Douglas Low-Drag External Fuel Tanks Redux

I provided dimensioned drawings of the 150, 300, and 400-gallon Douglas low-drag external tanks here: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2011/07/douglas-low-drag-external-fuel-tanks.html

The tanks and fins were standardized but the number and location of the fins varied with the specific location on a particular type.

The 150-gallon tank was common on the A4D-1 and early A4D-2s.

Because the tanks were very similar in shape, you have to look carefully to see which one is installed. In the case of the A4D, the clues are a somewhat smaller diameter relative to the airframe and more obviously, how far the tank extends behind the wing trailing edge and to a lesser degree, ahead of the wing leading edge.

Here is an example of a single 400-gallon tank on an A-4 and one with two 300-gallon tanks. Note that the 300-gallon tanks do not have fins, which is not unusual, but the forward location of the national insignia on an A-4E is.

I've seen questions about which kits have accurate external tanks so I did a quick survey of some of the 1/72 kits in my stash, comparing their 300-gallon tanks to the drawing. In rough order of acceptability:

Esci A-4 (A4D): Excellent

Hasegawa A-1 (AD): Almost perfect. Rounding the nose a bit provides almost exact length; the fins are a bit small but not objectionably so.

Tamiya F4D: Very slightly oversized, rounding the nose would be appropriate.

Airfix F4D: Very slightly oversized.

Airfix S-3: Basic size and shape okay; the fins need to be cut down. (The basic shape of the airframe is also better than the Hasegawa kit, e.g. the engine nacelles aren't circular.)

Hasegawa EA-6B: Basic tank okay but fins slightly undersized.

Fujimi A-6: Length okay but diameter a bit undersized and too tapered; fins good.

Hasegawa S-3: Too short by about 13" and forward edge of fin angled downward too sharply.

Fujimi A-7: Too short by about 31" and terrible fins

Airfix AD: Somewhat undersized (too tapered/conical) and fins too small.

Hasegawa A-4: Definitely undersized; could be sectioned to create the 150-gallon tank.

Matchbox F3D: 150-gallon size but forward part of tank is too tapered, conical.

Hasegawa F9F-8: 150-gallon size but too small in maximum diameter; taper down in diameter from mid section both forward and aft is too conical; and the fins are not correct.

Alex provided some additional notes on tanks from other kits:

Fujimi A-4E/F kit # F24: L = 77.5mm, D = 8.7mm.
Overall shape appears to be correct.

Hasegawa AV-8B kit # D19: L = 85mm, D = 10.4mm.
Definitely oversized.

Academy OV-10A kit # 1665: L = 54mm, D = 7mm.
Too small even for a 150-gallon tank.

Sword F3D-2 kit # 72072, 300-gallon tank: L = 77.5mm, D = 8.5mm.
Overall shape appears to be correct.

Sword F3D-2 kit # 72072, 150-gallon tank: L = 61mm, D = 7.3mm.
Apparently undersized.

For some aftermarket options, see http://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2013/08/things-under-wings-douglas-low-drag.html

Comments, additions, and corrections welcome.