Electronic Skyraiders: 5/27/19- Tactical retreat!

Skale Wings AD-5Ws 

Official U.S. Navy Photo

The Douglas Aircraft AD-5 Skyraider was a major redesign of the Skyraider attack plane. Previous multi-crew Skyraiders were based on the single place fuselage resulting in a cramped, uncomfortable crew station that was near impossible to escape from the in event of an emergency. Douglas Aircraft completely redesigned the fuselage to accommodate side-by-side seating and a spacious open layout behind the front seats. This plane was designated as the AD-5. With the DoD unified aircraft designation system in 1962, the AD-5 became the A-1E. This configuration proved so versatile that the airframe was adapted to several missions each with a mission designation. The major versions were: basic airframe was the AD-5 which could be configured for carrier onboard delivery, MEDIVAC and target towing; night attack was the AD-5N (EA-1G); electronic warfare was the AD-5Q (EA-1F), and a single ASW prototype as tested. The early warning AD-5W (EA-1E) carried the APS-20 radar in the distinctive belly radome.

Skale wings released a 1/72nd scale AD-5W Skyraider in 2016. The kit is an evolution between main line injection molding and low-pressure, limited run kits. Skale Wings pretty much got the dimensions right but some details were wrong or missing. Much to their credit, they re-issued the kit with their "Folded Wings" accessory kit that not only added the parts for the folding wing option, but included parts to correct the details they missed on the first release. Still, they missed a few things; I'll correct the stuff they missed as I go along.

Using 2 kits, I'm going to build the AD-5W and AD-5Q. For the AD-5Q, I'll take the resin parts from the RVHP Conversion for the Hasegawa kit. I've had this conversion for years, but couldn't find a Hasegawa kit for something less than my mortgage, and then the mental block of not using most of it loomed large. The Skale Wings kits aren't cheap, but they're cheaper (and available) than the Hasegawa kit. 

Next update: cockpit work.

RJ

Sitrep 1: 12APR19


Finished the cockpits. The Skalewings kits have a lot of flash. Some of the flash is so heavy that I couldn't clean up the petite parts. Cleaning up all the parts is really slowing down progress. In addition, the Skalewings & RVHP cockpits are based on the AD-5N not the AD-5W or AD-5Q. So, I decided to use a Cobra Cockpit set as the basis for the AD-5W and open the rear canopy to show the scratch-built radar stuffed in the back of the cabin. Kit parts would provide AD-5Q cockpit since I'll build it closed. The go to ref for this kit is Tommy H. Thomason's article, Skale Wings 1/72 Douglas AD-5W Skyraider , on his blog. All the required corrections for this kit is there.

In it is this this diagram of the radar components in the aft cabin with the operator's station :

Here' my interpretation for the AD-5W cockpit: 

The parts are scratch built from plastic stock, modified from the Cobra set & a cut-up console from the RVHP conversion for the black boxes.

Here's cockpits put together: 

The AD-5Q cockpit is kit parts and decals for the side controls. 

The front cockpit consoles are from the RVHP kit on the left & the Cobra set on the right. The radar hood is fashioned from plastic rod and a pulley part from the old Revell Constitution kit. Pictures in my refs show the radar screens as orange when turned off vice the gray/ green color of more modern displays.

Start working the fuselage next!


RJ 

SITREP 2 

Been awhile since an update because, Man!, I'm struggling with these kits. The kit cockpit floor is too wide for the fuselage; if I force it in place, it makes the cockpit opening too wide for the canopy. I've abandoned the kit cockpit floor, & I'm filing down another Cobra set to slide in place on the AD-5Q version. .


The fuselage halves DO NOT fit together; bad gaps at the tail base and engine cowl. You got TO REALLY, REALLY WANT a wide-body Skyraider to hang with these kits.  Here is the AD-5W with the cockpit in place. 

The AD-5W had the drive brake removed and the well was left in place. My suspicion is the well redirected the airflow around the redome to eliminate air turbulence aft of the dome., But I don't know that for certain. To make the brake well, I fashioned a master from the bottom brake part from the Airfix ancient  Skyraider kit.  

A friend with a vac-u-form machine made a vuc-u-form well for me. Label tape provided the hard edge to scribe the plastic to cut out the well.

After I cut through the plastic, I stuffed in some modelling clay to support the well part while I worked it. 

Here's the vac well in place with scrap plastic shims to fill the big gaps. 

As you can see in the pictures, the fit is just awful. I'll blend in the brake well as I fill and sand the fuselage seams…. groan!  

RJ 

5/27/19: Tactical retreat! 

This project is so frustrating that I've put it away. Bluntly, it was too much a chore and not enough hobby.  I'll revisit (maybe after retirement next year) when the frustration has faded, & I've thought through how to solve some of the fit issues around the cockpit and canopy. One possible alternative I'm contemplating is using Skale-Wings parts with the RVHP conversion vice the Hasegawa A-1H/J kits. 

Bummer....

RJ