Hasegawa A-7E Corsair II - WIP

Michael Phillips
Well, off and running on my next project! Sticking with a US Navy subject (3rd in a row!), this time it will be a Hasegawa A-7E VA-86 Sidewinders jet from the late '70s-early 80's era. Looking forward to doing my first LGG over White jet in awhile. Here we go!

James C
Cool project... I'm in😉👍

Alexander
This jet, while on the first glance looking a bit ugly due to it's appearance with the jet intake, has some kind of appeal for the same reason when I think more about it. Certainly an interesting looking aircraft and I look forward to what you will make of it.
Why two sets of decals though?

Urban Gardini
There's always room for a SLUF!

Maciej Bellos
Have a sweet spot for the SLUF. Hellenic Air Force operated quite a lot of these, first the H version (H for Hellenic, which were brand new Es with no refuelling probe and some other differences) since the late 70s (about 60 of them) and since the early 90s surplus Es (another 60 or so). If I remember correctly the A-7 were retired in 2012. I think we were the last operator. One of those surplus was the famous DESERT STORM bird.

Jos Jansen
Oh yeah, next project Michael...very nice, great subject, great and iconic jet plane! I am in mate...!

Nathan Dempsey
Great subject. I'm in.

Michael Phillips
Welcome guys! It is great to have you all along for the ride.

Alexander, I totally agree. It is ugly, but in a cool way. She is no beauty queen like her shipmate was (Tomcat). The reason I have two sheets is because they are both of an aircraft from the same timeframe, but one sheet is very old and I am unsure how it will work. The newer sheet, however, does not have as many stencils as the older sheet, so I would like to use them if I can. Also, the newer sheet has markings for 400 and 401, I want to do 401, not the CAG AC. So it is likely I will use parts of both sheets.

Hmm, that's right Maciej! I have a couple A-7E kits in the stash, maybe I should do a Greek SLUF! Now to look for decal sheets...

Jos, the cool thing is I am doing one of the A-7 Squadrons from the Nimitz from the same timeframe as your Victory Tomcat. If you watch the Final Countdown closely, you can see VA-86 Corsairs quite a few times. I want to eventually do a model of every aircraft and every squadron from the film. VF-84 Tomcat, VF-41 Tomcat, VA-86 Corsair, VA-82 Corsair, VA-35 Intruder, VS-24 Viking, VAQ-134 EA-6B, VAW-112 E-2C, HS-9 SH-3H, and VFP-63 RF-8G.

Gareth Windsor
I'm pulling up a seat Michael.

Maciej Bellos
Greek SLUFs are a feast for the eyes. Countless patches and grime everywhere.

Mathijs Beenhakker
Love a "Short Little Ugly Fucker"...sorry Fellow...currently building one myself with all kinds of goodies and could use a motivational build as i lost a bit of steam...So following!!

Sven Schönyan
I´m watching with interest! According to my current modelling plans until the end of this year Light Gull Grey will be on my desk, too! So let´s see which technique I can borrow from you.

Nathan Dempsey
I have a feeling this build is going to rekindle my desire to build that A-7K I've been thinking about.

Slavo Hazucha
Signing in for the NAVY! Will certainly be a great menu with many fine courses served here!😉

Michael Phillips
I hope you guys can find inspiration from my build! I would love to see some more Short Little Ugly Fellas (the work safe version LOL).

So I have been working on the cockpit, no picture updates yet but I am close to finishing it. I will say this, for anyone looking at the Aires cockpit for the Hasegawa Corsair, the fit seems to be pretty good from the dry fitting I have done so far. So don't be afraid! (It's not insanely bad as are the Aires Skyhawk cockpits)

Urban Gardini
Have you tested the Aires Skyhawk cockpit in say a MiG-17? Chances must be quite good for a better fit there than in a Skyhawk...

Mathijs Beenhakker
agree with Michael on the Aires cockpit fitting pretty good..just some minor removal of the casting blok around the intake area underneath the cockpit and mine fitted like a glove with no tension on the air-frame what so ever....only downside for me were the instructions of the canopy framing...but maybe that's just me!

Mathijs Beenhakker
Michael Phillips, Please Sir test your decals i have had not the best of luck with "Micro Scale Decals" which fell apart after soaking in water and had to use "Microscale liquid decal film" to restore/use them

Donald Dickson II
I avoid Aires cock pits after a wrestling match with one years ago. Not keen on doing that again. I passed on it when I did my Molar Marauder build.

Watching this one. 🙂

Michael Phillips
LOL Urban, I actually think that truly might be the case. Seriously. LOL

Thanks for the heads up Mathijs, I think I have some of the decal film liquid, and will use it for the first time. I will have to read up on how to best utilize it since I have never used it.

Donald, I feel ya man. I have had some luck with Aires though. This one looks to fit well, the Aggressor F-16C cockpit I used fit pretty decent, and the AH-64 cockpit was not terrible either. But I can say their Skyhawk cockpit might as well be for a MiG-17 the fit is so bad, and I hear the Tomcat pit for Hasegawa is a bear to make fit. I haven't used that yet, but I have a couple in the stash so I will be using them some day.

Michael Phillips
Anyway, the cockpit is mostly done. I will add a wash and flat coat and it will be ready to install.

Nathan Dempsey
Looking nice there Michael.

Mathijs Beenhakker
@Michael Phillips, just use your airbrush,use high pressure because its thick for a liquid and spray two layers on the decal sheet like you would with paint (no need to flood the paper) ...let it dry and just do as you always do with decals! (bottle says you could do it with a brush as well)

Mathijs Beenhakker
And for those who think a resin cockpit is hard to fit on its own...Try fitting a two part cockpit (four seats) a bomb bay, wheel bay's, electronics, wingfold's and a radar bay in a S-3 viking! Ow and all are from different manufacturers!! and different resin's...that's really good fun (early type resin could be a headache as well due to "Shrinkage" or warped parts)

Alexander
Looking good already, might need a bit colour though imo - like some red buttons at least.
Are the details in the displays decals?

Slavo Hazucha
In the detail department, Aires cockpits are really some of the best stuff around IMHO - both resin & PE... Combine it with a master of his trade & you get results as seen here 🙂 👍

Michael Phillips
Thanks Nathan, Mathijs, Alexander, and Slavo!

Mathijs, thanks for that, I will be sure to do that. Never thought to airbrush it!

Alexander, you are right, I will add a little color here and there. Looks like I could add a little yellow and red. The displays are actually clear acetate underlay that goes under the PE instrument panel. It is supplied with the Aires cockpit.

So I have been busy with construction of late. Spent a lot of time with the intake, it's hard to see because it is still primer black, but it turned out pretty nice. Used CA and baby powder for the seams and that seemed to work nicely. Have some seamwork to do, but nothing major. Should be ready to prime and pre-shade this weekend!

Casey Rupley
Great start. Hope that intake was easier than the Hobby Boss version. I think I spent a couple of weeks blending the seam lines. But the rest was easy. Looking forward to seeing more.

James C
Off to a great start Michael 👍
I finished the Hobby boss kit (in the same scheme) a few months back but managed to balls up the panel lines sadly.

Jos Jansen
Nice progress Michael...what is the major issue with the intake?

Spanjaard
I fully agree with Slavo, I love the details of aries cockpit, they are amazing. On the fitting side of things, I have to also agree with comments above. I am glad to hear that you had no issues in that area, Michael. Beautiful results on that cockpit by the way

Alexander
Yeah, intakes seem to always be at least a minor issue, but yours look quite good, great progress so far. 👍

Donald Dickson II
I didnt find the intake on this one to be too bad. Not in comparison to a lot of others. Looking great sir!

Nathan Dempsey
Wow, progressing quickly and looking great too 🙂

Michael Phillips
Thanks Casey, James, Jos, Spanjaard, Alexander, Donald, and Nathan!

Jos, the intake actually goes together nicely,but you end up with lots of joins to make disappear, even thought the fit there is actually quite good. you have the two fueselage halves making the lip and upper portion then the trunking which itself is two parts.

Donald Dickson II
The one and only thing that went well on the aborted F-16 was coating the interior of the intake with latex house paint. That took care of those seams like a charm. Something I intend to do every time I can. Wish I had known that trick when I did this kit.

Casey Rupley
Good tip, Donald. I've used enamel paints to coat intakes, but never thought about household latex paint. I will definitely have to try that. Probably dries faster than enamels. I had to wait up to a week with enamel for it to harden.

Daniel
joining in, great progress michael! awesome pit!
I have good experiences with letting PVA glue flow down intake tubes as well

Clifford Keesler
Looking good. Watching.

Michael Phillips
Thanks Daniel and Clifford!

I thought about the latex pour method, but felt on this build it might not work so well due to how the trunk and fuselage halves assemble and all the sanding and blending needed to make it all seamless.

So I got the primer down and pre-shading done this weekend. Moving right along! Next up will be the LGG and white underside. This is turning out to be a nice, trouble-free build that moves along at a nice clip. I am very impressed with this kit.

Slavo Hazucha
Indeed, looks like another home-run through all steps 👍

Michael Phillips
Thanks Slavo!

Got the LGG and white painted, but will have to touch up a few places. Used MRP Insignia White and Gunze Aqueous LGG. Going to work on some weapons and other bits while these colors cure a couple of days before adding the future coat.

Michael Phillips
Got the main decals done today, have some tweaking to do of the wing stripes once they dry tomorrow. Will finish the stencils tomorrow and then move on to the wash and post shading. Moving right along!

Sven Schönyan
Nice to see something colourful here. Looks great so far!

Jos Jansen
So cool Michael...what a beauty, would be great to put this stunner next to mine USS NIMITZ bird... 😉

Alexander
Uhh... I like the orange on LGG and white, really gives it some colour - awesome. 👍

Nathan Dempsey
Colorful bird & I really like it! Can't wait to see the finish.

Michael Phillips
Thanks Sven, Jos, Alexander, and Nathan!

So after looking at the pics, I was thinking the upper wing roundel looked a bit too big, and after comparing the pics to real pics of the aircraft, I am pretty sure I got the fuselage and wing roundels backwards, as the fuselage roundel looks too small. The instructions on the Aeromaster sheet are wrong. Ugh. Luckily there are two sets of roundels on the sheet, I will have to remove and replace them today.

Augie
looking good!

Slavo Hazucha
Wow, this is escalating faster than a Cold War standoff in East Berlin! Barely started and now we are at the decals... And it looks all but fantastic on every step! 🙂 👍

Good you found out the glitch with the decals and since you got replacements, a true crisis is averted... Often, I find my mistakes and "suspicious proportions & things" when looking at pictures, not at the model... Therefore I make so many during the build... 😄

Thomas Bischoff
Agree with Augie, this will turn out very nice!

Urban Gardini
Michael, at least you put the insignia on the right way... 😉

Clifford Keesler
Looks amazing, I love that color scheme.

Michael Phillips
Thanks Augie, Slavo, Thomas, Urban, and Clifford!

Slavo, this is indeed moving right along, just how I like it.

So I fixed the national insignia issue and added all of the stencils. I used the kit stencils, and the carrier film has darkened a little even after sitting in the window absorbing sunlight for a week. I think that once I apply the wash it should even the color out so that it does not stand out as it does now.

James C
Look fabulous Michael and fast progress as well! 👍

Michael Hickey
Very beautiful, I started this same project decades ago, I should get in and finish her.🤔

Michael Phillips
Thanks James and Michael!

Michael, you definitely should finish her. I would love to see it.

Well, got the wash on now, and will add some very light further weathering and panel shading, but it will not be very heavy at all. Want to show some wear as if it had been at sea for awhile, but nothing major since this scheme seemed to hold up better than the TPS that came later.

Clifford Keesler
Awesome looking Sir.

Sebastian Meyner
Looks great Michael 👍

Michael Phillips
Thanks Clifford and Sebastian! I appreciate the kind words.

Michael Phillips
So I did some further weathering after the wash and added the flat coat... AAAAAND... I think I took the weathering too far. I think the issue is that I have not done a LGG over White scheme in awhile, and what works for weathering on darker grays is a bit much on this scheme. So I think I will go back in tonight and tone it down a bit with the white and gray. It appears to be most troublesome in the white areas, particularly on the left side of the front fuselage. The top and rest of the fuselage seem to be not so bad, and more along the lines of what I was looking to do.

Donald Dickson II
Honestly I dont think its bad at all.

Nathan Dempsey
I agree with Donald. I'm sure whatever you do it will come out looking awesome anyways 🙂

Clifford Keesler
I agree with Donald and Nathan also. But what ever youdo I know it will come out looking great.

ForestFan
Personally I think she's looking great, look forward to seeing more

Alexander
I agree, it doesn't look that overdone. If you are going to make it more subtle, then I'm sure it will turn out even better!

Mathijs Beenhakker
I think the problem is more the lack of shine/shimmer on the aircraft and with that the contrast of the dirt is more accentuated...but that's just my opinion😉

Slavo Hazucha
As long as the upper surfaces and the grey sides go, I think the weathering is still proper for a well run in service machine. And I want to add the way it looks & blends with the decals is nothing short of perfect - and I have seen this very same orange patterns turn a model to a toys'r'us spec object on more than one occasion... Excellent job so far 👍

After you mentioned it, the white surfaces go, they are a bit on the verge between used & abandoned, if you really want to see it that way😉

I recently had a very good experience with mending a too dark wash on white - I simly made another thin white oil wash and went over it, then again with a medium-thin where needed and was able to completely control the effect reduction... maybe worth a try, but if you leave it as-is, it's still a stunner & top job!

Michael Phillips
Thanks Donald, Nathan, Clifford, Forest, Alexander, Mathijs, and Slavo. The more I looked at it the more I was ok with it, but I did go back in and dialed it back slightly.

Slavo, that is a good idea, I may have to consider that in the future instead of just using the base color to reverse the effect. I agree it may be easier to control. I am glad you noticed the fading of the orange decals, that was purposeful as I thought the same as you with that color. Just wanted to tone it down, especial that huge diamond on the dorsal spine that is quite loud.

Michael Phillips
I do have an update... I made a big booboo. Whilst trying to pop the wheels on the already attached landing gear, I tried a little too hard to force it on the main gears instead of opening up the wheel hole more (felt a tight fit was better than gluing it in a loose fit and keeping the correct angle) and guess what... I snapped the right main landing gear off along with the support strut (which snapped in half). So that lead me to a completed mojo killer this weekend, and after a couple sessions of trying to fix it and get it straight and even I just left it be for now. Maybe I will work on the weapons tonight and try to get the mojo back for this. Sigh...

Donald Dickson II
Yeah, I HATE when I do something like that. But, you are well more than capable of taking of that. 🙂

Clifford Keesler
Agree with Donald. I lost all my mojo on everything for a couple of days when I dropped my 1/32 Starfighter, and watched it explode all over the kitchen floor. LOL. It's re-build is almost compelete.

Urban Gardini
Don't worry as it's not a proper project if you don't break something or bleed all over it...

Maciej Bellos
Or get instant glue in your hair and face...

Mathijs Beenhakker
Maybe i got a strut in my spares box...Part nr?

Jos Jansen
That sucks Michael, still going strong my friend!

Daniel
I think the surface looks awesome! will look great next to its squadron brother hornet (which is my favourite of your collection)Landing gear mishaps do happen, some extra thin and things look like new 🙂

Michael Phillips
Thanks guys!

Well, I have recovered from my little snafu, and have completed the weapons I will use on this build. Now, this combination of munitions would probably never be used together, but hey, it will look cool and it's my model and it IS possible. LOL

Looks like I will finish up this weekend, not too much left to do. This will be my last upload to this album... stay tuned for the final reveal!!!

Konrad -
Awesome work Michael👍!
Perfect and yes it is your model and yes it looks cool 😉! Mean Machine 😉

Alexander
Hmm, bombs and agm's (I take it this is a Shrike?) together are not that uncommon, at least the A-10 has loadouts with both Mavericks and Paveways or JDAM's - but then again I'not an expert at the loadouts of the Corsair.
But that doesn't take away your skills in finishing the armament anyway - looking great and happy that you fixed your landing gear! 👍

Urban Gardini
Only one HE band on the nose on the 82's in spite of them being thermo coated?

Nathan Dempsey
Wow, the weapons look great! That's going to look good once they're mounted.

Jos Jansen
Besides the setback, you're doing a great job here Michael. I totally agree with you, it's your model...you're deciding the load-out!

Soeren R.
Amazing work so far Michael!
The weathering is spot on in my opinion!

Michael Phillips
Thanks Konrad, ALexander, Urban, Nathan, Jos, and Soeren!

Urban!!!! Thank you for reminding me before it was too late that the ablative coating Navy mk 82s had two yellow stripes. I knew that, but not entirely sure why I did only one. Thanks again for the reminder.

Michael Hickey
Glad to see she's on her undercarriage, and those stores look great.👍👍👍

Clifford Keesler
Looking great Michael.

Slavo Hazucha
Back on all 3 legs and ready to lift some AAA-looking cargo! Excellent recovery and the ordnance looks as good as things can ever get! 👍

Mathijs Beenhakker
Great to see her on her feet again😉...just a question...will you keep the insignia's that white?...they were painted with the same white as the aircraft itself...Right??

James C
Looking fantastic Michael and well used and abused from carrier ops.... Very nice save 👍

Urban Gardini
Glad I could be of help mate!

Günther Decock
Alvast knap bezig, Michael. Ziet er een vrij complete kit uit. 👍

Clifford Keesler
Agree with every one. Excellent looking model and weapons, nice save on the gear. I really like those markings. Are they aftermarket? or kit.

Clifford Keesler
That was a dumd question, just realized I built the same kit, and those markings defenitley were not in the box. LOL. Will have to try and find that set for my next SLUFF.

Michael Phillips
Thanks Michael, Clifford, Slavo, Mathijs, James, Urban, and Günther!

Clifford, I used an Aeromaster sheet for these markings, but it is a bit hard to find. I also had an old Superscale sheet, but I ended up not using it since it is so old.

Michael Phillips
Well, this one is done! Thank you all for following along and offering support and help along the way, it is greatly appreciated!!! The final rollout can be seen here:

Hasegawa A-7E Corsair II - Completed! | Album by Fighting 84 (1:48)