Hasegawa's 1/48 scale
Douglas A-4M Skyhawk

by Marcello Rosa

I decided to build an A-4 after visiting the USS Midway museum, and learning about what a cool little plane this is: one of the smallest jets in the exhibition, but enormously popular with its crews for being nimble, rugged, able to carry a heavy punch, and easy to maintain. Skyhawks remained in production between 1956 and 1979, with nearly 3,000 built. Even though the US retired its last one in 2003, they remain in use to this day (2020), with highly upgraded systems, in other countries. 

 
The A-4M was the last production version of the Skyhawk. The Hasegawa kit offered two decal options: VMA-331 ("Bumblebees"), or VMA-214 ("Blacksheep"). I opted for the VMA-214 livery, on account of many teenage afternoons spent watching "Black Sheep Squadron" on TV.

The only purchased upgrade were the centreline multi-ejector rack and Mk 82 bombs, from Hasegawa’s weapons set A. The Sidewinders were modified from spare Matra “magics”, from my Super Étendard Modernisé. I added some homemade upgrades using fine metal wire, to the ejection seat and undercarriage. 

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For more images and a few build tips, feel free to visit my modelling web site.

Model and Text Copyright © 2021 by Marcello Rosa
Page Created 22 February, 2021
Last Updated 24 February, 2021

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