1:72 A-4M

The real subject

The A-4M is a late single-seat version of the light attack aircraft Skyhawk, brought into service with the US Marine Corps. It is recognized from the older Skyhawks among other things by the shape of the cabin glazing, and it is precisely this difference that decides on a model whether the machine looks like a late version or like one of the older machines of the family.

What the replacement canopy is for

A clear canopy replaces the part from a kit. It suits you when you want to display the cabin open and show the seat and the instrument panel, when the original part does not seat in the frame of the fuselage, or when it is scratched and yellowed with age. On the single-seat Skyhawk the glazed area is small, so every flaw on it catches the eye and a clean part lifts the overall impression of a finished model noticeably.

Work tips

• Hold the part exclusively by the edges; fingerprints are hard to remove from a clear surface.
• For the joint use a glue for clear parts; ordinary cyanoacrylate glue will haze the surface.
• Mask the frames before spraying and apply the paint in thin coats.
• Tone the inner side of the frame with the color of the interior, the outer side with the color of the upper surfaces.

Try the seating dry and even the gaps out by sanding the mating edge lightly. Small scratches will polish out with a sanding sponge and compound and a thin coat of gloss varnish, which closes up the remaining marks from sanding.

Terms of supply

The model of the aircraft, paints, masks and glue are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.