Since this is a preview, there really isn't any need to go into how the A-3 is the greatest multi-engined jet bomber ever to grace the decks of America's aircraft carriers. Nor is this the place to mention that it's longevity is an enviable one, serving from the mid 1950's to the early 1990's. Nor should I mention that it was the first aircraft I ever worked on when entering the Navy in the very early 1970's. Having not mentioned all that; on to the kit.

This is basically the same A-3 Skywarrior kit that was released about a year ago. However it is missing all the ECM pods and tanker stuff. Instead, there are two large resin pieces produced by Jaguar that are replacements for the kit nose and tail section. The resin parts look just superb and it seems like the conversion is a simple one. In addition, there are two metal 20mm cannon barrels. Hasegawa shows you where to cut the kit fuselage as well as what lumps and bumps to remove. You also need to remove some of the windows in the transparency by simply sanding off the frames.

In addition, you get a brand new decal sheet for VAH-1 and VAH-9. It is a typical Hasegawa sheet and though the colors for the tail markings look a bit dark, they should work very well. As you can see from the representative scan below, the rest of the kit is just the same as their normal A-3 releases. In other words, super. Since the difference between the A3D-1 and A3D-2 was basically internal, this kit can be built in the dark sea blue scheme. Now to find some references!! Thanks, Hasegawa!