¹⁄35

Douglas A-4C Skyhawk

Introduction

This is number two in the gradual release of Skyhawk kits from Hasegawa. Half of me would like to see them release these kits faster. The other half of me is happy they are taking their time, as this allows me time to build each as it is released.

The Kit

After what I saw in the A-4E Skyhawk kit there were no surprises in the A-4C Skyhawk kit. The kit is mostly the same. One tree has a few different parts on it -- the tree holding the fuselage halves. The actual fuselage halves are changed from the original kit. New nose cone pieces are included for the A-4C nose. Having separate pieces for the nose indicates that an A-4B (and possibly A-4A / A4D-1) is in the works. This is no real surprise. The rest of this tree is unchanged from the A-4E kit.

Another tree has been swapped for a new one -- the tree with the engine intakes. One of the more substantial changes in the A-4 Skyhawk between the A-4C and A-4E was the engine intakes. On the A-4C, there is no splitter plate separating the intake from the fuselage. The fuselage side is the inside surface of the intake. On the A-4E, the intake was revised to include a splitter plate that separates the "dirty" boundary layer air along the fuselage from the undisturbed air that is channeled into the engine intake.