Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series HA2902 Douglas A-1J Skyraider 602nd Special Operations Sqn., 56th Special Operations Wing, Thailand 1969

1/72 scale pre-finished.

Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic.

Comes with: 2 - center-line fuel tanks (long & and short) 2 - bombs 12 - missiles

Professionally painted.

All markings are pad applied for superb results.

Crew figure.

Comes with display stand.

Landing gear can be displayed up or down.

Extremely sought after by collectors.

The A-1 Skyraider originated as a carrier-based torpedo and dive bomber. Deliveries as the AD-1 to the Navy began in November 1946 and in 1962 was renamed A-1. It was the first single-seat torpedo/dive bomber to serve with the Navy. The primary mission of the A-1 was close air support for ground troops because of its heavy ordnance load and accuracy. The aircraft had great success in Korea and Vietnam. There were 3,180 Skyraiders built in seven major models and 28 different versions. There were 266 A-1s lost in Vietnam. Some nicknames - Able Dog, Spad, Sandy, Hobo, Firefly, Zorro and “Crazy Water Buffalo,” a VNAF nickname.

The 56th Special Operations Wing (SOW) was formed in March 1967 with its mission to assist U.S. unconventional forces and U.S. friendly foreign government military forces throughout Indochina. The 602nd Special Operations Squadron (SOS) was assigned to the 56th SOW to provide armed escort for SAR operations or armed reconnaissance. They also provided escort for helicopters inserting or extracting Special Operations personnel from Laos and North Vietnam. For three years the 602nd used TT as their tail letters and the call sign Firefly or Sandy for helicopter SAR escort.

Specifications for the Douglas Skyraider A-1J originally designated the AD-7 A-1J had structural improvements over the A-1H to increase wing fatigue life. This altered the weights and performance between the two variants. Crew - (1) pilot Aircraft Produced - 72 Weights Empty - 10,550 lbs Maximum take off - 25,000 lbs Performance Engine - Wright R-3350-26B 2,800hp radial piston Maximum speed @ 18,000 ft - 320 mph Cruise @ 6,000 ft - 190 mph Ceiling - 25,500 ft Range - 900 miles Dimensions Length - 38 ft 10 in Wing span - 50 ft 9 in Height - 15 ft 8.25 in Armament (4) 20 mm cannon Up to 8,000 lbs. of freefall and/or forward-firing weapons mounted on hard points