Hobby Master HA1427 1:72 US Navy A-4C Skyhawk "MIG-17 Killer" VA-76, USS Bon Homme Richard

Designed to replace the Douglas AD-1 Skyraider the Skyhawk first flew in 1954. Its small
size was a radical departure from the normal “Big” thinking of the time. The USN first took
delivery in late 1956 with the USMC receiving theirs 3 months later. Over the years many
nicknames were used, “Tinker Toy”, “Heinemann’s Hotrod” (the designer was Ed
Heinemann), with the E and F models labeled the “Camel” because of the electronics
hump along the dorsal. Probably the most well known nickname used for the 2,960 A-4’s
that were produced is “Scooter”.



Douglas A-4C Skyhawk 148609 c/n 12802 was delivered to VA-64 in 1961. After
spending time with VA-64 and VA72 148609 was assigned to VA-76 “Spirits” in 1964 as
NP-685. VA-76 was deployed to Vietnam on board the USS Bon Homme Richard when
on May 1, 1967 LCDR Ted "T.R." Swartz flying 148609 shot down a MiG-17 over
North Vietnam with an unguided Zuni missile making this the only time a Skyhawk scored
an air-to-air victory during the Vietnam War. 148609 was lost in June 1972 after a mid-air
collision.