How to destroy an expensive kit with just a few cuts - or: Prowler&#33

[Starfighter]

Well, what do you do if you have to wait for parts for your other projects being milled or 3D printed? Easy, get one of your most expensive kits out of your shelf and start hacking it into pieces, add some styrene and make it look even uglier than before, just for fun.

 

Well, that's not exactly how it was. While it's true that I cannot proceed with my other projects as I am really waiting for essential parts to be produced, I was planning to build an EA-6B since the Trumpeter Intruder was announced. The only problem was - the kit was just too expensive.

Having spent a few hours on the net looking for good offers, I found somebody in Austria who sold his slightly started A-6A + Avionix cockpit for much less than 100€ - now that was an excellent deal! 

 

The wait for the kit was spent finalizing my drawings and once it arrived, everything went rather quickly. A few cuts, some styrene and voilà, it starts to look like a Prowler. 

 

 

 

I've cast a copy of the windscreen to find out which modifications are necessary without destroying the clear part. It's not quite perfect yet, but I am getting close.

 

 

 

Since these pics were taken, I've given it a light coat of primer and added some groove lines. The next step will be finalizing the windscreen shape, adding the football to the fin and starting the cockpits. More pics will follow! 

 

 

Edited July 20, 2015 by Starfighter

[Chris Wimmer]

Wow, cool start here! Looks very good!

 

Chris

[LSP_Paul]

Very Very Nice  , Im glad to see this project in capable hands and man with your S-3 project you're going to have a really sensational lineup of 1/32 NAVY jets

 

Paul

[ClumsyDude]

Wow, looks awesome! That's some terrific scratch work, will be watching this one with interest

 

Jim

[Youngtiger1]

Cool project, but good Lord you are MadMan for cutting up a perfectly nice and an expensive kit

[ssculptor]

Now that is the way to build a model.

Rock on!

Stephen

[Out2gtcha]

Wow, cool!     Looking forward to this one...................please do finish this and your Viking, so some major IM company can release them!   (sorry couldn't resist the Murphy's law thing)

[stusbke]

Joining you soon my friend and looking **** already!

 

Cheers
Frederick Jacobs

[Dandiego]

Always wanted to see a big Prowler. Go Starfighter Go!!

 

Dan

[allthumbs]

Brilliant! I recall your hints about doing a "family model" A-6...nice to see it take form.

 

Regards,

 

Rich

[Stormer]

I predict that Trumpeter will issue a Prowler no later than december 2015..... Sorry..... :-)

[Thomas Lund]

Now that is real modeling - looking forward to seeing it progress

[ssculptor]

I predict that Trumpeter will issue a Prowler no later than december 2015..... Sorry..... :-)

Yes, probably.

BUT what he is making is a type of scratch built/kit bashed model that will give him the great pleasure and self satisfaction of building a version that was not available before.

Stephen

[shark64]

some people have gold in their hands and this is the prime example of that.

Nice work

Oliver

[Starfighter]

Thank you all very much for your kind comments - I am glad you like it. I just hope I won't get too distracted with all the things I am currently woking on, but as already mentioned, the others are stalled as I am waiting for new parts. 

 

I've taken a few very crappy pics early this morning to show you some progress. I've started scribing the radome yesterday. It's not yet finished as this is quite a complicated operation - the groove lines need to be perfectly straight and symmetrical, of course. I haven't cleaned up the other groove lines yet, so there is some sanding dust inside making them look incomplete. More progress to follow soon...