1/48 AD-5W Skyraider

7474, if you read those books, get the one about the people stealing a carrier.

Jake is the CAG, flying Tomcats,,,,,,,,,arggg, I can't remember the name.

Ahh, Google to the rescue,,,,,,,,"Final Flight"

Rex

"Sandy.....my back is broken and they're using me as bait. I'm popping smoke."

Or even if it is that aircraft's 5th squadron assignment,,,,,,,,,they had to roll out of a squadron's paint barn with fresh paint sometime. I keep thinking they might have been clean just before the masking tape and paint stencils went on to paint the codes and flashes,,,,,,,,and maybe get new insignia decals.

"Clean the area" was part of the instructions for applying the decals, I remember.

Really good looking. And who is to say that she isn't just off the line at Douglas?

Nice build.  Nothing wrong with seeing a clean bird.

Mike

That's the truth. My brother years ago was big into Adversary jets. He had many models in unique schemes. Then the decal explosion happened and all his models weren't very unique any more. Thanks for the offer. I'll hit you up if I decide to go forward with the project.

If you need any help with your "scheme",,,,,shoot me an email. Actual photos, deployment dates, "weird" stores, copies of photos,,,,,,or just locations so you can look them up yourself.

Even though I know those markings will never see 1/72, I am cool with helping get more Navair decals out there whether 1/48 or 1/32.

Besides, I like my markings to be things that no one ever does, and if they all got released in 1/72, mine will stop being unique, lol.

Rex

Very nice. I heard that kit had some issues.

Ha! Gotcha.  Thanks.  =]

It was MM Acryl Dark Sea Blue. It's not the optimum for glossy schemes, but it dries quickly for those of us that are impatient! :-) The problem with the acrylic is that if you need to fix a mistake and sand it down, it doesn't feather very well. It tends to peel instead, at least while it's not yet completely cured. Where is that whistling emoticon when you need it? LOL

So, if I'm hearing you correctly...you painted with a gloss sea blue paint?  Was it an enamel or acrylic?

Thanks all! The gloss was nothing special. I primed it with Alclad Gray Primer with Micro Filler, then sanded it down with sanding pads. I sprayed a few light coats of GSB until it got good coverage. I let it dry, then hand brushed (with a wide, very soft brush) 3 coats of Future. I let each coat dry for a day or two to make sure it was rock hard. I used sanding pads between each coat. After the last coat was fully dry, I buffed it with a cotton t-shirt. If you look closely, you can find many imperfections, especially where I got impatient and rushed it.

Rex, I'm in the beginnings of hatching a scheme to get decals made for all the conversions I've done. I think that will help with sales as well. I'd like to do sheets that have a variety of NavAir on them. We'll see how funding goes.

Looks like a museum piece with all that gloss. I like it. Bob

You are on a roll with conversion sets, and great looking demo models.

That belly radome must weigh a ton,,,,,,,is it just superglued up in place?

Get some decal company to research and do a bunch of decals for the AD-5W/EA-1E and you will see completed models on the contest tables, I'd bet.

I'm starting to get jealous of the 1/48 builders again, But, I know they are really just getting a chance to catch up. So, I will be okay, haha.

Rex

Darren, this is gorgeous! I don't mean to sound so dumb, but I've never gone about painting a glossy finish.  Is it more involved than just leaving a coat of future or some other clear coat?

Wow, that sure is glossy! What gloss do you use Darren and can you give some tips on how it's applies/number of coats?

I never do gloss finishes, as I can't seem to get them like that at all.

Good lookin' build! Nice to see an AC that isn't beat up!

That looks really nice. Great job.

Looks great!  Nice gloss finish!