Skyhawk A4 Esci 1/48
I Know this is the second Israeli A4 today but that is purely co-incidence guys ,this is the very old Esci offering that I picked up cheap years ago and has been gathering dust ever since. I bought the decal sheet from Hannants to build the example you see in some of the shots with the more recognisable standard sized star of david roundels but was always curious about the aircraft you see here. The decal sheet has one colour shot and that is the only picture I have been able to find anywhere of an aircraft with these strange oversized markings and the two roundels per wing on the underside , if anyone has any information about this aircraft and it's markings please let me know...
The Kit is quite basic but has some nice details like the movable wing slats, I added a resin bang seat and the longer engine nozzle from Aeries, hope you like it .
Neil.
8 additional images. Click to enlarge.
John vd Biggelaar said on July 19, 2020
The build is very nice, Neil.
Fully agree about the roundels, really oversized.
What's the purpose of camouflage with this size of roundels.
Louis Gardner said on July 19, 2020
Hey Neil, @neil-foster
You built up a nice looking scooter ! Is this the one you were asking about the FS color numbers for a while ago ? It looks great, but a bit odd with the over sized insignia. In a strange way it reminds me of the planes from the USS Enterprise in early 1942... They were flown the same way, after several were shot down as they returned to Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.
Looks great my friend ! I hit the "liked" button too.
neil foster said on July 20, 2020
Hey Louis buddy! yes this is the one , glad you like it.
neil foster said on July 24, 2020
Hey Louis , it turned out those oversize markings were for the same reason as the Wildcats in your picture !
N.
Robert Royes said on July 19, 2020
Awesome build! Maybe it was a show bird?
neil foster said on July 20, 2020
Cheers Rob ,maybe a display aircraft ?
DE4EVER said on July 20, 2020
š ... Greetings ... š :
Neil ... a very different and peculiar looking Skyhawk it is, but it really makes the viewer ask themselves one question, which is ... What is the use of the camouflage ?
For sure, a very nice model, I always did like the A-4 in models in any scale, and this one is no exception.
neil foster said on July 20, 2020
Gotta love a Skyhawk, right ? . The A4 reminds me of the Hurricane , Tough ,squat little airframe yet tough and rugged...
Cheers.
Spiros Pendedekas said on July 20, 2020
Totally out of the ordinary, it looks beautiful, Neil.
Building is excellent, you did a great job on this.
I have heard that IDF were "leaking" photos of their planes with erroneous configurations to fool the enemy...
So, could it be that your scheme adheres to the above approach?
neil foster said on July 20, 2020
Maybe , who knows .Thanks for your kind words Spiros
Tom Bebout said on July 20, 2020
Well done Neil, no question as to what country flew that Scooter.
neil foster said on July 20, 2020
Yeah ,they look nice in this sort of camo for sure.
Cheers
John Healy said on July 20, 2020
Nice work, Neil. Iām an A-4 fan too. I vaguely remember those markings having been described as being for an Israeli Independence Day flyover. I wish I could remember where I saw it.
neil foster said on July 21, 2020
Hey John , well that's a start at any rate and it certainly sounds plausible , thanks buddy.
Neil
Greg Kittinger said on July 23, 2020
Another nice Scooter! I've got a photo of those oversized stars in one of my reference books. If I can find it, and it says why they were used, I'll add to this post...
neil foster said on July 23, 2020
Greg Buddy! , nice to hear from you and thanks for any information or pictures you may have , I'd love to find out what those markings are about.
Hope you're keeping safe pal.
N.
Greg Kittinger said on July 23, 2020
Found it! The were for ACM identification. See the pics:
2 attached images. Click to enlarge.
neil foster said on July 24, 2020
Wow that's amazing ,they were for use in combat missions just like the wildcats in the picture from USS Enterprise ,thanks for doing that research on my behalf Greg ,I guess that's why iModeller is such a cool group to involved with.
I'd like to see a Phantom in the same markings like in your photo ,maybe Isradecal do a sheet.
Neil.
David A. Thomas said on July 23, 2020
Nice job, pal!
neil foster said on July 24, 2020
Thanks Dave , nice to see you're still checking in , I keep looking at the Avia you sent me !
Neil.
Neill Roos said on June 3, 2021
Isreali Skyhawks just look epic. I think the Skyhawk '03' was actually the only one credited with air to air kills? Pretty sure it brought down 2 MIG's in the Yom Kippur War?
neil foster said on June 6, 2021
Hey Neill, thanks for looking and welcome to the site, I love Skyhawks and for me they look awesome in Israeli colours but if I'm honest I'm a fan of the Israelis anyway.
Neil.