DONE +++ 1:72 A-4LT "Skyhawk", Royal Thai Navy, 1990

[DogfighterZen]

Really, really nice. The Skyhawk lends itself to so many great schemes

It certainly does. Must admit I'm sorely tempted to pick an Airfix one up.

Nice one Dizzy 

Same here, Chris. I don't have a single A-4 kit in the stash...
Great work as always, Thomas! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, too! 

The new Airfix Skyhawk is a really nice kit, it has an amazing fit: on my build, for instance, I did not need any filler on the wings/fuselage seams! However, it has its quirky, though. For instance, the attachment points to the sprues are surprisingly thick for such a modern mold, and the OOB pilot would - despite a bulge in his butt - not fit into the cockpit (what somehow underlines the cockpit's tightness). It would be great if Airfix would also offer an A-4C/L on this kit's basis.

I've also the plan to build a kind of Super Skyhawk some day soon, on the basis of an Italeri/Tamiya A-4M: a completely revamped version with different wings and engine(s?) as well as a lengthened fuselage. Not certain about its origion or operator - Israel and Singapore are hot candidates, though. It will actually be a re-build of a similar thing that I did maybe 30 years ago, but this build did not survive and also had some other logical flaws (e .g. a narrow Starfighter landing gear that retracted into the lower fuselage). 

[Old Wombat]

Great job on the Scooter, Dizzy!

[Weaver]

It looks great Dizzy - nice one. 

It would be great if Airfix would also offer an A-4C/L on this kit's basis.

Freightdog offer parts to build an A-4C/P, mainly intended to be Argentine, of course.

[DogfighterZen]

Thanks for the heads up on the Airfix kit, sounds like it's the kit to go for. The Super Skyhawk sounds good, i bet it will be another one of those that should have been. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Well, it is intended as a re-do of a kitbash from the past that disappeared while moving house years ago - but I found evidence/hints in serious literature that a VERY similar Skyhawk proposal from Douglas (with canards, a longer fuselage and wingttip raisl for Sidewinders) was actually on the drawing boards as A-4X - and even intended to be sold to Israel! 



Mine will certainly differ from that, but it's amazing how close whiffing and reality can be? Maybe Douglas got hands on the lost model...?

[Dizzyfugu]

And, back to my A-4LT, here's a late benchmark for the paint scheme: a Thai F-5T.

[DogfighterZen]

Well, it is intended as a re-do of a kitbash from the past that disappeared while moving house years ago - but I found evidence/hints in serious literature that a VERY similar Skyhawk proposal from Douglas (with canards, a longer fuselage and wingttip raisl for Sidewinders) was actually on the drawing boards as A-4X - and even intended to be sold to Israel! 



Mine will certainly differ from that, but it's amazing how close whiffing and reality can be? Maybe Douglas got hands on the lost model...?

That looks great! I'm just not completely convinced by those forward swept wingtips but still, i like the concept. Thanks for sharing!
Like someone once said and later Bad Religion used as a chorus line for one of their songs:"Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction." 

[comrade harps]

Very cool.  Gorgeous camouflage. 

My thoughts too!

[TheChronicOne]

This is just downright beautiful. 

[chrisonord]

Yet again  Dizzy  makes me  want to take up knitting instead of building models. 
Absolutely  marvellous  build  Dizzy. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much!