BIG Intruder GROUPIE GROUPBUILD...

Sounds like the same load-out that my Italeri kit came with. Not sure of accuracy, but we'll be consistent!

As to the accuracy of your loads almost anything is acceptable all depends on the type mission, the common loads we did in 1986 during the Libya conflict was 1 Harpoon and 6 rockeye (MK 20) with a few carrying MK-82,83.

During the gulf war we loaded mostly MK-82 and MK-83 (500-1000 gp bombs) all stations except station 3 (center line) during the first week after that it was switched up with loads of 1 AGM-65 Maverick,GPs,and GBU-24 LGBs. I was attached to VA-34 Blue Blasters during Libya, and attached to VA-36 Roadrunners during the Gulf War. Hope this sheds alittle light for you guys.

Scott

Ah!  Good to know.  I think ill forego the Harpoons and just roll with the MK-82s

WIP updates.  Most sanding, filling, sanding, filling, sanding is done, though I'll let the primer be the judge.  I did not like how the instrument coaming fit, just kinda sits there.  I did test it with the windscreen and I guess it will look okay.

Sweet---that's the Kinetics kit, right?

A-yup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JETOXZXSXBM

Update from NB: I managed a couple of rushed, after-dark paint sessions over my holiday, while the rest of the gang was sleeping. Base coat looking good, but needs some touchups .  Need to check some pics, and fermis's build. The Italeri paint guide calls for a darker grey on leading edges of upper surfaces? I assume it's not a sharp-edged deal??

Paint!!!!

(Still looks a little odd on leading edges - if it's wrong I'm blaming Italeri )

Well, I see "flight of the snail" is underway again...

...looks like you did go hard-edge on those colors...

Manstein's revenge

Well, I see "flight of the snail" is underway again...

...looks like you did go hard-edge on those colors...

Ahhh - flight of the snail!  ~~  I should have t-shirts made!

Yep, my image searching was inconclusive. I've seen some left hard-edged, some who claim to have gone soft-edged but are so faint you can't even tell anything has been done, and a whole lot that have made no attempt at using the darker colour on leading edges etc.  I'll leave it like this unless somebody shows me a pic of a USN machine topside with blended colour. ( I figure I can blend afterwards if needed)

Now the radome tan - box art shows it, markings diagram on the instructions has a colour callout, but only shows the two grays on the nose. The world wonders....

Those radome noses varied in color a lot...seems that the early A-6's had tan ones, later ones showed that they were white or just the same color as the rest of the a/c, especially for the very late ones...

Alright, checked out my markings sheet again & realized that these options are '92...  [wall]  So I'll be going with the low-viz look on the radome after all. Still trying to decide if I want to blend that hard-edged camo or not. No time to do anything but think about it tonight anyway.

Green painters tape to find my radome, then bagged the rest of the plane.


Radome "tan" was closer to my original light gray colour than I planned. You can see the difference in person, not so much in the pics.


Touchups to the coaming & a few other areas to be done before sealing the paint. Anybody else try Krylon sprays - that's what I used on the radome, can't seem to get a smooth finish with that stuff. Will be buffing that to try to smooth it out some.


I guess you can sorta-see the difference in the shades near that unit that hangs off the Intruders chin...

Wow---this one may actually limp across the finish line after all...nice,,,

Picking up steam now - undercarriage & payload are basically complete as well. Ejection seats are done already & waiting in a secure holding area. Canopy parts masked. Also want to mimic some hydraulics/electronics conduit with some bent brass rod, also helps reinforce the wingfold.

VanceCrozier

Alright, checked out my markings sheet again & realized that these options are '92...  [wall]  So I'll be going with the low-viz look on the radome after all. Still trying to decide if I want to blend that hard-edged camo or not. No time to do anything but think about it tonight anyway.

Green painters tape to find my radome, then bagged the rest of the plane.


Radome "tan" was closer to my original light gray colour than I planned. You can see the difference in person, not so much in the pics.


Touchups to the coaming & a few other areas to be done before sealing the paint. Anybody else try Krylon sprays - that's what I used on the radome, can't seem to get a smooth finish with that stuff. Will be buffing that to try to smooth it out some.


I guess you can sorta-see the difference in the shades near that unit that hangs off the Intruders chin...

merci!

pas de quoi..............

Don't get too excited...he builds in spurts...Haley's Comet comes around quicker...

........................sorta liked "Night of the Comet"...................

especially in the summer

Hoping for touchups when I get home tonight; Future coat on the weekend.

Nothing photo-worthy, but I touched up some spots where masking tape peeled the light gray. Used a Humbrol enamel that was close to the original colour used, but should show a little bit as "field re-paint" Picked out a few access panels with the same paint.

This past weekend's progress pics....

Landing gear, tail hook base coat, forward canopy fresh from the paint shop.


More undercarriage fiddly bits.


Rear canopy with masking removed, touchups done.

Most everything sealed up now with Future, hoping to start weathering tonight. Anybody spot anything that needs work?

Looks good to me.  Glad you're making progress!  Mine keeps mocking me on the shelf.

Thanks Stu! I'm making steady progress on this one... but I also have other WiPs mocking me. This one is on a roll though so I want to ride it right through to the finish now.

Looking at other pics or builds and the real thing, "if I could go back..." I'd get rid of the seam where the nosecone joins the fuselage. It lined up well with the colour demarcation, but really shouldn't be that visible I guess. Next time.... ;)

If we had half as much building as we do hand-wringing and crying in here this GB would be UBER-Epic...

Manstein's revenge

If we had half as much building as we do hand-wringing and crying in here this GB would be UBER-Epic...

Waitaminute!!! I'm the guy building right now!!!

(should have time to start weathering etc tonight.)

Do you know how hard it is to manage a group-build? Or three?

I have been shamed back to the bench.   Tough to paint through all,these tears