Douglas A-4B Skyhawk Argentine Air Force - Airfix 1/72 (A03029)

Hi all

For my next project I have decided to build an A-4B Skyhawk from Argentine Air Force during the Falklands conflict in 1982.

Politics aside, the conflict proved that skilled pilots can make a difference even when using an outdated, or inferior material. In this case the old and still reliable Scooter (Douglas A-4B Skyhawk).

This is a challenging subject, since the resources available are, quite often, not reliable or conflicting. I was fortunate to find an amazing tread in a scale modelling forum where the author (FAAMAN) made a comprehensive article (post) in regards to the Argentinian Skyhawks.

This post will be my guide through this building, you can read it HERE.

(Images used are in the public domain and used for educational purposes only)

I have decided to built the A-4B C-242,  as seen im late May 1982. It was flown by Primer Teniente (1st Lt) Guadagnini. Unfortunately he was killed on the the 23rd during the attack to HMS Antelope.



Primer Teniente Luciano Guadagnini

Following is the accounting for that day:

23 MAY 1982:
A flight of four Grupo 5 A-4B Skyhawks attack in two groups. The first attack is led by Capitan Carballo with Primer teniente Alferez Gomez flying his wing. They approach HMS Antelope fast and low over the water. The results of the attack are one 1000 lb. un-exploded bomb in the Antelope's stern. It is believed that the Skyhawk piloted by Alférez H. Gómez stroke Antelope with the 1000 lb. bomb that did not explode. (Later this bomb did explode while being defused, leading to further explosions that sunk the ship.) Capaitan Carballo's Skyhawk is severely damaged by AAA and an exploding SAM, and barely escapes a second SAM. Carvballo's damaged Skyhawk makes it back to base and post-flight inspection finds a damaged fin on one of his drop tanks. This may have been caused by striking the mast rigging of the Antelope.
The second attack from this flight is flown by Primer Teniente Guadagnini and Teniente Rinke and results in another 1000 lb. unexploded bomb in the Antelope. Primer Teniente Guadagnini flying A-4B Skyhawk C-242 was killed when his Skyhawk was struck, mostly likely by a British Sea Wolf SAM from HMS Broadsword.

Later,Argentine Navy Third Escuadrilla A-4Q Skyhawks, attack the British Frigate Antelope. The Navy flight consisted of Capitan de Corbeta Castro Fox and Zubizarreta, Benitez and Oliverira. Zuizarreta would die when his aircraft, laden with un-expended ordinance he could not discard, blew a tire causing his aircraft to veer of the runway upon landing. Zuizarreta ejected but did not have the needed speed to facilitate completion of the chute deployment and was killed. His aircraft, 3-A-309 ironically was not damaged.

C-242 shot down by SAMs and AAA on the 23rd May 1982 whilst attacking HMS Antelope, the pilot Primer Teniente Guadagnini was killed, ‘B’ pattern camouflage with standard ‘official’ I.D. bands in six positions 

Photo Resource

C-242 Before applying the yellow ID bands in 6 positions

C-242 (forefront aircraft on the right) with yellow ID bands applied

Cockpit

As usual I started the construction by the "office". The ejection seat is the correct version of the Douglas Escapac 1A-1 that equipped the Skyhawks versions A, B, C & E.

 

  

This can be observed in this next photo

Photo via Cláudio Moura

Some interior references:

I started by closing some panels wrongly done on the kit, following the schematic below

Another distinctive feature is the dorsal antenna. On the kit the shape is wrong, but easily fixed. Here some photos to help:

Another interesting detail I have found was the ground crew writing messages in the bombs, so I decided to include it in my model:

Here is the final model:

That's all folks!