November 2019
Douglas A-
Douglas A-
© www.gengriz.co.uk
Douglas A-
VA-
Yankee Station, Vietnam 1973
Hasegawa 1/72
The Douglas Skyhawk was a remarkable aircraft, bucking the Cold War trend toward
ever larger and more complex designs. Lightweight, small and simple, it was nevertheless
able to carry the same weapons load as a WW2 B-
Although its range was a great deal less than a B-
Skyhawks, or “Scooters” as they were affectionately known, took the brunt of the US Navy and US Marines’ initial efforts in Vietnam, with over 326 lost to combat.
I have always thought of the Skyhawk as an exception, a simple but effective aircraft in an era of ever growing size and complexity. Although I have already built models of Argentine, Australian and New Zealand aircraft, the Skyhawk’s real moment of glory came during the Vietnam war. My preference has always been for the later model, with its extended nose and avionics hump.
Hasegawa’s kit hails from the late 1960s, and whilst it is well engineered with precise fit, some of it seems to be overscale and it is really a very simple kit. Simple and effective!
The kit was built out of the box with one exception -
Model Pictures © by gengriz.co.uk
The initial A-
More USN and Vietnam aircraft on my Friends & Allies pages
VA-
Dixie Station, Vietnam 1966
Airfix 1/72
The earlier Skyhawk had a much shorter nose, less engine power and fewer underwing weapon pylons.
This is the current (2019) issue of Airfix’ superb little A-
The kit assembles very easily, with a well judged balance of detailed features for this scale. Decals are superb and have been applied over brushed Humbrol enamels (129 & 130), a sealing coat of Klear, then a final top coat of Windsor and Newton matt acrylic varnish.
As with the A-
The real thing -
The real thing -
My collection of “Scooters” -