Trumpeter A-4E VA-??

[easixpedro]

There’s been a dearth of gray and white NavAir subjects lately… so time to level that playing field 🙂

 

 

Have had this sitting next in the proverbial stash/build pile for a few weeks. 
 

Am debating Mike Estocin’s MoH jet from 20 April 67. Dude dueled SAM sites during a strike on Haiphong. Got hit as everyone else was egressing and brought his burning Scooter back to the Tico. Might do the suspend it off it’s hook scene I’ve done before.

 

Or I might do a Scooter from VA-164 off the OBoat. Have 2 in mind, one of which is the ubiquitous Lady Jessie.

 

Here’s a great squadron pic circa 67. The really tall guy beneath the 4 in 405 is LT Cdr Denny Weichman. He flew the most missions of Vietnam - 630 IIRC. Started in the early 60s flying C-123s to drop South Vietnamese SoF types into the North. Flew to the bitter end, in charge of an A-7 squadron during the 70s.

More soon. Have started adding bits and generally dorking around as I try to make up my mind to which squadron and jet I wanna do.

-Peter

[Oldbaldguy]

You seem to have a thing for red, red/orange trimmed airplanes.  I just took stock and realized most of my built models carry the same colors.  Weird.

[Jim Barry]

Doing my part! Haha. Looking forward to a well researched model from you. Let’s go! 

Edited May 9 by Jim Barry

[Finn]

Peter, why not do this one:

 

 

Jari

[easixpedro]

13 hours ago, Oldbaldguy said:

You seem to have a thing for red, red/orange trimmed airplanes.  I just took stock and realized most of my built models carry the same colors.  Weird.

Guilty.

But I find it hard not to be enthralled with brightly colored aircraft that were flying in the most heavily defended skies the world has known. Huge cajones for sure. 

12 hours ago, Jim Barry said:

Doing my part! Haha. Looking forward to a well researched model from you. Let’s go! 

Yeah you are! As in making me wonder how to make an RA-5?! I’d figure out 3D printing, but am afraid where it’ll lead. I really want a SH-2 and SH-3 too. (I have issues…)

 

[Jim Barry]

Good issues. Love the Kaman helos. They were a client of mine but just on the group health Insurance side. A few examples in CT always a pleasure to see. 

[Oldbaldguy]

22 hours ago, Finn said:

Peter, why not do this one:

 

 

Jari

Wow.  That is one sturdy little airplane.  And the driver is just sitting there like, “What, me worried?  Nah.  If I can’t see it, it never happened.  Now, I’m pretty sure the boat is around here somewhere….”

[easixpedro]

Because Jari brought it up, here’s some more pics of Al Crebo in NP225. He was attacking an ammo dump near Haiphong in April of 67. An SA-2 did this…he got his bombs off and essentially coasted feet wet before the engine conked out. You better believe he was back on the flight sked the next day…

another view

 

if you want to know more about it, I highly recommend this book:

 

In other news, construction has commenced. Here’s the beginning of our intrepid aviator. Essentially parts from the spares bin.

 

The cockpit is stock, mostly because nothing can be seen with a figure in there. The Scooter cockpit was cramped…

 

 

and painted up

 

That brings us up to speed. Am spitballing ideas of how to display her. It’ll be in-flight. Undecided if I want to do a ground blur base and try making snake eyes being dropped, or perhaps just an in flight view with the hook down as if prior to landing. Decisions, decisions.

More as I figure out what squadron I wanna do so I can actually decide a scene. Or maybe make 2…?

-Peter

[Finn]

How about Zunis being fired off:

 

 

Jari