Subject: Re: A-7A Submission
From: "Submissions for ARC" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:58:40 -0700

Hi,
I just wanted to let you know your article went on ARC today.  Thanks again for sending it in.

Steve Bamford
Aircraft Resource Center
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com

Live like there is no tomorrow;
Love like you've never been hurt.
Work like you don't need the money.
Dance like nobody's watching.
Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: [email-masked] 
  To: Aircraft Resource Center 
  Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 1:01 AM
  Subject: A-7A Submission

  "1/48 Scale Hobby Boss A-7A Corsair II" 

  by "Burt Gustafson"
  --------------------

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  For your viewing pleasure, here are some photos of my 1/48 scale Hobby Boss A-7A Corsair II.

  History:

  Nicknamed “SLUF” for Short Little Ugly Fellow, the A-7 Corsair II was one of the most successful military aircraft of modern times. And, probably the greatest bargain in the history of weapon systems procurement. A-7As cost a little over a 1 million dollars back in the day.

  Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) manufactured 1,545 A-7 airframes which covered several periods: A-7A, A-7B, A-7C, and A-7E. The A-7A, depicted in the photos, first flew in 1965. Between 1968 and 1991, A-7s logged over 5 million flight hours and was the military’s most cost effective aerial weapon. A-7s were noted for their ability to carry heavy weapon loads (up to 20,000 pounds), low maintenance, and superior weapon deliver accuracy.

  Construction:

  This was an out of the box build except for the seat belts I added to the ejection seat. This was an easy kit to build because the parts fit was excellent. Note though the rear canopy had a parting line down the middle which had to be sanded out. Additionally it required some extra sanding to get it to fit into place. Parts E37 thru E39 are a little tricky to install in the main landing gear wells. Also the illustration showing how to install these parts is unclear. Thanks to an A-7 Walk-Around book, I was able to install the parts correctly.

        Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 03.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 03.jpg Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 04.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 04.jpg Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 05.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 05.jpg Steve Bamford will insert a click-able smaller version of photo 06.jpg here.  Clicking on that photo will bring up the full sized version of photo 06.jpg 

  Painting:

  All paints used for this model were Model Masters and Floquil enamel paints. The model here is painted in the basic carrier aircraft color scheme used by the US Navy from 1951 thru the late 1980s: Gloss Gull Gray upper surfaces and Gloss White for the underside of the aircraft and control surfaces (flaps, stabilators, and rudder). Bright Blue for the wing tips and the nose.

  Decals:

  The decals for this kit were flawless. They are well printed, easily placed on the model and snugged down nicely to the model. The kit offers decals for two aircraft. I chose to go with the decals for the CAG aircraft of the VA-37 “Bulls”, USS Saratoga, 1970.

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  Comments:

  This kit was a pleasure to build. As previously mentioned, the parts fit was excellent. Cockpit and external detail is also quite good, and the decals were super. The overall quality of this kit is excellent, comparable to a Hasegawa or Tamiya kit. I was pleased with the finished model—an impressive model.

  "Burt Gustafson"

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  Just delete any of the boxes below you don't need.....it's not important to include them.....they are there to give you an idea of the finished article.  It is best to limit your article to no more than 60 or so photos, so the finished webpage won't take too long to open.

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  Photos and text © by "Burt Gustafson"