I just picked up the new A-4M at my LHS. It is long awaited, and the kit is impressive. The wings, landing gear, and various other parts are shared with the other models (A-4C/E/F), but then there are the parts that are A-4M specific, such as the canopy, windscreen, the electronics hump (two halves), etc. The panal lines are finely engraved and look great.
The kit includes a “Bonus” of DragonUSA photo etched parts for the instrument panel, brake lines, and a few other details. The bonus photo etched parts may be limited to the first production run kits. This is my take on the ads in FSM for the kit.
The decals look great and include markings for VMA -331 (BAMBLE BEES) circa 1976, and VMA-214 (BLACKSHEEP) circa 1977. Both aircraft had gloss gull gray (FS16440) upper surfaces and gloss insignia white (FS17875) undersides. the control surfaces were also white on top. The decal sheet includes red decals for the inside of the flaps and the leading edge slats. The red is even toned down so as not to look like “fresh” paint. A nice touch. Decals are also provided for the wing walks and anti-glare panel.
The kit has five hard point pylons, but no weopons, only three drop tanks. The intakes are the correct larger intakes for the up-rated engine of the “Mike” variant, and the various bumps, blisters, and anteneas are included. The clear parts include the navagation lights and landing lights.
I’m debating on whether to add aftermarket details, or just build the first one OOB?
Now to find out if it fits together as good as it looks! I’ll keep you posted if anyone is interested. Is the TA-4 F/J next from Hasagawa? How about an
OA-4M? Anyone have any “intel” on this?
Skyhawks forever! (About 70 A-4Ms went to Brazil a couple of years ago and will be flying for at least another 10 years) The Brazilian paint scheme is interesting, not flashy, but the colors are “different”. rangerj
I bought the kit a couple of weeks ago when it showed up at the LHS. It is very impressive in the box, although I haven’t started to build it. Based on reviews of the earlier releases, it should be a fairly easy build. Hoping to see some pics of yours. No ordinance is a bummer, as the weapon sets are extra $ for what should be included in the kit.
I’ve been looking for one of these for a while now. I want to build both an A-4 and an F-4 in USMC markings, or one of the more colorful paint schemes/unit markings. Please keep us updated on your progress, and make sure to include lots of photos!
A68transammustang
I have seen the kit at Great Models for $26.35 US and an amount close to that at other sites, Sqaudron for e.g. The full MSRP is $32.95 US.
Lemon jello,
I’ll post pics as soon as I figure out how to get them on the site, after I figure out how to get them out of the camera and into my computer. I’m getting there, slowly but surely. I’m an anaolg person in a digital world. LOL. rangerj
Does anyone make the Super fox A4F?
I visited Oceana in '93 and got to walk down the F14 flightline with my camera - happy day- and walked past the VFC12? flightline.
The killer was that I didnt realise the A6 flightline was just around the corner.
You can imagine the swearing as our Herc lifted off and I saw 50+ intruders in the ramp below me.
I would have gladly foregone the F14 for the A6’s any day!
oggy, cutting edge makes aftermarket components for the super fox. I built the Hasegawa A-4F last year and used the cutting edge bulged intakes and the ECM antenna on the vertical stablizer. If you like, I will be happy to post photos. Can’t do it right now (at the office) but I can give it a shot this evening from the house.
I have the ProModeler A-4F in Blue Angels livery. (I bought it on a whim because Suadron had it on sale for a ridiculously cheap price). I read (on this site, I think) that this is the Hasegawa mold. Is this true? I don’t want a Blue Angels bird, and I wonder if there are AM components that could send this Scooter off to war. Can anyone help me here with info?
The Cutting Edge “Super Fox” intakes are great. Aires also makes a set of enlarged intakes for the Super Fox. For those who are interested, the Blue Angles A-4F (phonetic “F” = Fox Trot) aircraft had the up-rated engines and also need the enlarged intakes to be accurate.
Most, if not all, of the “Top Gun” A-4Fs are also “up-rated” or Super Fox aircraft. The Aires wheel well, air brakes, and cockpit kits for the A-4 are excellent and a nice addition to the model. I just got a digital camera and I will post pictures of the building process, including the aftermarket improvements.
Skyhawk trivia: The earliest Skyhawks had an empty weight of about 8,000 pounds. If it were a civilian aircraft the FAA would catagorize it as a light aircraft (I know it is a jet)! The old Lindberg kit, which is still available, is a model of the early proto-type Skyhawk.
The “last” Skyhawk is an “M” (Mike) and was painted in gloss gull gray and gloss white with a dark blue stripe from the top of the verticle stabilizer accross the top of the aircraft up to the nose. Then a dark blue stripe was also carried from the intake to the tail and had the flags of the various nations that were flying Skyhawks at the time. If I remember right the aircraft also carried the Blue Angle’s “crest”. Does anyone know if decals are available for this aircraft? It seems to me I saw such decals a long time ago, but did not buy them because no model of the “Mike” exsisted then.
Thanks all for the kind words of encouragement, and the sharing of ideas and information. rangerj
Can anyone tell me which Skyhawk would be the last to see action without the “hump”? I like the lines of the older Scooters. At Combat Jets, the last acquistion we had was an A-4C, restored in the tasteful (read: Boring) green markings (can’t recall the squadron) of the bird flown by Lt. T.K. (?) Schwartz, who was credited with a Mig kill with a Zuni rocket in 1967, though this kill has been hotly disputed. I’d like to model a C, but haven’t seen a kit of one.
(After I no longer did any work for the organization, CJFM won Best Jet Warbird honors at Oshkosk for its restoratoin. Unfortunately, the only other civilian A-4 flying at that time crashed, tragically killing its pilot. That A-4 appeared in a number of movies and commercials, including Top Gun and, I believe, Dragnet, along with the famous civilian T-38. It too, at that time, was the only civilian T-38 flying. Now, there are several.
Tom, yes indeed the pro modeler a-4 is the same as the Hasegawa kit. I too bought the promodeler during squadron’s sale and compared to several of the Hasegawa kits in my stash - they are the same and will readily accept the up-grades.
The avionics “hump” was a retro-fit to the E/Fs, but I think I remember seeing a C with a hump.
Anyway, as for the kit numbers of A-4s;
Revel/Monogram Pro-Modeler (repackaged Hasagawa) A-4E/F #85-5976
The following are all Hasagawa:
A-4E/F Golden Dragons Commanders aircraft VA-192, and Fighting Redcocks VA-22 Commanders aircraft #07221
A-4 E/F USMC #09486
A-4 E/F VC-5 #09535
A-4 E/H (IDF) (Isrial ) # 09522
A-4 N (IDF) #09575
A-4 B/C Falkland Islands (Argentine) #09554
A-4 C VA 76 Spirits #09513
A-4 C VA-15 Valions, and VA -153 Blue Tail Flys #07222
A-4 L VC 2 Blue Falcons and VC-13 Saints #09496
A-4 SU Super Skyhawk Black Knight #09456
A-4 M #07233 described above.
The prices vary from about $22 US to $35 US depending on what is “extra” in the kit.
I think there is one other A-4 B that was recently released but I can’t locate it in my reference sources. Hope this helps. rangerj