1:48 Douglas A-4C Skyhawk - Air Brakes for HobbyBoss

A perforated surface that injection-molded plastic cannot do

The air brakes on the sides of the rear fuselage are large and densely perforated on this type. An injection mold cannot manage a surface like that: the wall has to stay thick for the plastic to flow at all, and the holes come out of it as shallow recesses. A photo-etched part from brass sheet is, by contrast, as thin as paper and has holes that go right through. It is here that an etched part has the clearest advantage over plastic of all accessories, because this is not a refinement of shape but a property the original part does not have at all.

What the work involves

The original brakes are cut off the fuselage and their recesses are deepened, because under thin sheet the inside suddenly shows. The brass is annealed over a flame before bending to soften it, is bent in the jaws of a bending tool or between two razor blades and is glued with cyanoacrylate glue. That runs right into the holes and the sheet anchors itself to the plastic, so the finished joint holds more firmly than would be expected of so thin a material. The sheet has to be degreased and primed before spraying, otherwise paint will not hold on smooth metal.

Where the limit lies

The intervention is irreversible. Once the brakes are cut off there is no way back, and the open position moreover reveals a space that was never designed to be seen on the model. It therefore pays to think about whether you want the machine with the brakes extended or retracted; with the brakes closed most of the work disappears below the surface. The set is unpainted, so you choose the shades yourself.