VAQ-133 "Wizards"

This is Hasegawa's EKA-3B, the Electronic Attack variant of the Viet Nam era A-3 Skywarrior, and predecessor to the EA-6B.  I picked up this kit on a whim at a modeling show because it comes with my old squadron's markings from my days as an EA-6B ECMO with the VAQ-133 "Wizards" - I may use it alongside a 1/72 EA-6B and EA-18G for a future "VAQ-133 past, present, and future" dio if VAQ-133 markings come out for the latter. 

During my research, I found that parked A-3s appear to have their slats/flaps lowered, maybe because they are not locked "up" and therefore droop with no hydraulic pressure, so I cut out the slats and flaps by hand using cotton sewing thread and sheet styrene to fill in the resulting void.  I used the Eduard photoetch set to add some details - mainly in the cockpit which are hard to see after it's closed up, but also for the boarding ladder and some parts on the landing gear. 

Click on images below to see larger images

I painted using Testor's Acryl (mainly Gull Gray and Gloss White), with some post shading and a panel line oil wash (using black/brown oils) and the "dot filter technique" on the upper wings (using gray oils).  I finished off the details with photoetch static wicks and monofilament HF antenna wires.
 
Except for my scratchbuilding, the kit pretty much fell together, and fit was good on all parts, although the seam down the intakes was almost impossible to get to after the nacelles were assembled. 

Fly Navy!

Erik Boynton