Old Revell Skyraider kit-first aircraft in 30 years-need ideas to build

Hi Guys and Gals,

I am an auto modeler that has decided to try an aircraft kit.It is a kit that I have had forever.

Revell SkyraiderA1-H.This kit has everything,folding wings,sliding canopy,retractable landing gear that rotates 90 degrees as it folds,movable control surfaces operating hook and dive brakes,etc…

33 steps and 20 of them have to do with the inside operating features.Cockpit is sparse,nothing on the sides.

I am hoping that the great modelers here will give me some much needed advise on the best way to proceed.How far do I go in building before painting fuselage and wings,etc…

Thanks in advance,

George

Proceed to Step One. [:D]

Generally speaking, you’ll probably want to start with the cockpit, since it’ll be buried in the fuselage. Once complete and painted/detailed, glue it up to an inner sidewall (or whatever) and build the airframe. Radial engines can oftentimes be installed after the airframe is completed. However, this is not always the case, so just be mindful of when/how it should be installed. No need to put the small details (pitot tubes, antennae, etc.) on just yet, as they can easily get knocked off during the painting process. Now, some builders like to stick on the canopy after the airframe is painted. I like to add it beforehand, as I can more easily minimize any unsightly gaps between canopy frame and fuselage before I paint. And on that note, now is the time for puttying any small gaps. You can use Squadron putty, but I like Elmer’s Caarpenter’s Wood Filler, as it cleans up with water (while not dry), sandable, drillable, and won’t attack your lungs and sinuses. Just spatula in, smooth with a finger, wipe off excess with a damp cloth. Once the putty’s dry, sanded smooth, and primed (this is the best way to make sure your seams are, er, seamless!), mask your canopy and hit the paint booth. Once dry, give it a nice glossy clearcoat. You’re now prepping it for decals. You can use Testors, Tamiya, Krylon Clear Acrylic, Future floor acrylic, etc. Once dry, slap on the decals. After dry overnight, I like to hit it with another coat of gloss. This seals the decals. Now I can use a detail wash to accentuate the panels and surface details. I like tempera paint, thinned with water, but there are several useful recipes floating around on this forum. But tempera (or any water-based color) is the most forgiving. For tempera, just brush on, let dry, wipe off excess with a damp cloth. When all is dry, spray on a matte coat to tone down the glossy surface (unless you want it glossy, then use gloss). Now stick on the fiddly items, like antennae, landing gear, etc., and the cake is baked. Take a bow.

These are very general guidelines, just post any specific questions you have, you’ll likely get a hundred replies, there are many helpful people on the forum with lots of great ideas and hints.

Look at it this way. I build wingthings but I go to every car show I can find. If someone gave me a 1/12 scale '69 Camaro SS convertible kit to build, I’d do the following. Go on the FSM forum and just read the threads. That’ll ruin your sex life for a while. Prime it, preshade it, it’ll mostly be about paint. Do not get into aftermarket detail, aka AM or PE. At least not at first. Not a point of pride, but any modification work you take on adds TIME. Just like that '72 Charger in 1:1 scale you are about to finish.

Become the expert on Skyraiders in your burg. That is actually about 75% of what I like abt modeling. I’d go to a website(s) and meet some Chevy guys and get the drift.

It’s no different with a/c esp. from the last 30 years. Just yesterday I found out that a client I’ve known for years flew A7’s off of the Shangri La in 1972. Whether or not that means a thread in modeling I can’t say, but I do like research.

That Skyraider is a great airplane. Did you know that it could be fitted for six or more seats in the aft?

The internet on this subject will offer you more than you can ever imagine.

FSM is my favorite forum. Look at Modelling Madness for kit reviews; there’s a bunch. Look at Swannymodels for tips. Buy from Squadron, Megamodels, Tower and others.

Google seems to be pretty model friendly.

Find one near you and take a bunch of photos. You’ll be a hero back at FSM esp. if you get the good stuff like the cockpit, gear wells, or the wing weapon mounting points in detail.

I haven’t seen this particular kit in a long time. Never built it myself but I saw one attempted by a young nephew many years ago.

The working parts will be something of a challenge. If you want everything to work as described, I would suggest careful dry-fitting of every sub-assembly before even looking at glueing any parts.

Personally, I would probably approach this one as something of a novelty rather than as a detailed replica (and it’s an oddball scale - somewhere in the region of 1/40th, so it’s not really going to fit in with any of the mainstream scales). Just have some fun with it and treat it as a learning exercise.