Dave Ward's Matchbox 1/72 SkyKnight

[Dave Ward]

Sprue shots etc - don't know when I'll start, but get the preliminaries over with.....................


I find that I have resin seats for this, can't remember where they came from. The training version looks a little more interesting than the all-black night fighter.
Dave

 

[papa 695]

Nice Dave, I’ve got a Revell version T-2C/E .

 

[colin m]

Two nice colourful choices there Dave.

 

[Fernando N]

Nice colourful choices Dave, looking forward to the Skyknight

 

[Dave Ward]

I was looking for pictures of the cockpit of the SkyKnight - the model has little detail - after a search around ( not many pictures out there ) I found a drawing, allegedly from the pilots handbook........................
I don't know if it was a joke by the technical illustrators, but did it really have a cigarette lighter? ( above the control stick ).
Dave

 

[yak face]

I sincerely hope so dave ! It wouldnt surprise me in the slightest though , this was the fifties after all , the decade when most british test pilots used to take up aircraft dressed in a full suit ! And didnt they used to tell people in those days smoking was good for you ?!!!!!

 

[Gern]

I was looking for pictures of the cockpit of the SkyKnight - the model has little detail - after a search around ( not many pictures out there ) I found a drawing, allegedly from the pilots handbook........................ View attachment 385590
I don't know if it was a joke by the technical illustrators, but did it really have a cigarette lighter? ( above the control stick ).
Dave

Must be a joke Dave. If it had been fitted with a cigarette lighter, there would also certainly be one or more cupholders and I can't see any!

 

[Deleted member 6559]

Also, is that a bottle-opener I can see?

 

[Tim Marlow]

I think it’s for real....after all, it would keep naked flames out of the cockpit...

 

[Tim Marlow]

What we can’t see are the Spirit optics situated on the rear cockpit bulkhead....

 

[Dave Ward]

Tim.
funny you should say that.....................


no optics, but what is " personnel gear receptacle" ? - Is that officialese for pee bottle?
Dave

 

[Jakko]

I don't know if it was a joke by the technical illustrators, but did it really have a cigarette lighter? ( above the control stick ).

Not a joke — page 5 of the operator’s manual also references it as item 9; there are also ashtrays on both sides — see item No. 4 on page 14.

 

[Tim Marlow]

It’s either that or it’s a cup holder Dave....

 

[Archetype]

Was this aircraft a low level flier with no need for oxygen?

I hope so!

 

[Dave Ward]

It was the first purpose built jet nightfighter - It saw service in Korea - even shooting down MiG-15s - after that it became an electric warfare aircraft, serving in Vietnam. Incidentally, it was designed by Ed Heinemann, the same bloke who designed the A-4 Skyhawk!!
Dave

 

[Jakko]

And the A-1 Skyraider. And the A-26 Invader. And the A-20 Havoc. And the SBD Dauntless. And …

Ed Heinemann - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Edit:

what is " personnel gear receptacle" ? - Is that officialese for pee bottle?

Page 12 of the manual, §1-59:

PERSONNEL GEAR RECEPTACLES. Receptacles for plugging in personnel gear adapters (…) The receptacles have provisions for connecting simultaneously, the oxygen mask, anti-g suit, headphones, and microphone cord.

In other words, these are stowage bins for some of that kit, allowing it to be plugged in yet stored out of the way when not needed — or so I assume.

 

[Dave Ward]

.....................Skyray, Stiletto etc etc - I have his autobiography " Combat Aircraft Designer " - quite a good read
Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

A long time since I posted anything on a blog - I've been off colour, with what seems to be some form of sleeping sickness!!, and haven't had the energy, or enthusiasm to do much at all.
The Skyknight is a very simple model - about 30 parts so far! The fit isn't too bad, details, let's just say about average for Matchbox..............
The real challenge is the colour scheme - white and international orange. The whole thing has turned out to be a masking exercise, I used white & red primer to prepare the surfaces. The Hataka International Orange wasn't great, even though I sprayed thin coats, it still gave a patchy appearance, I had to go over it several times & eventually used a brush, I don't think I'll be buying any more Hataka paint in the near future.

Even though the masking has worked OK, the huge contrast between the colours highlights the slightest flaw - I can see that a lot of touch ups will be needed - I'm thinking that the all-black finish didn't look too bad after all! I'll touch up as needed, then seal everything in with gloss varnish before decals.
I added 8 ball bearings to the nose, and that's enough to prevent it tail sitting.
Dave

 

[colin m]

Coming along nicely Dave. It'll stand out on the shelf.