Heinz
Captain
Great work mate!
Scale 1/48th, A-4G Skyhawk, RAN V805 Sqn
- Thread starter parsifal
- Start date
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vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Nicely done parsifal!
- Thread starter
- #83
parsifal
Colonel
Thanks guys, I am happy about the job Ive done, but want to greatly improve the standard of finish. When the body was stripped bare, I thought I had pretty much eliminated all the imperfections. But i think I made some kind of mistake in the way I applied the paint, as it appears to have a lot of unwanted texture to the finish. I think this could be one of two things. I applied too many coats of paint, and/or the paint was applied too thickly.
My line work is also a bit sloppy. I think with a bit time I can improve this.
The poor finishes are not quite as bad as I desdcribe. I have to be within two feet to notice any of these imperfections. I feel this is more about expanding and perfecting my technique.
I am going to try and address this by using sprays rather than brushes next time
My line work is also a bit sloppy. I think with a bit time I can improve this.
The poor finishes are not quite as bad as I desdcribe. I have to be within two feet to notice any of these imperfections. I feel this is more about expanding and perfecting my technique.
I am going to try and address this by using sprays rather than brushes next time
Done a good job there Parsifal, well done mate!
Wildcat
Major
looks great mate!
lesofprimus
Brigadier General
She came out great for a first time kit man, well done.....
- Thread starter
- #87
parsifal
Colonel
Thanks everyone. Its not quite finished yet. About 1 to 2 days ar needed to complete the finishing touches. I willl post the shots of the completed kit soon.....
109ROAMING
2nd Lieutenant
Shes a Beaut mate 8)
- Thread starter
- #89
parsifal
Colonel
- Thread starter
- #90
parsifal
Colonel
- Thread starter
- #91
parsifal
Colonel
- Thread starter
- #92
parsifal
Colonel
Iwanted to do this model, and this particular aircraft for a number of reasons. It was part of the most significant RAN deployment into the Indian Ocean since WWII. Most significant both in terms of numbers of ships and the length of the deployment......five RAN ships were present....Melbourne, Perth, Derwent, Supply, Stalwart and Otama. At various times the Task Group was supported by RNZN and US ships. The deployment lasted from beginning of September through to the end of December of 1980.
It was recorded in history as a "show the flag" operation....until recently. The Australian government has finally approved the issue of a service medal for the ships complements of this deployment, belatedly recognizing the difficulties that were faced at that time. The TG was sent into the theatre as a reassurance to the Pakistanis, mostly, who at that time were being subjected to a lot of pressure by the Soviets, as their offe4nsive and occupation went fom bad to worse, and the CIA continued to pour weapons into Afghanistan, to support the mujhadeen fighting in that region . Our job was to provide at least moral support to the Pakistanis, and if the Soviets did start shooting, to ensure the security of the sea approaches to the region.
We knew that things were serious when the training ammunition was replaced with live stuff.
From a very early point the Soviets made it very clear that they intended to challenge us. We were constantly under close screen by at least two ships, usually built around a missile armed cruiser, several destroyers , an amphibious command ship, and at least three subs. From almost the beginning we were being shadowed by a Kotlin class and a Petya class DDG/frigate. Ther were also numbers of Bear LR maritime recon aircraft , which kept our A-4s busy in the AD role. This threat made the pilots miserable on numerous occasions. The pilots were forced to spend many hours strapped and ready in the cockpits, configured as I have, ready at a moment to launch and effect an interception, before the bogey can close to effective missile range. This was the first time I think that the need for AWACs was accepted.
But this aircraft was important also because its loss was a direct contributing factor in the early decommissioning of Melbourne. Melbournes catapult was failing by 1980, and was scheduled to undergo a major refit at the end of 1981. However the loss of two A-4s on the same deployment, prompted a grounding order to be issued in early 1981, and this in turn led to her early demise.....she could not operate as a carrier until the catapult was fixed , but this required a big amount of cash to fix the problem.
It was about this time that Melbourne acquired the nickname "Little M" as juxtaposition to the "Big E" The Enterprise was the biggest carrier iin the world, ehilst Melbourne was the smallest. The two ships often deployed togt
It was recorded in history as a "show the flag" operation....until recently. The Australian government has finally approved the issue of a service medal for the ships complements of this deployment, belatedly recognizing the difficulties that were faced at that time. The TG was sent into the theatre as a reassurance to the Pakistanis, mostly, who at that time were being subjected to a lot of pressure by the Soviets, as their offe4nsive and occupation went fom bad to worse, and the CIA continued to pour weapons into Afghanistan, to support the mujhadeen fighting in that region . Our job was to provide at least moral support to the Pakistanis, and if the Soviets did start shooting, to ensure the security of the sea approaches to the region.
We knew that things were serious when the training ammunition was replaced with live stuff.
From a very early point the Soviets made it very clear that they intended to challenge us. We were constantly under close screen by at least two ships, usually built around a missile armed cruiser, several destroyers , an amphibious command ship, and at least three subs. From almost the beginning we were being shadowed by a Kotlin class and a Petya class DDG/frigate. Ther were also numbers of Bear LR maritime recon aircraft , which kept our A-4s busy in the AD role. This threat made the pilots miserable on numerous occasions. The pilots were forced to spend many hours strapped and ready in the cockpits, configured as I have, ready at a moment to launch and effect an interception, before the bogey can close to effective missile range. This was the first time I think that the need for AWACs was accepted.
But this aircraft was important also because its loss was a direct contributing factor in the early decommissioning of Melbourne. Melbournes catapult was failing by 1980, and was scheduled to undergo a major refit at the end of 1981. However the loss of two A-4s on the same deployment, prompted a grounding order to be issued in early 1981, and this in turn led to her early demise.....she could not operate as a carrier until the catapult was fixed , but this required a big amount of cash to fix the problem.
It was about this time that Melbourne acquired the nickname "Little M" as juxtaposition to the "Big E" The Enterprise was the biggest carrier iin the world, ehilst Melbourne was the smallest. The two ships often deployed togt
Vic Balshaw
Major General
That's a nice Skyhawk you have made there Parsifal, full credit to you.
Wildcat
Major
Interesting stuff Parsifal, it was shame that the Melbourne wasn't replaced.
109ROAMING
2nd Lieutenant
That last shot just put this on the' to build list'
Shes a cracker mate 8) interesting/shame about the Melbourne
Shes a cracker mate 8) interesting/shame about the Melbourne
- Thread starter
- #96
parsifal
Colonel
Thanks guys. I hope you like it. I enjoyed the build, and am proud of it, despite some obvious areas where I can improve.
My next project is a Grumman tracker (overall aim is to achieve a collection of all RAN Fleet Air Arm Types, all the way back to '47).
Ive already hit some problems. I could only get the Tracker in 1/72 scale (the A-4 was in 1/48 scale....I will need to think about re-doing the A-4 I guess.....), and am stumped as to the decals I will need. I may have to make them myself, which is difficult. The Kit i have (1/72 Hasegawa) is an S2F-1 in US livery from 1965 I think. Great representation, but not in line with what I want to achieve.
Does anyone have or know where i can find details of colour schemes and other body art (eg like the little warning signs and other graffiti put on the aircraft). Unlike the A-4,I dont yet have a specific aircraf in mind, just the squadron....816
My next project is a Grumman tracker (overall aim is to achieve a collection of all RAN Fleet Air Arm Types, all the way back to '47).
Ive already hit some problems. I could only get the Tracker in 1/72 scale (the A-4 was in 1/48 scale....I will need to think about re-doing the A-4 I guess.....), and am stumped as to the decals I will need. I may have to make them myself, which is difficult. The Kit i have (1/72 Hasegawa) is an S2F-1 in US livery from 1965 I think. Great representation, but not in line with what I want to achieve.
Does anyone have or know where i can find details of colour schemes and other body art (eg like the little warning signs and other graffiti put on the aircraft). Unlike the A-4,I dont yet have a specific aircraf in mind, just the squadron....816
lesofprimus
Brigadier General
Start a thread on researchin the particular aircraft and keep all the info in one thread....
- Thread starter
- #98
parsifal
Colonel
Yes, of course. I will do that tomorrow
looks great parsifal and good luck on your next project
SpazSinbad
Recruit
- 3
- Jan 20, 2009
Parsifal,
Have quickly read but not looked at images of your build of 885. Over last several years I've been collating information about the RAN FAA aircraft especially the A4G into a giant PDF of 4.4GB available at: ww(w).a4ghistory.com (URL mangled - don't have time to figure out how to do it properly - sorry)
Please note the download cautions - use a download manager if possible. Do not allow Adobe Reader to automatically download the large PDFs because this process will fail. Another useful method is to 'right click' and "Save target as" etc.
There are smaller versions and a Tracker specific PDF version if you scroll down the page. I'm in contact with Dave Baddams - although we have not met. I'm the chap who bingled the back end of MELBOURNE in 885 one 'dark stormy night' in 1971. Dave finished what I started.
Regards from Phil Thompson.
Have quickly read but not looked at images of your build of 885. Over last several years I've been collating information about the RAN FAA aircraft especially the A4G into a giant PDF of 4.4GB available at: ww(w).a4ghistory.com (URL mangled - don't have time to figure out how to do it properly - sorry)
Please note the download cautions - use a download manager if possible. Do not allow Adobe Reader to automatically download the large PDFs because this process will fail. Another useful method is to 'right click' and "Save target as" etc.
There are smaller versions and a Tracker specific PDF version if you scroll down the page. I'm in contact with Dave Baddams - although we have not met. I'm the chap who bingled the back end of MELBOURNE in 885 one 'dark stormy night' in 1971. Dave finished what I started.
Regards from Phil Thompson.
