Douglas AD-6 Skyraider (oz4779)

About this Plan

Douglas Skyraider. Radio control scale model. Wingspan 51 in, for .29 to .51 engines. Scale is 1/12.

Quote: "Steve, Here is the old scale Kyosho Skyraider, part of the same series as the Mustang and Texan I sent previously. 51in Span, 390 Sq Inch Area, .29 to .50 power. Kit KC-1001. I do not have this kit, just plans so I can't provide any tracings of parts. The isometrics and top views should help. It has a very interesting technique for creating that transition from flat sides to a round nose. Number 4 of this series is the P40 Warhawk, but I do not have anything on that one. Anyone, anyone, Bueller....?"

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Update 20/11/2025: Added kit review from MAN December 1971, thanks to RFJ.

Quote: "Review this month covers an excellent stand-off scale of Navy shipboard or Carrier fighter with a racing 40 size engine! Field and Bench, by Dewey Newbold.

There is something about scale or near-scale airplanes that few modelers can resist. Powerful, also reliable, engines and proportional radios have ended the scale-don't-fly myth prevalent several years ago. The result of all this is that today there are a great number of scale kits on the market.

A few months ago, I was chosen to write a Field and Bench on a new addition to this list of scale kits, the Kyosho Skyraider. I had wanted to do a .60 powered, low-wing Pattern ship with retract gear, and at first I was a little disappointed with my assignment. Enthusiasm began to build however, shortly before I received the kit.

I had built a Japanese-made kit of the Kawasaki Hien Tony prior to this, and was quite pleased with its quality, though other projects, mainly school, have prevented me from finishing it up. I thus expected a high level of quality in the Kyosho kit which also comes from the land of Nippon. Advertising claims such as 'computer-cut parts, exact tolerances, pre-weighed balsa' also increased my enthusiasm for the project. The smaller size made it ideal for a Sport-scale model.

The subject of the kit is the Douglas AD-6 Skyraider, which is a well-known aircraft having served in Korea and today in Vietnam. Scale information is easy to obtain on this bird. Revell makes an excellent plastic kit of it and a book on the Skyraider is available from Aero Publishers. Nearly any collection of fullsize aircraft magazines will yield many pictures and several good ol' Betsy stories about it.

The kit is intended for .29 to .51 size engines. Span is 51 inches, length 39 inches, wing area 390 square inches. The kit is 1/12 full size, or 1 inch scale. I didn't check the dimensions for scale accuracy but the overall effect is quite realistic, which should at least make it very suitable for stand-off Scale events.

As received, the kit was beautifully packaged and very complete. I was in bed with the flu when the kit arrived, and therefore I had plenty of time to examine the parts and read the instructions (only as a last resort!). There was a picture on the outside of the box of the kit all, built and painted in a modern-day Navy scheme that really made my mouth water.

Included in the hardware package were silk, silkspan, wheels, landing gear, devises, control horns, wing bolts, fuel tank, decals, hinges, canopy, and a beautiful spun aluminum cowl. The parts are numbered and the plans are excellent. An instruction book is also included. There are no diecut parts and the hardware is of good quality, especially the wheels, fuel tank and cowl. The wing ribs appear to be band-sawed and the rest of the parts machine-cut or sanded. The intricately cut plywood bulkheads are really nice-looking.

Rather than simply repeating the kit's instructions, I will describe the assembly in a general way except where problems occurred.

In general, the parts were not cut to the 'computer tolerances' claimed by the manufacturer. However, the fit was reasonably good, in most cases. The plans and instructions are adequate and a parts list is included. The balsa selection was generally good except for a few parts which were unusually hard.

The fuselage is constructed of bulkheads and stringers, much like the full-sized aircraft. In a way, this added to the excitement since it was quite different from building the usual slab-sided multi-designs. The side sheets and planking are added after this structure is completed.

The top planking must be soaked and taped or pinned into place. I would suggest using silkspan on top of the fuselage, since silk is likely to bring out the seams and joints in the planking when it pulls tight. The fin is built integrally with the fuselage in order to retain the lines of the real airplane.

The design of the fuselage is very clever and one must remember that this fuselage shape is fairly difficult to copy. The best feature is the way in which the nose blocks and bulkheads are designed to duct air out of the cowl in the same manner as the real aircraft. This, combined with the flange on the aluminum cowl, gives the front end a very realistic appearance.

The characteristic airscoop in front of the cockpit is molded as a part of the canopy itself. The canopy is thick and strong. Problems occurred in the nose area where the fit of some of the interlocking parts was very loose, making it difficult to obtain the correct alignment..."

Supplementary file notes

Review.

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