Hasegawa 1:72 A-6E Intruder

[hprentice]

Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by my thread. This is my first ever group build, and also my first ever Hasegawa kit so i am really excited to get this going. I have wanted to build an A-6E for a while now, so this group build is perfect. I dont see this taking too much time, but I hope you all enjoy it



So now for some history.

The A-6 Intruder was an American all-weather, two seat, subsonic, carrier based attack aircraft built by Grumman. Used in service by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997 the A-6 Intruder has seen many conflicts such as Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq, and Bosnia.

A-6 Intruders first taste of action came during the Vietnam War. The aircraft was used extensively to destroy ground targets. Having such long range, the ability to carry 18,000 pounds (8,200 kilograms), as well as the ability to fly in any weather, at any time made it invaluable during the war.
Primarily the mission profile would require the A-6 to fly low and deliver its payload. This made it an easy target for anti-aircraft fire. During its time in the Vietnam war 84 Intruders were lost. “Of the 84 Intruders lost to all causes during the war, ten were shot down by surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), two were shot down by MiGs, 16 were lost to operational causes, and 56 were lost to conventional ground fire and AAA.”

The A-6E was an upgraded attack version of the Intruder. The A-6E was first deployed in Vietnam in 1971. The A-6E had highly upgraded navigation and attack systems, at a total coast of $43 million, making it a valuable addition to the war.
“The earlier separate search and track (fire control) radars of the A-6A/B/C were replaced by a single Norden AN/APQ-148 multi-mode radar, and onboard computers with a more sophisticated (and generally more reliable) IC based system, as opposed to the A-6A's DIANE discrete transistor-based technology. A new AN/ASN-92 inertial navigation system was added, along with the CAINS (Carrier Aircraft Inertial Navigation System), for greater navigation accuracy.”

Armament:
10 2.75" Rocket Pod
10 5" Zuni Rocket Pod
28 Mk-20 Rockeye
Mk-77 Napalm
28 Mk-81 (250 lbs)
28 Mk-82 Snakeye
13 Mk-83 (1,000 lbs)
5 Mk-84 (2,000 lbs)
20 Mk-117 (750 lbs)
28 CBU-78
GBU-10E Laser Guided Bomb
GBU-12D Laser Guided Bomb
GBU-16B Laser Guided Bomb
AGM-123A Skipper II
AGM-45 Shrike
AGM-62 Walleyes
AIM-9 Sidewinders
System Weapon Improvement Program, SWIP
AGM-88 HARMs
AGM-84E SLAMs
AGM-65 Maverick Anti-Ship Missile
AIM-120A AMRAAM



The VA-35 black panthers are a Navy attack squadron. Established in 1935 the Black Panthers have been fighting for the U.S. Navy in every war since. The A-6E Intruder joined the squadron during the Vietnam war. I will be creating the Black Panther version for my submission to this GB.




Alright lets get to the model.

My first impressions of the model are pretty good. It looks like it'll be a lot of fun, but quite a challenge. The instruction sheet is different to anything i have done before, and the colour call out is not in colour. There is quite a lot of flash around the edges and the pilots both have holes in them that need to be filled. I think a small amount of additional work is in order to make it all look nice.

Here is the model.


Slight damage on the box, but everything inside is ok




All the sprues came in one plastic bag inside the box






Decals are nice, they seem a really good quality. However no protective sheet came with them.


You can see on the nose cone just how bad the flash is in some areas.




Glass parts are nice and clear






Here you can see the flash around the pilots, and the two huge bullet holes they came with.

Really looking forward to this build, and will keep you all updated. Thanks

Harry

[LudvigN]

I have this kit myself and its an ooooooooold kit from the 1960s in a new box. Curious about what its capable of. Good luck with it!

[Deacon]

I'm looking forward to this mate.

[UKguyInUSA]

Great looking it mate, enjoy building her!

[TonyCnyc]

Hi - I'm currently working on the same kit. It is an old mould as someone else already mentioned. Prepare filler/sanding especially on the bottom and along the engine exhausts. But comes along with some TLC! Look forward to your build.

[chief5437]

Good luck with the a6. I've done this kit as well, must be popular, lol! Personally, I hated it, loads of filler, and that two piece canopy? What were they thinking?!

Came out alright in the end though. Best of luck with it buddy

[hprentice]

Today I tried to scribe in some recessed panel lines. I used a scribe and a hobby knife to carve in the lines, and I eventually decided it was not worth the effort. It would be a waste of time to do the whole model, and it doesn't look too great. I will buff out the marks, and it is on the underside of the wing so no dramas.. Hopefully I will begin building later today

[Willem]

Good luck with your build mate.

I hate re-scribing too so I feel your pain. Tamiya and Trumpeter do scribing tools but you could also use a sharp needle held in a pin vice. You'll need a metal rule and stuff like dymo tape helps to scribe around curved surfaces.

Hope this helps.

[hprentice]

I want to start off by apologizing for the silence. I have been away and busy with work, but now i am back and ready to show off my progress.

I am still waiting for my mail order of paint and filler (which i am going to need buckets of...) so we may be looking at more delays on the build. but i have managed to clear up my workspace, put on some Credence Clearwater Revival to get in the Vietnam spirit and begin building!!



my wonderfully clear workspace (mum would be proud)



all set, engines hot, ready to go!



I found a great use for my third hand. it makes a perfect instructions holder



now the first step is to usually assemble the cockpit, and i thought seeing as i had no paint, i could at least glue the parts together ready to be painted. But being such a small kit, this is it! The cockpit is one piece. So when i get my paint i can stick the pilot in and make it look pretty.



i decided to stick parts to the fuselage to give me something to do. This model is almost 50% flash. the image above shows the exhaust, with a ridge of flash on the inside. After filing and sanding i got it smooth and glued it on.


i wanted to take a lot more progress pictures, but so far it has just been ridiculous amounts of sanding and filing to get rid of flash and ejector pin marks. but here is one completed half of fuselage.



Its now pretty late so I'm calling it a night and will post some more tomorrow see you all then