Fast Ford- Tamiya 1/72 F4D-1 Skyray
Hi all,
Wow how the world has changed since I last posted on here! Hope this finds everyone safe and healthy. Anyway, here is my latest build. The masterful super kit by Tamiya of the Douglas F4D-1 Skyray, in 1/72. I choose to paint mine in a scheme based off of company concept art by Douglas chief artist R.G. Smith. The build was super easy, bing Tamiya. If you have ever built one of their kits, you know how they practically fall together. The kit was built mostly OOB, with the exception of some detailing on the ejection seat, and some added decals from the spares box. Paint is good old model master Dark Sea Blue, fs15042. Wet sanded with high grit finishing abrasives before a pledge clear coat process.
The base is a scratch built carrier deck made with planking from strips of basswood, with styrene for the rest of the details. Painted with a custom mixed USN postwar grey deck color. Highlights were done with gull gray. The centerline is flat sunflower, with the chipping done with a sponge and the main deck color. Again, all Model Master paints.The boarding ladder is also scratch built from pictures. Definitely a little inspiration from ‘Bridges at Tokyo-Ri', watched that a few times while building this one. May need to dig out my little Hasegawa panther sometime...
I'm pretty happy with this one. Being Tamiya, any and all flaws are entirely on me! Maybe one day I'll snag the 48th kit of the Ford. Such a neat looking early jet to me! Thanks for taking a look! Questions and comments are welcome. Thanks, guys!
13 additional images. Click to enlarge.
Looking very menacing in that blue scheme. Cool idea. Can't have been fun to roll on that deck, though 😉
Thank you! Those old wood decks are really something! Crazy to think we flew supersonic fighters off of those,
Fantastic Ford! Looks great in the dark sea blue, nice presentation with the flight deck.
Thank you! I do love those DSB schemes. Very old school Navy to my eye.
Interestingly enough, the F4U Corsair looked very modern in the Gull Grey/White scheme.
I think the Corsair is a timeless design.
Great looking Skyray, Ryan.
Also the flightdeck looks fantastic.
Thank you!
Very nice ! That is a cool plane Model indeed.
I still have Salvaged Teak Lumber from an aircraft carrier deck. Planks were Set on edge, Were several inches thick and bolted across on short spacing.
Word had it that teak Decks were much easier to repair than Metal decks. Or compare the Yorktown From WW2 to the Forrestal accidents During the Vietnam era.
Well done!
Hmm but weren't wood decks also easier to get messed up by attacks or accidents?
That’s awesome! Those wooden deck carriers were real engineering marvels for their days.
Very nice! I like the Skyray and have that kit, so sooner or later...
Go for it! Such a neat looking early jet, and the Tamiya kit is truly drop together.
Navy cold war planes in all-blue schemes are really cool looking. Great job!
Thank you, George! Wish the navy would bring back the dark sea blue...a hornet would look neat in those colors. Hmmm...future model? ?
Very sleek looking in dark blue. I think I prefer blue to the gray.
As do I! Thank you for the kind words!
That's a great Skyray, Ryan.
This all blue scheme is fantastic!
Thank you! Yeah, when I first saw that art, I immediately went and pulled the kit out...it was one of those ‘I have to do it’ moments... The airplane does look sharp in all blue.
🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
A very pleasing piece of work and a joy to watch Ryan.
The Skyray looks so much different in that color, it is like seeing a whole new plane.
Upon looking at it in that color, one can see a big hint at stealth future features at work.
Nice job on the portion of a flight deck, thanks for sharing these images.
hi Stellan. Yes but also lighter, and less top heavy on deck. Easy to work with obtain And transport during the war as lumber rather than metal plate.
Unfortunately it meant the ongoing demise of Birma’s Teak Forests. Now gone in any large size.
Luckily the Dutch planted them in their Indonesian holdings. That wood is Marbled and not quite the same but good and very very expensive these days.
I’m unclear why wood was used in the first place. First carrier landings happened a long time ago...
I was on the USS Iowa Battleship Before it left Richmond Ca, It also had a Teak deck but in this case laid over the armoured metal decks secured to frames. That surprised me . The wood had started to come away from the frames and twisted all over. It would be a nightmare to restore . Let alone pay for and maintain.
That said I am glad we lost the competition to house it here on Mare-Island. It would have ruined us with upkeep.
The last Liquidation sale on the former Sub base a few years offered lumber cut to Navy specs. Premium material up to 40 feet long !
It was like being in Ali-Baba’s cave.
Thanks You.