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Rafi Ben-Shahar
348 articles

Three Scooters: Hasegawa 1/48 TA 4J

November 11, 2023 · in Aviation · · 28 · 390

My favorite model variant is the two seater TA 4J. While this series is not perfect, it is the best Scooter model at the 48th scale. Surface texture of the variants is excellent and there is a good balance between the number of parts and detail level of the models. However, the cockpit is sparse and putty is required to fill in the seems created by the lack of fit of some parts.

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28 responses

  1. Fantastic job on all three of them, Rafi! Excellent in every respect, I particularly liked their painting and weathering!
    Congratulations!

  2. They are all very neat, but I especially like the worn and weathered look of the white VT-7 aircraft. Very cool!

  3. A really nice-looking trio of planes, Rafi (@blackmopane).

  4. Fantastic work on all three, but I am super-impressed by the way you got the fading of the orange on the first one and the fading in the markings also. That's very impressive. Also the weathering of the white.

  5. Excellent result on every element, Rafi @blackmopane
    Paintwork and weathering are really eye catching.
    Well done.

  6. Outstanding work, in every aspect.

  7. All three are excellent, but I have to agree with Tom @tcinla the weathering on the white and orange A-4 is truly outstanding!

  8. They turn my feeble attempt at building one into a moped.

  9. Man, such beautiful "Scooters"! 😀 I love that replacement nose on the white plane, but the paintwork on all three birds is just magnificent, Rafi @blackmopane! Stellar scale modeling times three! 🤩

  10. Excellent weathering on the Orange and white bird, truly excellent. The camo birds look great as well.

  11. 🙂 ... Greetings ... 🙂 :
    Stunning work on all three Skyhawk's Rafi.
    The camouflage paint schemes are just enjoyable to observe and the trainer is a true modeling gem,
    love the subtle weathering touch.

  12. Well done, Rafi (@blackmopane). The A-4 is a really cool plane, and your 3 builds are an excellent showcase for 3 really cool paint schemes.

  13. Nice work on all of these, Rafi. I think VC-8 was the last US operator of the Skyhawk, retiring around 2004. I also remember seeing footage of Israeli 2 seaters over Lebanon in 2006. Yours looks very much like what I remember.

  14. Those are all beautiful, and I echo Tom C's comment on the trainer version and paint fading - just excellent!

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