Hobby Master HA1430 1/72 Douglas A-4G Skyhawk RAN 805 Sqn 883/N-13 HMAS Melbourne 1980

Hobby Master HA1430 1/72 Douglas A-4G Skyhawk RAN 805 Sqn, 883/N-13, HMAS Melbourne, 1980

In October 1965 the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) decided to purchase 10 A-4 Skyhawks 8 single-seat and 2 dual-seats. A-4G Skyhawk 883/N13-154904 was delivered to the RAN in November 1967. In January 1968 the aircraft was assigned to VF-805 and spent time onboard HMAS Melbourne. In 1982 HMAS Melbourne was decommissioned so aircraft from VF-805 were assigned to VF-724. In July 1984 883 was sold to the RNZAF as NZ6212 and upgraded to an A-4K variant. The aircraft was stored in 2001 and in 2012 sold to Draken International as N142EM

Designed to replace the antiquated, propeller-driven AD Skyraider, the A-4 Skyhawk was first flown on June 22, 1954. Douglas exceeded the original design requirements by delivering a carrier-capable aircraft that was only half the Navy's weight specification and so compact that it did not need folding wings. The A-4 was the first to use "buddy" air-to-air refueling (an A-4 could refuel other aircraft of the same type), which was helpful when operating in remote locations where dedicated tankers were impractical. The A-4 served the US Navy until 2003 and remained the preferred warplane for the Marine Corps until the 1980s, even after the introduction of the A-7 Corsair II.

Hobby Master's 1:72 scale A-4 Skyhawk is a sturdy model constructed almost entirely from diecast metal with only the smallest amount of plastic used. This model has an opening canopy with pad-printed dials and gauges, control stick and pilot seat. Each release features a pair of 20mm cannons, a delicate refueling probe and a variety of wing-mounted weapons ordnance and fuel tanks. The series includes the early B and E variants as well as the F and M variants, which have a hump on the top of the fuselage to house upgraded avionics (also seen on retrofitted E variants).