1/72 ACE RA-5C Vigilante

by Chee Hong Wong

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This is my second submission to ARC. I build mainly US Navy jets.

This aircraft is attached to RVAH-15 on board USS Constellation back in the 70’s. It is used mainly for reconnaissance missions. It was originally designed to carry nuclear weapons but it didn’t happen when US change their atomic strategy during the cold war. The aircraft was retired from the Navy in the late 70’s.

This kit is quite a nightmare to build, especially when the parts do not fit together. However I bought this Korean made kit from Sydney IPMS for only AU$ 5. A lot of sandings was required for the;

  • 1)    nose

  • 2)    main fuselage

  • 3)    air intake

  • 4)    canopy

Most of the time was spent sanding the aircraft and also masking the aircraft during the painting process. I’ve only added scratch built seat belts made from masking tape.

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However some IPMS members are telling me that this kit has much better details than the AirFix kit. It comes with recessed panel lines. The Light Gull Gray is a mix of Model Master & Tamiya. The White was air brushed with Tamiya Acryllic.

Weathering was done using water soluble crayons. Once weathering was completed the aircraft was sprayed with a mix of  Gunze clear & dull coat to get the semi gloss effect.

The decals for the kit are very thin. They stick nicely with some help of decal set. While some of the decals are not sharply printed, I would say the thickness of the decal is much better than Hasegawa kit. Hope you enjoy the photos J

I'm currently building a 1/48 Italeri F-14B which I'm updating to the “D” version. There’s a lot of work especially around the burner cans & cockpit. You will get to see the photos when it’s completed in 1-2 months time.

Chee Hong

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Photos and text © by Chee Hong Wong