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33M D F

SKYRAIDER

Able to carry a greater payload than

a four-engine B-17 Flying Fortress,

the single-engine A-1 Skyraider was

considered one of the finest attack and close air

support aircraft ever built. Skyraider’s proved

critical during the Korean War and over the

jungles of North Vietnam. The airplane that

became the AD Skyraider (redesignated A-1 in

1962) evolved from a 1943 Navy decision to

combine the dive-bombing and torpedo mission

into one aircraft. First flown in 1945, the Skyraider

entered US Navy service the following year. Later

nicknamed ‘Spad’ for its ‘old-school’ design and

appearance, reminiscent of the famous World

War I aircraft, the Skyraider earned a reputation

for ruggedness that not only packed a punch,

but also brought back many

an airman, despite taking

heavy damage from enemy

fire. Some AD pilots also

trained for an atomic war,

practicing long-range

flights to deliver nuclear

bombs at low altitude.

A-1s were also part of the

first attacks against North

Vietnam following the

Tonkin Gulf Incident, and in

June 1965, a pair of Skyraiders

even shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17 in air-to-air combat.

It was perhaps in the

‘Sandy’ Combat Search And

Rescue role the USAF Skyraider

earned most respect, and its heavy payload and long

loiter time proved vital in rescue of downed airman

in Southeast Asia. The Skyraider was also used by

the air forces of South Vietnam, France, Cambodia,

Chad and Gabon, and the Royal Navy operated a

dedicated airborne early warning version from her

aircraft carriers, and the Swedish Air Force used the

Skyraider as a target tug. All told, 3,180 Skyraiders

rolled off the Douglas Aircraft Company assembly

line, and here the Skyraider story is brought to

life. Packed with many never before seen images,

concise text, colour profiles, technical diagrams,

scale plans and how to model the Skyraider in

popular scales, with a new look and updated content,

this reprint is a must have for the enthusiast and

modeler alike.

MDF 33SKYRAIDER

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PRE-ORDER NOWSKYRAIDERTHE DOUGLAS A-1

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans with Andy Renshaw

Reprinted by Popular Demand!

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33M D F

SKYRAIDER

SKYRAIDERTHE DOUGLAS A-1

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evanswith Andy Renshaw

THE DOUGLAS A-1 SKYRAIDER

SAM Publications

Modellers Datafile • 33

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Cover for illustrative purposes only

It’s hard to believe that we are already heading

for the half way point of the year, but our

exciting program of magazine and book releases

continue apace! Here are some hightlights

from the June issues of Scale Aviation Modeller

International, Scale Military Modeller

International and news of our next releases in

our Datafile series of books.

SAMIOur cover feature and

leading feature this month looks at the 1/48

Airfix Sea Fury FB.11 ‘Export’ with a superb build from James Ashton. We also look at another British Fleet Air Arm subject with the old Matchbox Sea Venom FAW.22, brought up to date by Dave Biddlecombe. We also have a couple of fast jet ‘Tiger - themed’ builds of a Norwegian F-5A and a USAF F-15E, and a classic Word War One fighter in the shape of Wingnut Wings Sopwith Camel. We also have a first sighting of Eduard’s new 1/48 P-51D plus a chance to win a print of the ‘EduardArt’ box-top. Also, we look at something different from Clear Prop a look at the first Russian Drone the Tu-143 ‘Reys’, designed in the 1960’s and still in use in 2016! We also have a look at all the marking options for the new 1/35 Kitty Hawk Ocean hawk. This is all backed up with our usual news, previews and reviews coverage.

This month in SMMI we have another eclectic mix of subjects with some

excellent ‘how-to’ guides from Matt Edwards on building the 1/35 Academy Warrior and M18 Hellcat, and from Kayhan Kayar with his Japanese Type 97, plus a useful feature on creating tarpaulins to cover your AFV’s from Andy Renshaw. We also have a great build of a ‘Fury’ Sherman from the film of the same name, plus a look at the Cougar 6x6 MRAP in both detail and scale, plus an imaginative World War I tank in a World War II diorama ‘Desperate

Defence – Berlin 1945’ from Robin Gilby. This is all backed up with SMMI’s unrivalled military, figure and warship news coverage, plus our previews and reviews of forthcoming products.

SMMI

FIRST LOOKS: Kittyhawk 1/35 MH-60L /MH-60L D.A.P, Eduard 1/48 P-51D-5 Mustang, AMP 1/48

WS-51 Dragonfly HR.3, Dora Wings 1/72 Savoia-Marchetti S.55 QUICK BUILD: Revell 1/72 Mig-29S

Fulcrum ‘Russian Falcons’ WIN: Exclusive Eduart P-51D Mustang Art Work

ALSO >

NEW LOO

K! FIRST FOR NEWS – MORE REVIEWS

NAVAL BITE

Matchbox’s 1/32 Sea Venom FAW.22

FREEDOM TIGERKinetic’s F-5A

A RUSSIAN DONKEY

Eduard’s 1/48 Polikarpov I-16 Type 24

AUSSIE FURY

Airfix’s 1/48 Sea Fury FB.11 ‘Export’

SNEAK PEEK!

Eduard’s new 1/48 Fw 190A-8

Defenders of the Reich

JUNE

201

9

Vol 2

5 Iss

ue 5

£4.

75

Print

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UK

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Vol 49 Iss 579 £4.75Printed in UK

JUNE 2019

34M D F

HORNET

T he McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a twin-engine, supersonic, all-weather, carrier-capable, multirole combat jet, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). The F/A-18 was derived from the YF-17 `Cobra’ of the 1970s and destined for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and able to carry a wide variety of bombs and missiles, including air-to-air and air-to-ground, supplemented by a 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon. The aircraft’s primary missions are fighter escort, fleet air defence, suppression of enemy air defences, air interdiction, close air support, and aerial reconnaissance, and its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset. Though it has been criticised for its lack of range and payload compared to its earlier contemporaries, such as the F-14 Tomcat, the A-6 Intruder and the A-7 Corsair in the attack role, the F/A-18 has certainly proved its worth in combat zones. The Hornet first saw combat action during the 1986 US bombing of Libya and subsequently participated in the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq War, and both Navy

F/A-18A/Cs and Marine F/A-18A/C/Ds were used continuously in Operation

‘Southern Watch’ and over Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s. Navy Hornets flew during Operation ‘Enduring Freedom’ in 2001 during Operation ‘Iraqi Freedom’ in 2003, and continue to be used in operations of Afghanistan and Libya to the present time. The F/A-18 Hornet is also used by the air forces of several other nations, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Spain, Kuwait and Malaysia, and since 1986, by the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, the ‘Blue Angels’ The F/A-18 also served as the baseline for the Boeing F/A-18E/F ‘Super Hornet’, its larger, evolutionary redesign. MDF 34 looks in depth at the ‘Legacy’ versions of the aircraft, these being the F/A-18A, B, C and D, and their background, operators and combat operations are brought together in one volume, which will be an invaluable resource for the modeller and enthusiast alike. 

MDF 34HORNET£24.99

+ P&P

COMING SOON

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HORNETTHE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans

F/A-18A/B/C/D and International Versions

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34M D F

HORNET

SAM Publications

HORNETTHE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDEF/A-18A/B/C/D

and International Versions by Andy Evans

Modellers Datafile • 34

THE M

CDONNELL DOUGLAS HORNET

Cover for illustrative purposes only

By popular demand we are reprinting our Douglas A-1 Skyraider Datafile, with a little

updating and a new cover. Some, 3,180 Skyraider’s rolled off the Douglas Aircraft Company assembly line, and here the Skyraider story is brought to life. Packed with colour and black and white images, concise text, colour profiles, technical diagrams, scale plans and how to model the Skyraider in popular scales, this reprint is a must have for the enthusiast and modeller alike.

MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F/A-18 ‘LEGACY HORNET’

The F/A-18 was derived from the YF-17 `Cobra’ of the 1970s and destined for use by the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and able to carry a wide

variety of bombs and missiles, including air-to-air and air-to-ground, supplemented by a 20mm M61 Vulcan cannon. The aircrafts primary missions are fighter escort, fleet air defence, suppression of enemy air defences, air interdiction, close air support, and aerial reconnaissance, and its versatility and reliability have proven it to be a valuable carrier asset. This new Datafile looks in depth at the ‘Legacy’ versions of the aircraft, these being the F/A-18A, B, C and D, and their background, operators and combat operations are brought together in one volume, which will be an invaluable resource for the modeller and enthusiast alike.

DOUGLAS A-1 SKYRAIDER

SHOP NOW!34

M D FHORNET

SAM Publications

HORNETTHE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDEF/A-18A/B/C/Dand International Versions by Andy Evans

Modellers Datafile • 34

THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HORNET

33M D F

SKYRAIDER

SKYRAIDERTHE DOUGLAS A-1

A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

by Andy Evans

with Andy Renshaw

THE D

OU

GLAS A-1 SKYRAID

ERSAM

Publications

Modellers D

atafile • 33

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JUNE 2019