Not to be confused with the later (1986 New Tool) kit released by Monogram and then adopted by Revell when the companies merged, my 1/48th Revell A-10A model was made from the older (1979) pure Revell mould, which was a simpler model kit and was eventually discontinued in the late 80s.
Notable Kit Features:
Basic kit with relatively few parts
Raised detail for instruments in the cockpit
Simple ejection seat (basic detail with no harnesses present)
One-piece canopy
All control surfaces moulded in the closed (neutral) position
Mix of raised panel lines with recessed lines for control surfaces and vents
Basic landing gear detail
Weapons include Rockeye CBU, Mavericks, Chaff/Flare pod and ALQ-119 pod
Build Inspiration:
The Thunderbolt II, soon to become known as the Warthog, attracted a lot of attention when it was developed. It was designed around the new USAF Big 30mm Gun (GAU-8) and with its non-swept wing, looked like nothing else in service. Early A-10 kit releases in the late 70's by Tamiya, ESCI and Revell were all based on pre-production aircraft but got modelers a Warthog to work with. Paint livery on the early types included the Light/Medium Grays "Mask-10A", overall Gunship Gray, plus combinations of the Lizard scheme and this JAWS exercise blotch scheme as well.
Heads-Up Report:
Kit represents one of the early pre-production A-10s
Fan blades are moulded turning in the wrong direction
Some work was required on a lot of the seams to get them smooth enough for paint
Kit Additions / Modifications:
Added pilot from a Monogram kit
Drilled out the GAU-8 gun barrels
Finishing:
The paint scheme for this 1/48th Revell A-10A Warthog aircraft was custom mixed to best match the colour photos that I had of the JAWS (Joint Advanced Warfighting School) scheme. The Revell instructions just used a colour descriptor with no reference, so you were on your own to decide the mix.
The After-Build Report:
The 1/48th Revell A-10A Warthog kit was decent enough at the time of its release (second only to Tamiya's A-10A and a fraction of the price) however once the Monogram release was made several years later, with updates to a production A-10A with better overall detail, the Revell version was taken out of production after the two companies merged.
The best 1/48th A-10C kit out there is probably going to be the brand new release by Great Wall Hobby, although that may prove to be a bit pricey, in which case the 1/48th Academy A-10C kit is looking pretty good as well (and seems to fare better in the reviews than the Monogram, Italeri or Hobby Boss kits).
Feel free to comment or ask any questions - Keep on building, gain experience, challenge yourself if you like, but try not to stress yourself out over the build - it is supposed to be an enjoyable hobby after all - Cheers
Comments