Review of FCM 1/48TH Scale
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Decal Set
no. 48044
By Ray Mehlberger
Available at Sprue Bros for $16.99 marked down from $19.00.
By Ray Mehlberger
Available at Sprue Bros for $16.99 marked down from $19.00.
HISTORY:
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the U.S. Navy's pre-1962 designation system.
The Skyhawk is a relatively lightweight aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 24,500 pounds (11,100 kg) and has a top speed of more than 670 miles per hour (1,080 km/h). The aircraft's five hard-points support a variety of missiles, bombs and other munitions. It is capable of carrying a bomb load equivalent to that of a World War II–era Boeing B-17 bomber, and can deliver nuclear weapons using a low-altitude bombing system and a "loft" delivery technique.
The A-4 was originally powered by the Wright J65 turbojet engine; from the A-4E onwards, the Pratt & Whitney J52 engine was used. Skyhawks played key roles in the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur War, and the Falklands War. Sixty years after the aircraft's first flight in 1954, some of the 2,960 produced (through February 1979) remain in service with the Argentine Air Force and the Brazilian Naval Aviation.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Attack aircraft, fighter, aggressor aircraft
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft Company, McDonnell Douglas
First flight: 22 June 1954; 65 years ago
Introduction to service: 1 October 1956; 63 years ago
Retired: USMC (1998), U.S. Navy (2003): Israeli Air Force (2015), Royal New Zealand Air Force (2001)
Status: In limited service with non-U.S. users
Primary users: U.S. Navy (historical), U.S. Marine Corps (historical), Israeli Air Force (historical), Argentine Air Force (historical)
Produced: 1954–1979
Number built: 2,960
Unit cost: U.S. $2.8–3.8 million
Variants: Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk, McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk, ST Aerospace A-4SU Super Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable attack aircraft developed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. The delta-winged, single turbojet engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the U.S. Navy's pre-1962 designation system.
The Skyhawk is a relatively lightweight aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 24,500 pounds (11,100 kg) and has a top speed of more than 670 miles per hour (1,080 km/h). The aircraft's five hard-points support a variety of missiles, bombs and other munitions. It is capable of carrying a bomb load equivalent to that of a World War II–era Boeing B-17 bomber, and can deliver nuclear weapons using a low-altitude bombing system and a "loft" delivery technique.
The A-4 was originally powered by the Wright J65 turbojet engine; from the A-4E onwards, the Pratt & Whitney J52 engine was used. Skyhawks played key roles in the Vietnam War, the Yom Kippur War, and the Falklands War. Sixty years after the aircraft's first flight in 1954, some of the 2,960 produced (through February 1979) remain in service with the Argentine Air Force and the Brazilian Naval Aviation.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Attack aircraft, fighter, aggressor aircraft
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft Company, McDonnell Douglas
First flight: 22 June 1954; 65 years ago
Introduction to service: 1 October 1956; 63 years ago
Retired: USMC (1998), U.S. Navy (2003): Israeli Air Force (2015), Royal New Zealand Air Force (2001)
Status: In limited service with non-U.S. users
Primary users: U.S. Navy (historical), U.S. Marine Corps (historical), Israeli Air Force (historical), Argentine Air Force (historical)
Produced: 1954–1979
Number built: 2,960
Unit cost: U.S. $2.8–3.8 million
Variants: Lockheed Martin A-4AR Fightinghawk, McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk, ST Aerospace A-4SU Super Skyhawk
THE SET:
FCM is the initials of the owner’s name – Felipe C. Miranda. It is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The set comes in a clear envelope. It contains the decal sheet and instructions.
FCM is the initials of the owner’s name – Felipe C. Miranda. It is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The set comes in a clear envelope. It contains the decal sheet and instructions.
The instructions consists of a single-sheet, printed on both sides in color on slick-coated paper, in 22” x 8” format.
The face side of the instructions has 9 color side profiles and a top view A 5-view line-drawing to use for stencil mark placing, and enlargements of Argentine Air Force and Indonesian Air Force Squadron logos.
The 1st profiles are of a Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, no. 151072, of Skadron Udara II – Lanud Hasanuddin Makassar, Indonesian Air Force -2004. Both sides of this Skyhawk are illustrated.
It is in a wave-pattern of light-brown, medium-blue and light blue-grey over a light blue-grey undercarriage. It has a black nose tip, a black logo of a eagle in flight carrying a bomb, over black serial no. TT-0437 on the rudder and a small black 37 under the the wind-screen. The black Indonesian Air Force hexagonal insignia is on the fuselage sides.
The 2nd profile is a Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, no. 149664, Skadron Udara II, Lanud Hasanuddin Makassar, Indonesian Air Force – 1997.
It is in the same color scheme as the no. 1 profile above, with serial no. TT-0431 on the rudder and a small white 31 under the windscreen on its side. It has the Indonesian Air Force hexagonal insignia of the sides of the fuselage. It has a logo of a grey-outlined shield with a lightning bold and II on it.
The 3rd profile is a Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, no. 142748, Grupo 5 de Caza-BAM, Rio Gallegos, Argentine Air Force – May 1982.
It is dark-earth over a light-blue undercarriage. It has a large yellow vertical bar and the Argentine flag on the rudder. Black ser. No. C-236 is under the elevators. The Argentine Air Force roundel is on the fuselage sides. A yellow shield with a black eagle’s head over a black horizontal bar on it is on the side of the nose.
The face side of the instructions has 9 color side profiles and a top view A 5-view line-drawing to use for stencil mark placing, and enlargements of Argentine Air Force and Indonesian Air Force Squadron logos.
The 1st profiles are of a Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, no. 151072, of Skadron Udara II – Lanud Hasanuddin Makassar, Indonesian Air Force -2004. Both sides of this Skyhawk are illustrated.
It is in a wave-pattern of light-brown, medium-blue and light blue-grey over a light blue-grey undercarriage. It has a black nose tip, a black logo of a eagle in flight carrying a bomb, over black serial no. TT-0437 on the rudder and a small black 37 under the the wind-screen. The black Indonesian Air Force hexagonal insignia is on the fuselage sides.
The 2nd profile is a Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, no. 149664, Skadron Udara II, Lanud Hasanuddin Makassar, Indonesian Air Force – 1997.
It is in the same color scheme as the no. 1 profile above, with serial no. TT-0431 on the rudder and a small white 31 under the windscreen on its side. It has the Indonesian Air Force hexagonal insignia of the sides of the fuselage. It has a logo of a grey-outlined shield with a lightning bold and II on it.
The 3rd profile is a Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, no. 142748, Grupo 5 de Caza-BAM, Rio Gallegos, Argentine Air Force – May 1982.
It is dark-earth over a light-blue undercarriage. It has a large yellow vertical bar and the Argentine flag on the rudder. Black ser. No. C-236 is under the elevators. The Argentine Air Force roundel is on the fuselage sides. A yellow shield with a black eagle’s head over a black horizontal bar on it is on the side of the nose.
The 4th profile is a McDonnell Douglas A-4Q Skyhawk, no. 145004, with 3° Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque, Argentine Air Force – May 1982.
It is light-grey over a flat-white undercarriage. It has a black anti-glare panel in front of the wind-screen, a small black “AERO 28 DE MAYO” over black serial no. 0654 on the rudder. A light-blue, white, light-blue horizontal stripes with a yellow sunburst with a face on it on the white stripe on the rudder flap. Under the elevators is a large black “ARMADA” . It has a black fuselage code 3-1-301.There I a small black 01 on the sides of its nose and a large circle with a black eagle’s head and a lightning bolt and arrow against a blue background on it under the cockpit.
The 5th profile is a Douglas A-4B Skyhawk, no. 144989, with 3° Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque, Argentine Air Force – May 1982.
It is in the same color scheme as the 4th profile above, with the same markings, except for large black fuselage code 3-A-309 and a small black 09 on the nose. It carries the same logo on the nose.
It is light-grey over a flat-white undercarriage. It has a black anti-glare panel in front of the wind-screen, a small black “AERO 28 DE MAYO” over black serial no. 0654 on the rudder. A light-blue, white, light-blue horizontal stripes with a yellow sunburst with a face on it on the white stripe on the rudder flap. Under the elevators is a large black “ARMADA” . It has a black fuselage code 3-1-301.There I a small black 01 on the sides of its nose and a large circle with a black eagle’s head and a lightning bolt and arrow against a blue background on it under the cockpit.
The 5th profile is a Douglas A-4B Skyhawk, no. 144989, with 3° Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Caza y Ataque, Argentine Air Force – May 1982.
It is in the same color scheme as the 4th profile above, with the same markings, except for large black fuselage code 3-A-309 and a small black 09 on the nose. It carries the same logo on the nose.
The 6th profile is a Douglas A-4B Skyhawk, no. 142752, with Grupo 3° de Caza-BAM Río Gallegos, Argentine Air Force –May 1982.
It is light-grey over a light-blue undercarriage. It has a wide vertical yellow stripe on the rudder with a blue and white Argentine flag, Argentine Air Force roundels on its fuselage sides, black ser. no. C-222 under the elevators and below the cockpit.
Profile 6a is a Douglas A-4B Skyhawk, same no. and ser. no. as the 6th profile above. It is with Grupo 5 de Caza – 5ta Brigada Aerea San Luis, Argentine Air Force – 1984.
It is dark-earth over a light-blue undercarriage. It has the Argentine flag on its rudder, black serial no C-222 under the elevators. Argentine Air Force roundels on the fuselage sides. Small black B22 on nose wheel door and the yellow shield with the eagle’s head over a black bar on its nose.
It is light-grey over a light-blue undercarriage. It has a wide vertical yellow stripe on the rudder with a blue and white Argentine flag, Argentine Air Force roundels on its fuselage sides, black ser. no. C-222 under the elevators and below the cockpit.
Profile 6a is a Douglas A-4B Skyhawk, same no. and ser. no. as the 6th profile above. It is with Grupo 5 de Caza – 5ta Brigada Aerea San Luis, Argentine Air Force – 1984.
It is dark-earth over a light-blue undercarriage. It has the Argentine flag on its rudder, black serial no C-222 under the elevators. Argentine Air Force roundels on the fuselage sides. Small black B22 on nose wheel door and the yellow shield with the eagle’s head over a black bar on its nose.
A top view of the 3rd and 6a profiles is shown.
The reverse side of the instructions has 4 more color side-view profiles and top and bottom views of the profiles on the face side of the instructions.
The 7th profile is a McDonnell Douglas TA-4H Skyhawk, no. 157430, with Skadron Udara II – Lanud Hasanuddin Makassar, Indonesian Air Force -2004.
It is in a wave pattern of medium-blue, light blue-grey and light-brown. It has a logo of a black eagle in flight, carrying a bomb on its rudder with a light-grey ser. no. TL-0416. The hexagonal Indonesian Air Force insignia is on the fuselage sides. Both sides of this Skyhawk are shown.
The 8th profile is a McDonnell Douglas TA-5KU Skyhawk, N1021, of 1° Esq. de Interceptacao e Ataque – Brazilian Air Force – 2010.
It is in a wave pattern of bluish-grey and cloud-grey over a light-grey undercarriage. It has a white, yellow and white vertical fin flash on the rudder, over a black anchor, Brazilian Air Force roundels on the fuselage sides. It has a black eagle in flight on the side of the fuselage under the windscreen. It has a black nose tip and black “MARINHA” over N-1021 on the fuselage side.
The 9th profile is a McDonnell Douglas A-4KU Skyhawk, with the same unit as no. 8 profile above. It is also in the same color scheme, but with black “MARINA” over N-1005 on its fuselage sides.
The 7th profile is a McDonnell Douglas TA-4H Skyhawk, no. 157430, with Skadron Udara II – Lanud Hasanuddin Makassar, Indonesian Air Force -2004.
It is in a wave pattern of medium-blue, light blue-grey and light-brown. It has a logo of a black eagle in flight, carrying a bomb on its rudder with a light-grey ser. no. TL-0416. The hexagonal Indonesian Air Force insignia is on the fuselage sides. Both sides of this Skyhawk are shown.
The 8th profile is a McDonnell Douglas TA-5KU Skyhawk, N1021, of 1° Esq. de Interceptacao e Ataque – Brazilian Air Force – 2010.
It is in a wave pattern of bluish-grey and cloud-grey over a light-grey undercarriage. It has a white, yellow and white vertical fin flash on the rudder, over a black anchor, Brazilian Air Force roundels on the fuselage sides. It has a black eagle in flight on the side of the fuselage under the windscreen. It has a black nose tip and black “MARINHA” over N-1021 on the fuselage side.
The 9th profile is a McDonnell Douglas A-4KU Skyhawk, with the same unit as no. 8 profile above. It is also in the same color scheme, but with black “MARINA” over N-1005 on its fuselage sides.
A top and bottom view is shown of profiles no. 1 & 2. On top of the upper left wing is a light-grey Indonesian Air Force hexagon insignia. On top of the right wing is TNI-AU. These markings are reversed under the wings.
A suggested paint color list is provided that includes FS (Federal Standard) numbers for each color. However, these numbers are said to be conjectural.
Suggested kits to use this decal sheet on are:
For a A-4B (P & Q) –The Hasegawa or Hobbycraft kits.
For a A-4E – The Hasegawa, Hobbycraft or Italeri kits.
For a TA-4H –The Hasegawa or Classic Airframes kits.
For a A-4KU (M/N) – The Hasegawa or Hobbycraft kits.
For a TA-4KU (OA4-M) – The Hasegawa or Monogram kits.
Suggested kits to use this decal sheet on are:
For a A-4B (P & Q) –The Hasegawa or Hobbycraft kits.
For a A-4E – The Hasegawa, Hobbycraft or Italeri kits.
For a TA-4H –The Hasegawa or Classic Airframes kits.
For a A-4KU (M/N) – The Hasegawa or Hobbycraft kits.
For a TA-4KU (OA4-M) – The Hasegawa or Monogram kits.
Next is top views of profiles 3 & 6, that show yellow wing tips.
The top view profile 4 & 5 are for the Argentine Naval Skyhawks.
The top view profile 7 is for the TA-4H of the Indonesian Air Force.
A top view of profile 8 & 9 for the Brazilian Air Force Skyhawks , shows that the wing and elevator flaps are cloud-grey. There is a small black anchor on top of the left wing and the Brazilian roundel atop the right wing.
The top view profile 4 & 5 are for the Argentine Naval Skyhawks.
The top view profile 7 is for the TA-4H of the Indonesian Air Force.
A top view of profile 8 & 9 for the Brazilian Air Force Skyhawks , shows that the wing and elevator flaps are cloud-grey. There is a small black anchor on top of the left wing and the Brazilian roundel atop the right wing.
This is one neat decal sheet. The colors are bright and vivid and the registration is perfect.
The kit is manufactured in Brazil and printed by Micro Scale.
I want to thank Mr. Felipe C. Miranda, owner of FCM for this review sample.
All FCM products can be viewed on their website at:
The kit is manufactured in Brazil and printed by Micro Scale.
I want to thank Mr. Felipe C. Miranda, owner of FCM for this review sample.
All FCM products can be viewed on their website at: