I thot I thaw A TWEETY BOID!

Academy 1/72nd scale A-37B Dragonfly

This is the 1/72nd scale A-37B Dragonfly Academy kit built as A-37B 87916 of the 516th FS/ 41st FW/ 1st Air Division of the Republic of Vietnam Air force (RVAF). This plane was based at Da Nang air base circa 1970. The load out depicted here was typical for a close-air support sorties. The 500 pound Mk-82 bombs came with kit & the Hasegawa weapons set I provided the 250 pound Mk-81 bombs on the outboard pylons. The decals are from the Albatros Modelworks sheet 72-007 "FEROCIOUS BUGS".

For the SEA Camouflage scheme, I used Testors Model Masters enamel paints & Testors flat colors that come in the 1/4 oz bottles.  Here’s the color mixes:

* Camo gray was a half & half mix MM Camo gray (FS36622) & flat white.

* The medium green (FS34102)  was a mix of  MM Med Green with some flat yellow & 10% camo grey to lighten it to contrast better with the dark green.

* The dark green (FS34079) was the MM dk green with a little SAC bomber green (FS34159) to make it greener and less olive looking.

* For the tan (FS30219) I used the MM tan mixed with a little yellow to lighten it some and then added Teators flat light tan (in the 1/4 oz bottle) until it looked pink enough.

I didn’t use any formula or precision measuring; I just added a little paint to the MM base color, stirred then brushed it  on a piece of scrap white plastic card. When it looked right to my eye as I compared it to color pix in my refs, I thinned it & loaded up the airbrush.

Call it the Kentucky windage method of color matching. 

 Two f’ers!:
 I built this kit along side my F-4E kit (see A big ol' can whoop-ass ). I find building models two at a time conserves paint and my ever-diminishing leisure time. When I paint, most of the time goes to mixing and thinning the paint and cleaning the airbrush. Once the paint is thinned, you can’t put it back, so it’s either used or tossed! Time spent actually blowing paint was minuscule compared to the prep and clean up. I get twice as much done in one painting session. This is really efficient for the small airbrush jobs like cockpit colors, gear wells, landing gear, bombs, etc. When one model’s sub-assembly is setting or drying, I work on the other one. I split the projects when it comes time to decal and final assembly. Works for me!


Refs:
"Cessna's Tough Two-Seater" by Robrt Trimble, AIR COMBAT Vol 10, No.4, September 1982, Challenge Publications, San Diago, CA, USA.

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