TTModelworks 1/32 AD-5 (A-1E) Skyraider

[thaipham101]

On 2/9/2024 at 4:24 PM, phantom said:

I would consider buying your kit but would like to see more. Will it have a complete interior, decals weapons?

Mike

Hi Mike, I think I recognize that name and profile pic on facebook. Yeah this will be a complete kit with decals and weapons. I'm redesigning/fixing my design right now to match what I saw on the real aircraft at the museum, mostly regarding the landing gear and interior. Interior is expected to be printed this coming week then I'll do the wings and weapon pylons.

[thaipham101]

On 2/9/2024 at 12:00 PM, quang said:

Hi Thai 

As I understood it, you have finished the complete kit and are still working on refining the panel lines and other surface details.

Do you already have the photos of the complete kit or do we have to wait until your website is online?

As you would have guessed, your A1E project is attracting mucho interest over here in LSP and we’re most anxious to see the next step.

Cheers,

Quang

Hi Quang, yeah mostly just redoing the panel lines, also I got a chance to visit California for Tết so I visited the aircraft there, some design changes needed but those are mostly done now. I'm working on some changes to the interior details and they'll be printed this coming week. Turned out the floorboard wasn't that bare and flat as I thought

[TimNT]

Hi Thai,

The horizontal stabilizers on the actual aircraft seem to have straighter edges than the ones on your prototype: can you double check their shape?

https://images.app.goo.gl/cNy9Tjng5xbVJyuo7

 

The horizontal stabilizers on your sample have rounder edges, reminiscent of the Revell 1/40 AD-6 ones.

 

Thank you for your attention, I am very interested in the kit. I presume that the kit will come with VNAF markings (It has to.)

 

Tim

 

[quang]

On 3/3/2024 at 2:26 AM, thaipham101 said:

Turned out the floorboard wasn't that bare and flat as I thought

Indeed! 
Not sayin’ but intently watching from the shadows 

Q.

[TimNT]

Hi Thai,

My brother and I grew up in Vietnam, so the A-1 Skyraider was near and dear to our hearts, my brother being an A-1 aficionado much more than I am. After I told him about your A-1E project, he was very enthusiastic but soon started to point out a few errors:

1. The airplane in Riverside, CA which you inspected was an AD-5W with its radar radome removed. Its underbelly is different from the AD-5, the latter being flat and carrying a center pylon.

https://images.app.goo.gl/YXC6Swq77c5Bt3pJA

 

2. The shape of the fillet of the vertical stabilizer is different and there should be no crease on the vertical portion of the stabilizer.

https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195821/douglas-a-1e-skyraider/

 

We would like your first baby to be as perfect as you could make it, so I hope that you would not mind our input.

 

Tim

[thaipham101]

On 3/10/2024 at 4:23 AM, TimNT said:

Hi Thai,

The horizontal stabilizers on the actual aircraft seem to have straighter edges than the ones on your prototype: can you double check their shape?

https://images.app.goo.gl/cNy9Tjng5xbVJyuo7

 

The horizontal stabilizers on your sample have rounder edges, reminiscent of the Revell 1/40 AD-6 ones.

 

Thank you for your attention, I am very interested in the kit. I presume that the kit will come with VNAF markings (It has to.)

 

Tim

 

 

Hi Tim, thanks for your advice.

I think you're right about the belly recessed area. Unfortunately, most of the online pictures I found are of AD-5W or of 5W restored as 5, so that recessed area are present, plus in the Structural Repair Manual (AN 01-40ALE-3) for all AD-5 variants they said that "all lower skin panels typical for AD-5, 5N, and 5W except panel 3A" so I thought they have the same bottom skin. I'll set this fuselage aside and modify a copy of it to match the real AD-5.

 

For the horizontal stabilizer I based it off of top down drawings from the same manual plus Maintenance Manual for the AD-5N (AN 01-40ALE-2) and the AD-5 Flight Handbook (01 40ALE-1). Maybe it's a matter of photographer's angle/lens focal length or some optical thing at play I guess? I'll look into it regardless. I do agree that the elevators should have a sharper outer corner making the outer edge straighter.

 

Attached are some photos of drawings that I mentioned

 

 

P/s: Of course it has to come with VNAF marking, no AD-5/6/7 kit is complete without VNAF marking lol. For this one I'm planning to do 52-132633 of 520th FS Thần Báo, I'm gonna reserving the SEA camo scheme VNAF for the A-1G (AD-5N), it carries one pretty distinct feature that American Skyraiders didn't have and single seaters didn't either  

 

[geedubelyer]

1 hour ago, thaipham101 said:

Hi Tim, thanks for your advice.

I think you're right about the belly recessed area. Unfortunately, most of the online pictures I found are of AD-5W or of 5W restored as 5, so that recessed area are present, plus in the Structural Repair Manual (AN 01-40ALE-3) for all AD-5 variants they said that "all lower skin panels typical for AD-5, 5N, and 5W except panel 3A" so I thought they have the same bottom skin. I'll set this fuselage aside and modify a copy of it to match the real AD-5.

 

For the horizontal stabilizer I based it off of top down drawings from the same manual plus Maintenance Manual for the AD-5N (AN 01-40ALE-2) and the AD-5 Flight Handbook (01 40ALE-1). Maybe it's a matter of photographer's angle/lens focal length or some optical thing at play I guess? I'll look into it regardless. I do agree that the elevators should have a sharper outer corner making the outer edge straighter.

 

Attached are some photos of drawings that I mentioned

 

 

P/s: Of course it has to come with VNAF marking, no AD-5/6/7 kit is complete without VNAF marking lol. For this one I'm planning to do 52-132633 of 520th FS Thần Báo, I'm gonna reserving the SEA camo scheme VNAF for the A-1G (AD-5N), it carries one pretty distinct feature that American Skyraiders didn't have and single seaters didn't either  

 

 

Hello Thai. 

Is it possible that @TimNT means the tip of the elevator rather than the leading edge of the horizontal tail surface? The underside view gives the impression that the outermost edge of the elevators span are squarer than the drawings suggest. 

[TimNT]

Hi Thai,

 

I think that it is very important that you produce a very accurate first kit, so please take your time to study the material and pictures available on the internet and in real life. There is a real A-1E (not AD-5W) at the Aerospace Museum of California in McClellan AFB, Sacramento.

Aerospace Museum of California
(916) 643-3192

https://g.co/kgs/JSgDaEZ

You may want to come out to take pictures and measurements of it before you commit yourself to mass production. 

 

 

There is also a Vought A-7 on display, among others, and we badly need a SLUF in 1/32 scale (the only kit in existence is the Trumpeter one which is awful!)

[thaipham101]

Hi guys, another update.

Got new resin so I tried it out to see how it goes, so it's a pretty rough sample literally since I ripped off all the supports by hand lol

 

Following Tim's advice I've set the fuselage I worked on aside for the AD-5W and modified a copy of it to be the AD-5/5N/5Q variant, smooth as a baby's butt now, I'm redoing panel lines as we speak. Also tested was the bulkhead that separates the cockpit and rear compartment, which turned out as I expected, and some details of the rear compartment. Also I modified the overall shape of the windshield and the piece of canopy between the front and rear canopy a little and tested their fit again. Gonna adjust the seat design and control panels after I finish repaneling and hopefully I can have the whole interior printed by Sunday

[thaipham101]

On 3/14/2024 at 5:59 AM, TimNT said:

Hi Thai,

 

I think that it is very important that you produce a very accurate first kit, so please take your time to study the material and pictures available on the internet and in real life. There is a real A-1E (not AD-5W) at the Aerospace Museum of California in McClellan AFB, Sacramento.

Aerospace Museum of California
(916) 643-3192

https://g.co/kgs/JSgDaEZ

You may want to come out to take pictures and measurements of it before you commit yourself to mass production. 

 

 

There is also a Vought A-7 on display, among others, and we badly need a SLUF in 1/32 scale (the only kit in existence is the Trumpeter one which is awful!)

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the advice but another California trip is pretty much impossible right now but I do have some people who I can get more documents and pictures from, plus you guys, so I think all should be good

 

a SLUF isn't really in my plan, I'll try to finish with the AD-5 family first and if the sale goes well I'll either go for the B-57 family, I really want one that was "transfered" to VNAF in the later years of the war, and of course a AD-4W, we need some AD-4W

[TimNT]

Hmm. Interesting, the VNAF never warmed up to the B-57, especially after Major Bien's demise. The program lasted less than 2 years. I was more hoping for an F-35A/B or A-37.

[thaipham101]

3 hours ago, TimNT said:

Hmm. Interesting, the VNAF never warmed up to the B-57, especially after Major Bien's demise. The program lasted less than 2 years. I was more hoping for an F-35A/B or A-37.

Isn't Jetmad doing a 1/32 A-37 already? And Trumpeter doing the F-35 family. I'd prefer to not compete against big guys like those. The B-57 is also because of the USAF B-57G and NASA WB-57, since I live near Ellington Field and got to see those WB-57 a lot.

 

Btw does the belly of the updated fuselage look good enough Tim? 

[geedubelyer]

Hello Thai. 

 

Regarding the B-57, I don't know how closely it resembles an English Electric Canberra but if it's close you might have some interest in that aircraft too. I believe it was a license built product so may be quite similar. It could give potential customers many more marking options.

 

Cheers.

[thaipham101]

7 minutes ago, geedubelyer said:

Hello Thai. 

 

Regarding the B-57, I don't know how closely it resembles an English Electric Canberra but if it's close you might have some interest in that aircraft too. I believe it was a license built product so may be quite similar. It could give potential customers many more marking options.

 

Cheers.

Yeah I still haven't done much research on the B-57 and Canberra yet but I believe the general shape and components should be pretty similar, being a licensed built

[phasephantomphixer]

Was going to mention the one at McClellan since you'd said you were in Calif. earlier.

I will check old photos I took of it back when I was stationed there. Hope I have some of use.