1/48 Hasegawa A4-N IDF Skyhawk

by Ho Tuck Leh

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This is an OOB build that went up onto my display shelves on the FIRST day of 2007.  It is also my FIRST submission to ARC and my FIRST attempt on the 3-colors IDF camouflage.

This kit was painted using water-based Gunze Sangyo paints.  Light coat of Tamiya surface primer was first applied to check for flaws and improve paints adhesion.  Pre-shading with engine grey was also done on the panel lines. Subsequently, the 3 colors camouflage were applied using soft-masking method, but Mr.Masking Sol was used for canopy masking.  Starting with the yellow (313), then (312) green & finally (310) brown.  And of course (314) blue for the belly.

For each of these colors, the base coat was first applied, followed by a lighten coat within the panel lines perimeters & post-shading the panel lines with a darken coat.  Then, blend them with a diluted base coat. Tedious, but worth the effort.

The panel lines wash was done with very diluted Tamiya enamel black. The kit was gloss-cleared before applying the decals which went well with Mr. Mark Softer.  The finishing touch was a nice coat of matt clear.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

  

Some comments on the kit & built.

A. It would have been great if the extended tail pipe was included in the kit which was a unique feature of IDF Skyhawk.

B. There is a molding line on the canopy which required sanding & polishing to remove it.

C. The armament included in this kit is limited to a pair of drop tanks (I left them out) and 30mm cannons (metal parts)  

Blessed 2007 & Happy Modeling

Tuck

Photos and text © by Ho Tuck Leh