1/48 scale Monogram A-1H Skyraider
Hello all! In the hopes of instigating another flash mob group build, I present to you my Monogram A-1H Skyraider that I had finished a couple years ago. I built it for a buddy of mine to represent his uncle's Spad flown over Vietnam. His uncle was actually mentioned by name on page 16 of Osprey's A-1 Skyraider Units of the Vietnam War. LT(jg) Scott Wilkes was assigned to VA-215 Barn Owls. There was this one particular mission where his airplane took a lot of enemy fire but he managed to nurse it out of the AO and bail out over Laos. He was soon after picked up by friendly forces and was able to return to his unit. I managed to research, find and recreate unit specific markings so that I could print out custom decals to represent his particular aircraft.
The airframe itself was built out of the box, the ordinance came from a Hasegawa weapons set and I used a True Details weapons pylon set. Paint was Model Master gloss enamels (to avoid the need for a gloss clear coat), weathering was done with pastels and it was all sealed up with Model Master Clear Flat Acryl. The base was a plaque that I stained along the edges, then covered with balsa wood that I painted and scuffed up to represent the deck of the USS HANCOCK circa 1966.
Enjoy!
Very well executed Ramon!
Thank you Milan!
Nice job, Ramon...those Monogram kits are, in my opinion, just as well engineered as the Tamiya offerings. I've done both (including the 32nd Z-M kit) and they were ALL a joy to build.
Thanks Craig! I considered getting the Tamiya kit for this build, but you just get so much bang for your buck with this monogram kit. Maybe next time I will get the Tamiya kit, just to try something a bit different!
You certainly wouldn't be disappointed, Ramon. Go for it!
All I can say is WOW! You really made that Spad come alive!
You are very kind, thanks Morne!
Looks great Ramon, they sure could carry a payload.
Thanks Simon! Yep, they sure could - I think I read about a kitchen sink being dropped over Korea, and then there is the famous toilet bowl bomb over Vietnam. That one was actually kind of funny!
Great job Ramon, excellent model with a direct connection to the pilot. I'm sure your friend must have been very happy with your build. Also nice to know that I had a relative, although distant/many times removed, that flew SPAD's way back when.
Thanks Rick! My buddy was very touched by the gift. He wasn't expecting it. Sadly, his uncle Scott passed away many years prior to this, but he showed it to his family members and they were all quite pleased. That was the big payoff for me!
Have you gotten a chance to build your distant relative's Spad?
superb
Thanks!
Very nice job on both construction and weathering. Normally I build clean aircraft, but the Skyraider is one of the exceptions. No matter how well maintained or cared for they are, they are always filthy! What was the method you used to spread the exhaust stains around?
Thanks Josh! For me, weathering and beating up the airframe are the funnest parts. You are right, Skyraiders were some really dirty birds! Typically, I use pastel powders in various shades of greys with a hint of browns applied to a matte finish and pushed around with a soft brush. Oh yeah, I also had LOTS of reference pics to look at and I looked at them frequently to see how the slip steam affected the engine exhaust, how the colors changed in different lighting conditions, how dirty the rest of the aircraft got because of the maintenance, etc. I like using pastels because if i mess up and don't like how it turned out, I can always wipe it away with a wet cloth and start over. Zero risk! 🙂
Ramon, Great looking SPAD! I have a friend that flew this type with the Barn Owls while serving aboard the USS HANCOCK. I recently did some repairs to a model of his machine that it built for him some years back and will post it when I get some time. As far as payload goes- I think a fully loaded SPAD carried about the same load of a War time B-17.
Thanks Erich! Yes, please post, I would love to see your Barn Owl bird!
Lovely looking model, Ramon, the outdoor photographs really bring out the finish.
Thanks George! You just can't get better than natural daylight for photos! 🙂
Ramon,
This is absolutely perfect. You did a masterful job on this. AD's were aboard BHR when I was on it and I could watch them all day over the jets.
Thanks Frank! I love watching aircraft take off and land too. I find it mesmerizing! Thanks for the kind words and thank you for your service!