A-4E, Israeli Air Force, 261

Kitbash of an older A-4 kit with a spare avionics hump from Fujimi.

The Subject

The Isreali Air Force operated the A-4 Skyhawk from 1968 until retiring them operationally in 2005.  A few remained for training purposes until 2015.

The Model

I chose this scheme because I liked the camouflage colors and markings.  I had a Microscale sheet and a new airbrush and found colors that were close to what I saw in the few pictures or side views I could get.  One common feature was the hump on the back.

I had just finished a Fujimi TA-4J which had a spare hump and with zero references I proceeded to fit the hump to what I believe is the ancient Airfix A4D-1 kit.  Of course, the A4D-1 never carried the avionics hump but that did not stop me.  The kit was otherwise build out of the box.

I did what I could to make the feathering as realistic as possible, and frankly at the time I thought I did a bang on job of it.  

Summary

This was a fun build at the time, and introduced me to the frustrations and enjoyment of airbrushing.  The airbrush was a single action Badger.  My compressor was a 12v auto inflator for emergency roadside use, and my “tank” was my VW Beetle’s spare tire.  I hauled that tire back/forth to the balcony many times to spray a number of kits.

I know now this model is totally inaccurate but I’ve kept it because it has lots of memories.