RA-5C Vigilante Early Version Model Build and Improvement

[@bobrivett7645]

Well i'm glad i have the trumpeter RA5C in my stash. You did a really nice job of bringing both those 1/72 scale kits up too an excellent standard. And the little 700 scale birds look great as well. Thanks for the video

[@mightyjjk1298]

First, Thank you for your service. Next, thank you for the kind comment on this and my other videos. I hope you are enjoying the Enterprise Project. I will be returning to the ship to complete the aircraft, vehicles, and crew placement and weather the ship, to complete the entire project for the 50th Annv of the end of the Vietnam War. Hope you'll check that out. Thanks again.

[@chuckmorris7043]

I was aboard the Enterprise when we were temporary operations in the Phlippines, the ship was tied up at the pier where we parked our SP2H patrol planes. i got a a few pictures while our little tour of the ship. I could send you a couple pictures that showed the RA5's pretty good. I was a air crew member on the Neptune patrol airplanes.

[@mightyjjk1298]

Chuck, 1st, Thank you for your service. I would love to see your photos. I plan to go back and repaint the 101 plane (my experiment with acrylics went bad, too dark, not FS16440) and do some other touch up based on comments from another veteran, so yes, please. I would greatly appreciate that. My email is in the description. Thank you for your interest and support! - John

[@chuckmorris7043]

@@mightyjjk1298 Also, I was on the Enterprise for that little tour during our deployment of the fall of 1967 til the spring of 1968, and the location is Naval Air Station, Cubi Point, Subic Bay, Philippines. I will send you some extra pictures while I am at it. Thanks, Chuck.......

[@mightyjjk1298]

@@chuckmorris7043 There is footage of shore leave there in the GRS video! The UH-2C Helo of HC-1 is next kit. Any photos you might have of that would be great...??

[@terratoilet2]

This is genuinely my favorite American fighter/bomber, but I’m so sad that there aren’t that many model kits of it anymore 😢

[@mightyjjk1298]

Thanks. The Trumpeter kit is really nice, but as I said, it's the later version and I needed the early version. But I'm pretty sure the Trumpeter kit is still out there.

[@jimiraybeckton]

Great builds! I have 2 questions, if you don’t mind. First, what’s the process for the canopies in the floor polish? Do you just dip them in and let them dry? And second, and this might sound dumb but I genuinely don’t know haha….how do you get the Parafilm stuff to stick? I have multiple rolls of it but it never sticks to anything for me! Again, great builds! And I’ve watched all of your other videos as well! And I’m also a subscriber! Thx in advance!

[@mightyjjk1298]

Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad you're enjoying the project. Re Future; I clean the clear parts w/lint free cloth then, yes, I dip them, then I kind of drag it on a piece of paper to wick away the excess and then cover it from dust and let it dry. Re the Parafilm, you have to stretch it to activate the stickiness. It never gets super sticky just lightly tacky. Then press in place with your thumbs and fingers. The warmth of you skin helps also activate the tackiness. Good Luck.

[@jimiraybeckton]

@@mightyjjk1298 ah I see! I think I’ve been trying to do too much with the Parafilm haha! I appreciate the response! And your Enterprise project has inspired my son and I to do a similar project with the USS Kitty Hawk! And I also have the Minicraft Vigilante kit, which as you know is “not great”. I’m doing lots of work on it as well, though not as much as you did. I keep it as a back burner project, and get it out every once in a while to do a little more. I have the Trumpeter kit on the way too. My current build is the Hobby 2000 A-4E Skyhawk. I’ve become a big fan of their kits, because the detail is really nice and they include paint masks! Can’t wait to see some more of your builds! Thx again!

[@mightyjjk1298]

@@jimiraybeckton So glad to inspire your father/son project. That's so cool! Had that Trumpeter kit, it's outstanding. Yeah, I just got the final aircraft for this project, the Clear Prop UH-2C helicopter and bought the Clear Prop detail kits including the mask set....they make it way easier. Hey, it would be awesome if you record and post your progress or at least the finished products down the road. Also, feel free to reach out if you have any questions along the way. Email address at bottom of most video descriptions. Good Luck!

[@jimiraybeckton]

@@mightyjjk1298 that’s awesome! How long has the whole project taken you? I’ll definitely try to keep a running tab on my progress as well. I’ve never worked with aircraft that small before, so it’ll be a bit of a challenge! I’ve only worked with 1/72 scale up to this point. I like that scale because it’s big enough to get some good detail and do a little scratch building, but I like A LOT of planes so if I did the bigger scales we wouldn’t be able to get around the house! I really appreciate you responding and offering your insight!

[@mightyjjk1298]

@@jimiraybeckton I had been collecting all the stuff to do it, starting with the Enterprise, back in '96 actually, but didn't start building the ship til '12. Documented the original build in www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=146736&sid=e4a73bc5b676c277330c870981cbfdf4 And then started the KZbin Channel in '18 or '19 and that first video was just a compiliation of the photos for that site with voice over and captions. The rest is on my channel. A few project aircraft a year. (Can't wait to retire!!). Yeah, I do 1/72 for same reasons. As far as the little planes, it's pretty easy, especially if you use Trumpeter aftermarket planes & StarFighter decals. They fit well and look good together.

[@Airsally]

Very nice, they look awesome. Thanks for sharing . I am currently building a 75" long A-3J Vigilante. It's rc powered by one fan exiting out the middle bomb bay. It's really a bummer model master paints are no longer available. Do you have a link to the paints you use that are the correct FS numbers.

[@mightyjjk1298]

Thanks. When I was researching my builds, I found this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGSbmmVve82UgpY It was painted like one of mine....but didn't end well. ☹. Hope you have better luck! Post a video of it. Thanks again. 👍✌

[@mightyjjk1298]

Oops, forgot about your question. So you're the first I've told this but this was my first attempt at acrylics and I followed a FSM article that said Tamiya XF-20 gray was correct. IT WASN'T. It's too dark. I alway used enamels, Model Master FS16440 and FS36440 and knock on wood, i have several bottles left. I'm seriously thinking about repainting at least one of them. probably 147857. Anyway, I'm pretty sure you can find those FS's in several lines of hobby paints via internet search. Good Luck.

[@Airsally]

Thanks for the info. Yeah that big one had a CoG problem . I have a build thread on RC groups. Been having discussions on where to balance it at so I don't have the same issues.

[@EdsAttentionToDetail]

New friend and supporter here. Just found your video after it was recommended on my RA-5C build video.

[@mightyjjk1298]

Thanks for the kind words.

[@Hey_MikeZeroEcho22P]

As a model builder myself.... I am Very Impressed with your Attention-to-Detail!!! You have placed a LOT of time and effort in this build!! I build ships (for Now) but have projects involving Navy A/C from WWII and 80's. Seeing this video-build of an RA-5C gets me thinkin' of building one since one of my NIMITZ-class carriers does have them onboard . Currently working on JMSDF DDH's and their evolution to the most present ship, but I do have a MIDWAY and CORAL SEA, if you can check them out.... no audio, but subtitled to show my work!!

[@mightyjjk1298]

Thank you for the kind comments. I saw your ship. Nice job.

[@davidrussell8783]

Super effort and great results. I think I’ll shortcut with the Trumpeter kit and a later Vietnam Era livery to match … or I’ll never get through all the kits I have unbuilt

[@mightyjjk1298]

That's definitely the faster, more simple, and more enjoyable route. That Trumpeter is a sweet kit! Thanks! 👍🤩👍

[@dr.k.eliassummerel8143]

Dr Raymond Stewart of Athens Ga was cmdr usn, a pilot of the ra-5c flying kodak over Vietnam. 2nd place S E Asia War games contestants.

[@soundknight]

This is great, it was such a handsome and masculine aircraft. If the Tomcat was a great gal then the Vigilante was a handsome Buck

[@mightyjjk1298]

Thanks. Funny, the Squadron/Signal In-action book has a photo of a very early full scale Vigilante mock up with twin vertical tails and it first struck me as a stretched out Hornet.

[@cnfuzz]

Super looking vigi , i hope i can make mine look half as good

[@mightyjjk1298]

Take your time and I’m sure you’ll do fine. Hope you post the results. There’s not a lot of Vigilante videos out there. Thanks for the view and kind comments.

[@ernies9360]

9

[@allgood6760]

Nice👍!.. I would have used Light Gull Grey.

[@mightyjjk1298]

@@allgood6760 Yes, this was unfortunately my first use of Tamiya acrylics. For all others I used Testors Model Master which is FS specific, but the translation guide I referenced gave me a bogus reference and the Tamiya grey was way too dark and I realized it too late. Lesson learned the hard way. 🤬😩☹️But thanks for the view and comment 😉

[@gs425]

Have you tried the Airfix kit?

[@mightyjjk1298]

No. I'm done with the Vigilante.

[@davidrussell8783]

Could you please expound the GRS Acronym? General Records Schedule?

[@mightyjjk1298]

It’s the company owners initials. Gary R Schreffler

[@仟杀杀]

现在还能买到这款模型吗🥲

[@donaldsmith1055]

You put a lot of work into the models and did a good job with what you had to work with. However there are a number of things that you do not know. The book you used in not very good, I have it and counted about 14 major mistakes. There are better books, Vigilante by Steve Ginter, RA5C Vigilante Unit In Combat by Robert R Powel. First the gray colors too dark. The interior should be dark Ghost Gray FS36320, the top side gray is Gull Gray FS36440. Check the Federal Standard chart. The wing leading edge are dark silver Titanium and would get a small amount of rust between flights so they could have a red tenge. The top side on the flaps had a 2" wide red strip at the trailing edge, this is hard to see in black and white photos against the dark deck. There is about a 5 foot long afterburner section between the turkey feather and the engine rear that had a medium green color with a burnt oil over coating. The sides of the tail cone were bare aluminum with a burnt oil coat. The metal had to be oiled between engine runs for protection. The fuel dump tube was bare steel. The ray domes were white to very pail yellow rubber and flowed smoothly into the Pilot Static Boom which was stainless steel. I thank you should build the Trumpeter kit you put away and rework the intakes and wing roots. It would be a lot less work. If you do there are 2 humps on the late version on top over the engines between the flaps that need to be removed. One other thing, the only panel line that show up with dark seams were the service panels and Spoiler Deflector in the wings. The construction seams generally did not have a color difference from the flat surface. The squadron badge in the decals sheets was used starting with the next deployment. There could be more that I could come up with but its been over 50 years.

[@mightyjjk1298]

Thank you for the extremely detailed review. I may go back and address a few things you mentioned. I was working not from a book, but from screen captures of actual video of the subjects on the deck taken by crew members. While I'm satisfied with my references, I couldn't see everything; so thank for pointing out what I missed. And yes, I know the paint is too dark; a lesson in the inaccuracy of Tamiya acrylics learned the hard way. But at this point, I'm not going start over. Thanks again. 😵🥴

[@mightyjjk1298]

Donald, I'm currently working not he UH-2C Seasprite. Would you know about that or any of the remaining planes in the project? The 2 A-3s and the C-1 Trader COD? Any advise would be welcome. Please feel free to email me a [e-mail]. Thanks again for your interest and excellent feedback.