1:48 Monogram A-4F Skyhawk

Here's one of my older builds, the Monogram 1/48 A-4E Skyhawk, that I convertted to an -F. I think the Monogram Skyhawk is is second only to the Hasegawa A-4's, and is probably the best A-4 for the money. The biggest drawbacks are a very basic cockpit with the seat molded as part of the cockpit tub, and a too-wide forward fuselage, which makes the canopy and windscreen too flat and squashed-looking. My model was Monogram's 'high-tech' boxing of the Skyhawk, which came with a small fret of photo-etched parts to help dress things up some.

I replaced the windscreen with a vacu-formed replacement, and cut away the integrally molded seat and added a True Details ESCAPAC replacement seat. The kit's photo-etched parts provided canopy locks, catapult bridle hooks, pitot probe, and an AOA indicator (which I have since lost). The AGM-12B Bullpup guided missiles came from the HobbyBoss FJ-4B Fury kit, which replaced some less-accurate examples I had scrounged from an old Monogram F-100 kit. I added an in-flight refuleing probe light to the right intake, and tried to make it more resemble -F configuration by adding a UHF antenna to the upper spine and nosewheel steering mechanisim from a Hasegawa A-4 kit. The -F version also had wing spoilers and armor plate around the cockpit, but I didn't try to recreate those.

The markings came from a long out-of-production sheet from Third Group Decals, which depict an A-4F from VA-144 'Roadrunners', deployed aboard USS Bonne Homme Richard in 1969.

4 additional images. Click to enlarge.