I am planning to start building the Trumpeter 1/48 RA-5C Vigilante and would like to do a camouflage version. I remember seeing one navy version with a 3 colour scheme some time ago and could not find any reference now. Can anyone help?

Paul

The Navy tested a camouflage pattern during the late 1960s for carrier aircraft. I believe this scheme was a dark blue-green scheme. It was later dropped. The reason I heard was because it increased flight crew hazards during night time operations because the aircraft were more difficult to see.

Thanks Joe for the info, I will keep looking around. - Paul

Some scant few pictures, including some in color, were included at least in Squadron's old 3 volume Air War in Vietnam series as part of their larger Vietnam series. They're no accessible to me right now, but I definitely remember some pictures of A-4 Skyhawks and A-6 Intruders in the scheme.

I found all my volumes on Ebay for reasonable prices, but I'm sure there are other similar sources. Unfortunately, while Squadron.com does sell some books from this series still, these are not among the offerings.

I know the information available is scarce but your help is much appreciated. Paul

Victory Models put a decal sheet out that had both the grey/green and the SEA cam schemes on it, but it is now out of print. I believe the aircraft shown were A/B models that had been upgraded to C configuration so the kit will require some mods to back date it some areas.

Just checked the Victory Models website and that's definitely the scheme. The pictures in the Squadron books make it look more blue than gray.

Saw the Victory Models decal sheet colour profiles and will start from there then. Thanks for all the help.

Paul

Having grown up with these airplanes, I saw the very earliest camo paint schemes at NAS Sanford, Florida. RVAH-11 flew at least one Viggie in two shades of green over white. It appeared to be in the typical medium and dark green colors of the time. The paint job was very dark and had no brown in it at all. I have no recollection of ever seeing one in the three-tone SEA camo, although I have since seen photos. Be very careful of what some will tell you is factual. A and B model Vigilantes were never camo-ed for example, the A model's operational life being so short-lived and the B having never reached operational status at all. RVAH-3, the replacement air group (RAG) for the type, operated A-5Cs for a short period until production of the full-up recon version caught up with demand. None of these airplanes was camo-ed. Early RA-5Cs came out of the North American factory a stunning gray over white with no squadron markings at all and were beautiful to see as they made their mid field break at Sanford. New airplanes were delivered with four pylons and four drop tanks, probably the last/only time they ever carried these stores. Viggies were almost always very well maintained. I have seen a great many and rarely saw one as "weathered" as many modelers portray. The dirtiest of them all belonged to RVAH-3 and that was because they were in the air training crews so much when the Viggies first came out that there was simply no time to maintain the paint as well as it should have been. The Vigilante has exceptional lines that are best appreciated in the standard gull gray over white scheme. Either of the two camouflage schemes used in SEA was designed to break up the airplane's lines; I can tell you from experience, a camo-ed Viggie is not nearly as nice looking as a gray one.

Here you go:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RA-5C_RVAH-13_camouflaged_Vietnam_1966.jpg

(A starting point)
If you want information about the Navy, you have to ask a Marine...

Semper Fi,
Matt