Grumman A-6 (?) Intruder GPM

[John Bowden]

OK found it............ I was wrong. This is an A-6E Intruder of VA-176 "Thunderbolts".

They also flew the KA-6D Intruder Tanker , but I don't see the drogue bump under the fuselage, that's why I said its an E model.

They flew off the Forrestal CVA-59 from 1986 - 1991.

Flying the Intruder, VA-176 made eighteen deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, three of which also led to the Indian Ocean. The squadron earned three consecutive Battle "E" awards, for the years 1988-1991. The squadron was decommissioned from active service on October 30, 1992.

john

[cmdr199212]

Thanks for the encouragement all!! John, that is indeed the aircraft you mention. It was at the Paris Airshow in 1991, and then seems to drop off the map, although the particular airframe might have been re-assigned, it is possible it ended up in storage somewhere. The paint scheme seems to be pretty accurate, although the printed colors vary somewhat. The only small thing that I noticed in paint is that pictures I have seen have an 'E' behind the canopy, which is lacking on this model. Also, there is no TRAM turret beneath the nose, I am seriously considering scratch-building it, basing it off of the A-6E model of Kauncho, which he graciously shared with me. Other than the color variation, I'm giving this kit an 8/10. If I really took my time, and maybe built the air intakes at the same time as the fuselage and built the under-side of the fuselage afterwards I should have been able to avoid much of the fit problems I saw. Otherwise its been pretty fun. Landing gear building now!

[John Bowden]

Well you could always say that this was modeled in 1986, or 1987..... before they earned their Battle "E" (Battle Effectiveness Award).

That's what the E behind the canopy signifies.

[cmdr199212]

hmmm good idea. I have yet to find out about the turret, I'll see if I can figure out if they were equipped with the TRAM turret in '86-87.

[milenio3]

This is a very good thread! A nice A6 that, like you said, hasn't been completed in other places.

And the design is not bad at all.

I wonder why MM, Halinski, GPM and others haven't re-designed old models that could be fired up with more details and precision. Like Modelik did with the F/A-18 (years after Halinski released their own). Hopefully in the near future.

Keeping a watchful eye in your thread, my friend!

PS - Thank you John for the History lessons... they are always welcomed!

[cmdr199212]

I definitely agree with you milenio, I think there are plenty of old models that are not well represented with new offerings. Back to the build.. As promised, an explanation of the wing fold fairing.


this is the fairing as it would be if the wing was extended. I cut out the center section of the fairing, and re-glued using printer paper as hinges.



this is how the fairing would look with the wing folded. As I tried to show, the center section folds upon itself. I couldn't find any documentation confirming or dismissing the realistic-ness of this method, but I think it'll work well enough for my purposes



front LG pics

[John Bowden]

A-6E No. 155636 in located at AMARC (The Boneyard) in Tucsan Arizona.....since 22-Aug-94

I found a pic of her in '91 with the TRAM pod (I'm sure you've seen this one) and I'm willing to bet she deployed in '86 with the TRAM.

I'll keep looking to see if I can confirm this with a picture from '86.

Cool working hing cover!

Gerardo...... you are welcome......... although he said it's a quick build, a build of this quality needs a history to go with it.

[John Bowden]

After doing some reading (D&S vol. 24 A-6 Intruder) some A-6E were delivered without the TRAM pod installed due to them not being ready before the AC was. Grumman just put a cover plate over the location and when the pod became available they were installed.

By 1986 I believe all A-6E would have had the pod installed, as the first A-6E flew in 1970.

As a side note......... according to the book any A-6E with a BuNo of 157029 or earlier was originally an A-6A. Production A-6E airframes began with 158041. So this model was originaly an "A" airframe converted to "E" standards. This might be the reason that GPM got confused and did not model the TRAM pod.

Meanwhile back to this wonderful build thread................

[cmdr199212]

Wow John... thats flat out incredible info! Unfortunately, this build thread will require a hold. I found out that I was to be leaving Friday (tomorrow) morning, so much of my time has been taken up by packing etc. I was able to get the LG done, front LG doors are on, no wheels yet. I apologize for the lack of construction pictures for the LG, as my sister used the camera all day, therefore rendering it unusable for my purposes.













it is indeed a big sucker.. I need deeper shelves





the pieces I have constructed at the moment of burial. So, there you have it ladies and gents, 2 weeks of progress on the GPM A-6 Intruder. There won't be anymore build photos for a good 3 months or so, until I am back for Christmas. By then I should have the canopy ordered, which I plan to display open, I'll be able to build wheels, the outer left wing and wing-fold mechanism, and the armament, as well as other small bits. I will also have something of a presence here on the forum even if my building has ceased, so please feel free to continue commenting on this. John, your input regarding the history of this marvelous plane is invaluable, thank you!

[cmdr199212]

:BUMP: Time to resume this build! No pictures yet, but I've gotten the wings completely done, although for the second wing I closed up the outer part too soon which convinced me that I should not put a wing-fold mechanism in it. I'll end up gluing both on once I get done with the fiddly stuff on the fuselage. Buying canopy now, and working on weapon pylons, wheels, and gear doors!