Build Review Pt.V: Magic Factory 48th scale USMC A-4 Skyhawk - Masks, decals, weathering & finishing the kit..

Gary Wickham completes his unique build of Magic Factory's 48th-scale A-4M kit in a challenging two-tone scheme. Now the masks, decalling, weathering & finishing tops off this kit to an amazing standard in his informative closing chapter of this story.

Build Review Pt. V: USMC A-4 Skyhawk light attack aircraft

From Magic Factory
1/48th scale
Kit No. #2007
Plastic injection model kit
Two marking choices in the box
Price: $110 USD from Hobbylink Japan
Magic Factory Website & Facebook Page

Today in Part Five, I will continue the build of Magic Factory's 48th scale A-4M Skyhawk that has been steadily making progress from Pt. I , Pt. II, Pt. III , PT.IV of this build. Let's see how the kit looks under paint!

Pt.V: Maskingin, decalling, weathering & finishing...
With the painting now finished, I took the usual extra time to thoroughly inspect the model for any areas that might require touch-ups or corrections. Addressing these issues at this stage is much more convenient and efficient than discovering them later during the final assembly, where reworking could become more difficult or even risk damaging delicate parts. 

This careful review helps ensure a cleaner, more polished result once construction is complete.

When you’re fortunate enough to have high-quality reference photos of your chosen subject, it’s well worth investing the time to study them closely. Paying attention to the specific details of the aircraft allows you to replicate them more accurately in your model. While I chose not to open all the nose access panels included by Magic Factory, I did want to display the engine maintenance doors open and position the airbrakes slightly ajar—both common sights on Skyhawks parked on the ramp after shutdown. Magic Factory includes the necessary parts to open the airbrakes, but the actuating struts are molded only in the fully extended position. Fortunately, it's a simple modification to shorten the struts, allowing the doors to be posed partially open, just a few inches, as seen on the actual aircraft.

Physically opening the airbrakes is actually the easy part—the real challenge lies in dealing with the national insignia (the stars and bars), which sits directly over the airbrake. Some kit and decal manufacturers help modelers out by supplying the insignia as a two-part decal to accommodate open airbrakes, but unfortunately, Magic Factory didn’t include this option. In the past, I’ve tackled this by applying the decal in one piece and carefully slicing it with a sharp blade while it was still wet on the model. This method is risky and can often produce uneven or damaged results. For this build, I opted for a different approach. 

Using Inkscape, I traced the shape of the insignia and created a cutting template—not for painting, but to accurately trim the decal while it was still on the backing paper. This technique significantly reduces the risk and allows for much cleaner application to the fuselage and separate airbrake parts.

Silhouette Studio, the free software provided for use with Silhouette cutting machines, is where I designed and laid out all the custom masks used for this Skyhawk build. In the image, you can see the complete set of masks I created, covering everything from the chaff/flare dispensers to the national insignia. If you're planning t build a Skyhawk in this scheme and would find the masks helpful, feel free to send me an email—I’m more than happy to share the .studio3 file so you can cut your own set and save time on layout and design.

The first step in creating the templates was to apply the full decal outline directly over the airbrake door area. Using a sharp #11 blade, I carefully trimmed along the edge of the plastic airbrake to precisely match its contour. This process produced a clean, accurate template that I could then lay over the dry decal on the backing sheet. 

With this template as a guide, I was able to cut the decal safely and precisely, ensuring it would fit perfectly over the airbrake when applied—without the risks associated with trimming decals directly on the model.

With the template ready, it’s time to gently place the vinyl guide over the decal. Using a fresh #11 blade, carefully trace along the edges of the template with light pressure. There’s no need to press hard—our goal is to cut through only the decal film, not the backing paper underneath. 

A gentle touch is all it takes to achieve a clean cut. Once done, remove the vinyl template, and you'll have a precisely trimmed two-part decal ready for application to the fuselage and airbrake components.

One of the more unique challenges of this particular paint scheme is the presence of a white outline surrounding the national insignia (stars and bars) where it overlaps the black sections of the fuselage. Even though the Magic Factory decals included this border, I chose to add it manually before the insignia decal was applied. To achieve this, I designed a custom mask specifically for this purpose. I masked off the areas where the insignia would sit and sprayed a white base layer onto the black sections—specifically the upper (port side)...

...and lower (starboard side) fuselage. Once the decals are applied over this white base, the result is a clean, crisp white border around the insignia, accurately replicating the look of the real aircraft. This extra step adds a touch of realism and ensures the insignia doesn’t get lost against the darker background.

With the custom masking and painting complete, the white outline is now in place on both the open airbrake and the adjacent fuselage panel. This carefully applied border provides the correct visual separation between the black fuselage and the upcoming national insignia decal, just as seen on the real aircraft. Thanks to the pre-cut decal template and the white base now in place, everything is ready for the decals to be applied with confidence, ensuring a trouble free finish.

Although I used semi-gloss paints and didn’t expect any issues applying the Cartograph decals directly, I still believe it’s worth applying a light gloss clear coat beforehand. This extra step helps ensure optimal adhesion and minimizes the risk of silvering. For this, I prefer Tamiya LP-9 Clear—it's the best-performing gloss coat I’ve used. Once dry, it forms a tough, durable finish and is easy to apply, even when heavily thinned, making it ideal for prepping the surface before decaling.

As expected, the Cartograph kit decals performed flawlessly. All the planning and preparation I put into handling the airbrake area paid off perfectly, with everything coming together just as intended. I’m very pleased with the result and will definitely be using this technique again for similar situations. Where needed, I applied Micro Sol to help the decals conform smoothly to the recessed panel lines and surface details.

Once all the decals had fully set (overnight), I sealed everything with a final light coat of Tamiya LP-9 Clear. This not only protects the decals but I find also helps to blend the edges of the carrier film into the paintwork, giving the markings a much more realistic, painted-on appearance.

One of my favourite stages in any build is applying a wash over the panel lines and rivet detail—it’s the moment when the model truly begins to transform from looking like a toy into something that resembles the real aircraft. Given the high-contrast paint scheme on this build, I initially thought I’d need two separate washes to suit the black and white areas. However, after some careful testing (always test first!), I found that a custom-blended medium grey wash—made by mixing Tamiya's Light and Dark Grey Panel Liner enamels—provided the right balance across the entire surface. Thanks to the protective layers of Tamiya LP-9 Clear over the paint and decals, I could apply the wash quite liberally without worry, allowing it to settle beautifully into the recessed details and bring the surface to life.

I usually let the enamel wash dry for about 30 to 60 minutes before removing the excess with white spirits. If you're interested in learning more about this technique, I’ve put together a detailed step-by-step tutorial here: Aircraft Panel Line Washes: A Step-By-Step Guide

The underside of the airframe received the same medium grey wash as the rest of the model, helping to enhance the panel lines and surface detail. I deliberately kept the weathering subtle, as reference photos of this particular Air Test Centre jet showed it to be generally clean and well-maintained. However, I did add a bit of additional staining to the wheel wells, as these areas tend to collect grime and hydraulic residue—even on the most meticulously kept aircraft.

My research indicated that the interior of the airbrake wells was typically painted grey, while the inner surface of the airbrake itself—being a movable part—was finished in warning red. Around this stage of the build, I took a moment to reflect on my earlier decision to fill most of the recessed rivets on the kit’s surface. In hindsight, it proved to be the right choice, as the remaining rivet detail now strikes a good balance—adding visual interest without overwhelming the overall appearance of the model.

Although I haven’t highlighted it in detail, rest assured that all the undercarriage doors, struts, and wheels were properly masked and painted as required. One area I continue to find a bit tedious is handling the red borders on the gear doors—masking and painting them is quite time-consuming and can feel a bit clunky. I’ve heard good things about the new AK Real Color Markers, which allow you to apply paint like a pen rather than with a brush. These might be a worthwhile option to explore for future builds, especially for fine detail work like this.

As usual, final assembly focused on attaching all the delicate components to the main airframe. I typically work from the centreline outward, as this minimizes the risk of damaging previously installed parts by reaching over them. I’m pleased to report that everything—gear struts, door hinges, and other fiddly elements like the refuelling probe—slotted into place cleanly and securely, with no alignment issues. That kind of fit and precision is especially appreciated at this late stage in the build.

A final semi-gloss clear coat was applied to unify the finish and give the model a subtle, realistic sheen. Once that had cured, all the remaining masks were carefully removed, revealing the final paintwork in full. Overall, I’m very pleased with how the build turned out—especially glad I committed to the challenging black and white Navy Air Test Centre scheme, which really gives the model a distinctive presence. 

CONCLUSION - Magic Factory 1:48 A-4M Skyhawk (5002)
As often seems to be the case, this build turned out to be a far more involved project than I initially anticipated. Along the way, I reworked the kit’s surface detail by filling most of the overdone rivets, added a 3D-printed resin nose and wheels from Matters of Scale, and spent time refining my skills with the Silhouette cutter to create custom masks. In the end, I gained much more from this build than just another completed model—it was a valuable learning experience.

A walk around the completed kit...

There’s a lot to like about Magic Factory’s newly tooled 1/48th scale Skyhawk. The overall engineering and parts layout mark a clear improvement over the now-aging Hasegawa kit. However, it’s not without its shortcomings. This is the second Magic Factory kit I’ve reviewed, and unfortunately, they still haven’t addressed the issue of scale-appropriate surface riveting and the poor fit of open access panels when you want to close them. I would have preferred to build the model straight from the box without having to fill and smooth out excessive rivet detail on the wings and fuselage—but my modeller’s eye just couldn’t overlook it.

A small selection of photos in closer detail... 

That said, I genuinely hope Magic Factory continues producing new 1/48 aircraft kits. And, as they demonstrated following the release of their F4U-1 Corsair, I trust they’ll continue to listen to feedback from the modelling community—taking on board what worked, and what didn’t. That’s really all we can ask of any new manufacturer as they grow and learn along the way.

I have another one of these kits in my stash, and I fully intend to build it. Yes, I’ll be filling the rivets again (I’m getting pretty good at that now), and I’ll definitely be using more of the excellent one-piece noses and wheels from Matters of Scale. At the end of the day, I think the extra effort is absolutely worth it to take full advantage of all the great features this kit has to offer. I hope you give it a go as well.

Gary Wickham

Check out the Magic Factory Website & Facebook Page

You can see more of Gary's model making on his website Scalespot.com