Jump to content

1/32 Trumpeter A-7E Corsair II VA-37


Wolfman63

Recommended Posts

Ten weeks into the Corsair project and I have completed all of the under wing stores. The aircraft will be armed with two AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles, twelve Mk-82 Snake eye bombs mounted on MER’s, and six M117 bombs mounted on TER’s. The inboard hard points will hold the drop tanks. Starting with the AIM-9B’s I cut off the nose and scratch built the IR sensor windows. These were them built up and painted. The MK-82’s required a lot of putty around the fins due to gaps. The M117’s only needed a little putty along the seams.

I then built up the MER’s and TER’s and painted them. The kit supplies decals of the placard’s for the ordinance and the mounts. However, I decided not to use them. The decals are very poor for 1/32 scale and the registry of the decal printing is off. The placards look more like blobs rather than actual placards. This was strange as I typically work with 1/48 scale aircraft and similar decals were legible at the smaller scale. I will most likely seek out better quality decals which can be applied later.

I then mounted the bombs and missiles onto the racks and painted the drop tanks. I am getting ready to install these onto the aircraft and then do some final weathering. Next I will be getting the display base detailed and wired for the lights and power.

 More details and photos can be seen from the start in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/1-32-a-7e-corsair-ii-va-37-the-bulls/

 

DSCN8171.jpg

 

DSCN8172.jpg

 

DSCN8174.jpg

 

DSCN8175.jpg

 

DSCN8182.jpg

 

DSCN8183.jpg

 

DSCN8185.jpg

 

DSCN8189.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

After eleven weeks the 1/32 Trumpeter A-7E Corsair II of VA-37 project is completed! For this final week I added the fuse lines to the bombs then installed the missiles, drop tanks and bombs to the aircraft. With the aircraft completely finished I then took the base and aligned the aircraft so the holes for the wiring could be drilled. I then painted the edges black. The main surface was then painted using light, medium, and dark gray to replicate tarmac cement with some weathering where the engine exhaust would be. After the paint dried I measured and scribed the seams in the cement. The rear edge was then trimmed out to accommodate the connector for the power and two grooves were made with a dremel tool to route the wires. I then mounted the aircraft to the base and ran the wires the connector. I added four felt pads to the bottom. I had a brass nameplate made completing the project. The date on the nameplate is the first day I checked into the squadron.

As for the kit, it went together very well. Some details like the exhaust area needed better details and there were a lot of badly placed mold marks. The fit was very good. The thing I did not like a lot was the kit decals. A lot of the placards for the aircraft and weapons were just blobs instead of legible placards which was a disappointment considering the large scale of this model. The weapons decals sheet was also off register. The aftermarket decals were nice but very fragile (most likely due to age). Overall I am very happy with the final results. Thank you for following this tribute build and happy modeling!

Here is a link to a video of the completed project showcasing the lighting that was added.

https://videopress.com/v/wYwmsKmt

 All of the details and photos from start to finish can be seen in my build log at https://davidsscalemodels.com/1-32-a-7e-corsair-ii-va-37-the-bulls/

 

DSCN8198.jpg

 

DSCN8207.jpg

 

DSCN8218.jpg

 

DSCN8219.jpg

 

DSCN8221.jpg

 

DSCN8222.jpg

 

DSCN8234.jpg

Edited by Wolfman63
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a great looking build and display, and a great reminder of your service! It could also prove a very cool legacy to be eventually handed down to your kids so they can proudly display it. Congrats on completing another fine project and for letting us tag along!

 

Gil :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...