tamiya provided decals for two aircraft. I chose to go with decals for the VA-176 Thunderbolts, AK409, 1966. The decals were excellent, printed well, easily placed, and snugged down nicely to the model. After applying the decals, I ran a damp cloth over the model to remove any residue glue, then airbrushed the model with a light coat of Future. I finished off the model with a coat of MM Semi-Gloss Clear Lacquer Finish. 

Conclusion: Even though the kit is an old kit, it was of excellent quality, well engineered, typical of Tamiya model kits, and just plain fun to build.

Burt Gustafson

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Photos and text © by Burt Gustafson