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Thread started by Jarhead Air on scalemates.com

Casey Beckett
Great new kit, a few wee issues - scales out darn near perfectly.

Seen several reviews complaining about fin cap shape - it is darn near spot-on. I worked on A-6s for over ten years, know this airframe intimately.

Couple small things I've caught as I contemplate my build -

- Big complaint from many, but not quite correct - some A-6A WERE IN fact retrofitted with MB GRU-7 seats, so this should not be a huge issue - anyone doesn't believe you, get this book - Intruder: The Operational History of Grumman's A-6 by Mark Morgan
- the 'slime lights' on the wing tips and fuselage above and forward of the speed brakes are wrong for an A-6A. A-6A did have a small formation light on the fuselage.
- Pitot tube is far too thick and too long
- 'v' shaped tabs on rear of radome are far too thick, in real life this very thin steel straps
- A-6A had one anti collision beacon on the nose door, not one one each intake belly as the kit has. So; one, not three as the kit has.
- Cockpit got the B/N lower and to the rear of the pilot pretty well.
-Instrument panel as molded would be a great depiction of a KA-6D tanker for starters, as the B/N had very little in front of him.
-Engine face is way too far forward - real aircraft the fan face was almost below the main wing root leading edge.
- Canopy is crystal clear and I think nailed the slight 'bulge' of each side of the canopy.
- several small vents are wrong for the -A, but correct for an -E or Tram model.

I won't complain about ordnance, they do all look pretty sketchy! (Fuel tanks look ok)

Overall, I am very happy to have a new mold, and will be getting the Tram version too
01640
Grumman
A-6A Intruder
Trumpeter 1:72
01640 2023 New tool
5 17 March, 02:28
Rando
Casey what do you think about the problem with the nose gear doors? I'd really like a 1/72 A-6A but have held back because of that.
10 June, 16:20
Casey Beckett
Hello Rando! I wasn't aware of any issue with the nose gear doors- mind you mine are still in the box as I haven't started any of them yet - what is the complaint? I have seen anything in the reviews I've read - At a cursory glance they appear to be okay.
12 June, 00:16
Rando
Apparently it's something with missing parts on the nose gear door. There's another set of comments on this page discussing in detail. I don't know the A-6 super well yet but this review explains it here

"Each main landing gear strut has seven parts plus a one-part wheel. But strangely, the forward main gear doors are missing. They should be opened when the gear is down, and there isn't any indication of the closed doors molded into the fuselage halves." finescale.com/produc..er-plastic-model-kit
12 June, 01:22
Casey Beckett
Hey Rando- Do you mean the forward main gear doors ? Yeah, they oddly left those out-You can cut them ou/t and make new ones, or leave it and just scribe the lines - my only guess as to why they omitted them is because many display /museum A-6 are out there with those forward main doors closed. Still a better kit than what's out there - Hasegawas are now only useful for spares - (get the doors from an old kt cheap on ebay? ) The Fujimis are fine kits if you haven't built one of them - Italeris are pretty good too. -
If you get a Hasegawa, make sure its a boxing after 1987 - some improved parts in those.
13 June, 23:29
Rando
Thanks Casey great advice, I'm not one to shy away from cutting and grafting parts so I'll definitely consider it. I was considering getting a Fujimi at one point. Maybe I'll give the trumpeter a chance tho. I love all Navy from the 60s-70s era and I'm slowly learning all the details about them. I'm "getting" into the F-4 right now and the A-4 somewhat. The A-6 is a really remarkable and kind of underappreciated I find, definitely want to give it and its EW versions a few builds. The Hobby Boss 1/48 is high on my wish list, I hear it's the best in that scale
14 June, 00:02
Casey Beckett
F-4s are my second love... SOOOOOO Many great Navy and Marine corps schemes, sure better than the SEA camo or boring greygreygrey USAF birds. Ya got F-4Bs, Ns, Ss, RF 4Bs,

I have a Kinetic 1/48 A-6e, that;s way down the pike though - I'll check out the Hobby Boss mold !
14 June, 01:34
Rando
Totally agree. I'm building an SEA plane or two in my future but they're all so similar. I've been eyeballing Navy F-4 schemes, especially like the VF-161 Chargers with the black back and red lightning bolt on the tail. Lately I've been all about my Crusaders, with Sword and CAT4 opening up so many options it's hard to want to do anything else.
14 June, 01:48

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