Monogram's 1/72 scale
A-1E Skyraider

by Eddie "Grunticus" Wilson

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This is the old Monogram A-1E kit in 1/72. The instruction sheet has a copyright of 1967 so that makes the model close to forty years old. There is not a lot of fine detail to the model so I added a bit to make it more interesting, using leftover stuff from various other kits.

I replaced the wheels and added some brake lines using fine wire with black insulation. I also boxed in the gear wells since they are open all the way to the fuselage. The carrier hook and all the antennas are scratch-built using sheet styrene, fine wire, and fishing line.

There is not a lot in the cockpit except a bulkhead that has the seats cast onto the front side. I used some pilot figures from the Monogram SA-16 Albatross that I have had since I was a kid to fill up the interior. the rest of the cockpit is stock, including the decal instrument panel.

The bombs and the drop tank came from the old Monogram 1/72 A-10 kit that has since been turned into a Snap-Tite model. I made new guns out of some steel tubing from http://smallparts.com and cut rectangles on the bottom of the wing as chutes for the spent brass.

I used colored plexigas to make the position lights for the wingtips and the vertical fin then rescribed the entire model using the 3-view drawings in the Squadron "Walkaround" book as a guide.

After tinting the 'dog house' part of the canopy with candy blue paint I glued it on with white glue.

The model was painted with Model Master enamels and weathered lightly with gray pastel chalk.

A friend custom-printed the decals for me on an ALPS printer. I chose the Bernard Fisher aircraft since he was a Medal Of Honor winner and I had read of his exploits in "Boy's Life" magazine when I was in scouting.

This was a great way to put a new model on my shelf without spending a lot of money and I am happy with the results. It took a bit more modeling effort than say, one of the great new kits from Tamiya or Hasegawa but to me it was worth it.

I hope you like it and happy modeling.

Click on the thumbnails below to view larger images:

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2005 by Eddie "Grunticus" Wilson
Page Created 18 March, 2005
Last Updated 24 December, 2007

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