Reviews : Tamiya Douglas Skyraider AD-6 Attack Aircraft

The Tamiya US Navy version of the Skyraider is every bit as good as the USAF kit but also shares the same faults i.e. undersized propeller and no cover for the canopy opening mechanism. It has the correct spoked wheels and smaller tailwheel of the naval version. If you want to use this kit to build a Korean War AD-4 make sure to check your subject aircraft as the prominent external armor plates were not used until late in the conflict. The ordinance in the kit is very good and correct for a Vietnam-era load. As I mentioned in an earlier review of the A-1J kit there is no provision to build it with folded wings so you will have to find an aftermarket solution or scratch build the fold mechanisms. For those that are wondering what the difference was between the H and J models of this plane it was essentially for a suicide mission. The A-1J had a strengthened wing, uprated engine and a different bomb computer to allow the carriage and release of a nuclear weapon. The idea of using an attack bomber with a top speed of 320mph to deliver a nuclear weapon just seems crazy but the Cold War mentality left nothing to chance. I replaced the kit propeller with a OOP Cutting Edge resin correction prop made for this kit and a Quickboost 48-490 cockpit sliding enclosure boot to go behind the headrest. I used the decals for VA-176 Thunderbolts, Lieutenant William T. Pattons' MiG Killer. Lt. Patton was responsible for one of two gun kills of by Skyraiders during the Vietnam conflict. I did my model in the standard gull gray and white with silver-gray Corro-gard on the leading edges of the wings and stabilizers. The decals need to be handled carefully to prevent tearing or wrinkling. I will say for the money it's an outstanding model and except for the items I mentioned the scale accuracy is exceptional.

Too late to see action in World War Two this aircraft was loved by pilots and ground troops alike. Close air support was the key to any fighting in either war and pilot rescue even a larger part of the role of the plane. Flown by Senior enlisted as well as Commissioned Officers the duties never faltered. Flying in pairs or in groups, the enemy in either war did not want to deal with the plane as it would come down to ground level to bring the fight to the ground. My model represents the Korean War version and with the Navy Blue as the signature color scheme back then I used a craft type acrylic glossy blue. The kit is an easy build with little or no problems and would be a great starter kit for anyone. Some fit issues exist but can be taken care of. The Vietnam version tail decal of the stinging bee is a bit intimidating for beginners so be careful when applying it. This is a great addition to any collection.

This kit is as good as it gets. No molding flash and everything fits together well. Molded surface detail, rivets, etc. are prevalent and accurate scale-wise. The included options of building it with flaps and dive brakes open or closed is a nice touch - lots of possibilities. The only other option I would have liked to have was building it with the landing gear up - the way the gear and flaps are designed, it would have been way too difficult to piece together closed gear. While detailed, the kit is very straight-forward to build and just about anyone could build this plane, regardless of their skill level - getting everything painted the way I wanted it was the most time-consuming part of this build. With everything painted and ready to go, this kit could easily be built over a weekend (especially when using CA glue).

I built this as a Marine bomber from Korea- dark blue all over and removed some antennas, check your resource photos. I used decals from an old Corsair kit. This kit is well molded and has the separate air-brakes that can be displayed opened or closed- kinda cool. It comes with a full set of pylons and has a cool way to change a few center tanks with bigger bombs. The shape is right on and goes together really easy. The airflow deflectors around the cockpit can be tricky but stay patient- they do fit. Flash is non-existent and the parts always fit well. The hard part is deciding what bomb load to display!!

I have built tons of Tamiya kits and have never had an issue with them. The instructions are always clear and easy to follow and usually provide tips that can help improve the kit. There was no flash on the parts and everything fit together like it should. The cockpit detailing was ok. The instrument panel was a decal, and there were some minor details on the walls. An ambitious modeler should be able to improve on the kit and super detail everything to really set it apart from other planes. I'd recommend this kit to anyone as it went together without any problems and creates a pretty nice plane when finished.

This was a wonderful model to do. All the pieces fit together very well with little or no trimming. I wouldn't say this was a model for a young inexperienced modeler to do if you want it to come out really nice. I made mine from the U.S. Midway aircraft carrier which is a museum in San Diego, California. I have been on the aircraft carrier and seen the actual aircraft that this model portrays, which is one of three versions that this kit includes. Always a pleasure to build models from Tamiya.

Great kit. Lots of ordinance choices.. three different builds..... pay attention to the directions. I like that i could build this wheels up. although the instructions don't show that option. everything fit well except the covers over the wheel wells. highly recommend

Tamiya has a bunch of great kits, but this one has to be in the top 10. It goes together great and looks the part of the flying dump truck right to a tee. It comes with a bunch of weapons to hang under it and the decals were perfect.

Very nice detailed kit. How can you go wrong with a kit from Tamiya? There are other versions but I like the US Navy one the best.

i like to do the planes cause then i can add the motor so that the prop spins, over all this is a fun and exciting model to do

What can you say another great Tamiya product. Everything perfect and a great build of a great aircraft.

This was my first plane kit and it inspired me to do more planes. Decals were awesome.

Typical Tamiya quality. For the price it's the best there is.