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1:72 Matchbox A-10A - NOT straight from the box!


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At some point I might get into a detailed discussion of why I've decided to concentrate solely on Matchbox kits as far as 1:72 aircraft go, but the basic reason is that I actually enjoy making models from basic kits.  I like to make corrections, and scratchbuild details, and Matchbox give you plenty of scope for that.  There is still a part of me that understands the appeal of state of the art kits, and high quality resin and PE detail sets, but I'm going to keep all that to 1:48.  In the smaller scale for me, from now on it's Matchbox or nothing! Matchbox were one of the first manufactures to release an A-10 (the copyright date on the inside of the fuselage is 1978), just as the A-10 was entering squadron service.  Even at the time of its release, it wasn't up-to-date, since it depicts the prototype configuration.  Also, in order to squeeze the model onto three sprues that would fit into their Orange Range box, some compromises were made with regards to accuracy.  As one would expect, the detail isn't great, but that's what plastic card is for!  So let's have a look at the box and what's inside:
mIvBxE2.jpg

UXkMRxa.jpg

 

Yep, it's a prototype A-10, 20mmVulcan and all.

 

o4uU1dW.jpg

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Qz2mNuJ.jpg

Wow! look at all those bombs!  As you can see, the density of parts on the sprues leaves little room for anything more.  Pretty sure that's why the wingspan is a half inch short.

 

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Well, I'm obviously going to need some reference material if I'm going to make anything out of that lot.
1JxfaX9.jpg

 

Nothing very recent here, but it's all relevant to a Desert Storm Hog.  Plus, there's a whole internet full of extra info, should it be needed.

 

Let's start with the fuselage.  How's the shape?

 

ntN32Kn.jpg

 

Not perfect, but really pretty close.  Only minor corrections needed here, no major surgery called for (yet!).  Its a bit wide at the back end, but by sanding the mating surfaces of the fuselage halves by approximately quite a bit, it will be a lot more accurately tapered when they're joined together.

 

3ppZjP2.jpg

 

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I'm going to refrain from making the usual jokes about Matchox's panel lines, but they do need filled in and replaced.  The weapons of choice for this job are superglue and wet & dry paper.  For actually gluing stuff, I like to use good quality CA glue, but for panel line filling, the cheap stuff (8 tubes for $2 at the Reject Shop) works fine.  While in sanding frenzy mode, I also did my best to flatten the fuselage sides, which are bulged a bit.  One of the design principles the A-10 team adhered to was that compound curvature in the panels was to be kept to an absolute minimum.  Hence, the fuselage has very flat sides.  Had I realized the fuselage cross section is too square at the top, I would have corrected it at this stage, but I actually did it a bit later on. 

 

Once the fuselage halves were smooth and flat, I got work on adding some details.  The first step was the recess for the boarding ladder.  Using the Detail & Scale plans, I drew the shape in the correct location, cut it out and built up the sides from the inside with strips of plastic card.

 

yDaIY71.jpg

 

Then I made all the little vents and scoops on the fuselage sides.  (Well, nearly all - I didn't bother with the one that will be hidden by the open boarding ladder door).  After marking and cutting the little square and rectangular holes, I Dremeled out the inside of the fuselage to make it as thin as possible.  Then I added a series of 5 thou card strips (for the vents), or a piece of 40 thou card with a little ramp cut out of it (for the scoops).

 

BXHtC6k.jpg

 

After they were set, I packed epoxy putty around them so that when I rescribe the panel lines, I wouldn't break through the plastic.

Edited by Possibly Apocryphal
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Next job was the nose wheel well.  First, I glued the very inaccurate kit doors in place, disguised all the oins with the same treatment as the panel lines and then used the D&S drawings to mark and cut an aperture of the correct shape.

 

So - a word about wheel wells.  Anyone who builds perfectly accurate and fully detailed wheel wells on 1:72 aircraft has my admiration, but frankly, life's too short.  Typically, the photos you're working from are incomplete and taken from difficult angles, looking up into deep dark holes, with viewing angles restricted by wheel well doors and the airframe itself.  And then, they're filled with all manner of pipes and tubes and actuators and stuff whose purpose you couldn't identify if your life depended on it, all of which in theory, could be faithfully duplicated, but, sadly, not by me.  That having been said, what I'm trying to achieve is an impression of the shape, layout and complexity of this bit of the aeroplane.  I've tried to capture the main features and details, and I know it's only an approximation, but I think you'd have to check it against pretty good references to tell.  It's all plastic card, plastic rod and thin copper wire.  A few more details will be added much later, when it's time to add the nose wheel leg and the doors, but for now it's essentially finished.
Front and rear walls, plus starboard side ribs:
XglRgbE.jpg

q6QgJI1.jpg

 

And the final result:

UFEi5Sz.jpg

VLKyEDd.jpg

YDcoW5c.jpg

vbz9Xzt.jpg

xZ1DOPR.jpg

 

Next, it's on to the cockpit.  That's all for now!

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Wow ! It's a piece of Madness bravery !

Good job anyway, please mind a room for a nose ballast because all the A-10 kits are prone to tail sitting !

Keep carry on Dear !

Sincerely !

Corsaircorp

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8 minutes ago, corsaircorp said:

Wow ! It's a piece of Madness bravery !

Good job anyway, please mind a room for a nose ballast because all the A-10 kits are prone to tail sitting !

Keep carry on Dear !

Sincerely !

Corsaircorp

Thanks, Corsaircorp.  There's plenty of room behind the cockpit for ballast.  It's just a matter of remembering to put it in before I join the fuselage halves together!

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1 hour ago, Possibly Apocryphal said:

Anyone who builds perfectly accurate and fully detailed wheel wells on 1:72 aircraft has my admiration, but frankly, life's too short.

My lord PA! I nearly spilt my Stone & Wood when I saw what you had done :)

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2 hours ago, Pinback said:

My lord PA! I nearly spilt my Stone & Wood when I saw what you had done :)

 

I'm guessing that would be an alcoholic beverage? It's a little early here for that, however I already like the approach on this one a lot - looking forward to seeing more progress.

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I think my life is a lot shorter than yours when it comes to wheel wells! Super work.

 

I salute your philosophy of taking a mediocre kit and improving it too. Looking forward to the journey on this one.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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Amazing! And I love Warthogs, ever since those halcyon summers days at Bentwaters and being buzzed by pairs of hogs over North Norfolk.

 

This build also typifies the kind of skill and patience I don't have! Wheelwells always strictly OOB for me! Damn good work sir!

Edited by Lord Riot
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I will enjoy this, I am a confirmed Matchbox fan and Maurice Landi was a hero to me with his determination to make interesting models for me but I wanted to ask you or anyone else who eschews proper solvent type Polystyrene cement

Why?


Superglue always separates if you don't need it to, it only surface grips the kit parts instead of turning them into a single entity

I rarely use the stuff unless I expect to be separating the parts later

 

So would you tell me what makes it work for you , I can never get on with it and the fumes make my nasal cavities rot

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All I can say is that you have MUCH more patience than I do, my friend.

 

Good luck with your build.... I have a feeling that she is going to be a thing of beauty, once completed. 

 

Cheers.

 

Chris. 

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1 minute ago, perdu said:

but I wanted to ask you or anyone else who eschews proper solvent type Polystyrene cement

Why?

 

So would you tell me what makes it work for you , I can never get on with it and the fumes make my nasal cavities rot

Having just had to disassemble the liquid poly-deformed “broom cupboard” that I’d scratch built for a Revell Sea King that I’m (still) converting to an HAR. 3 superglue should have been my weapon of choice.  The joints have to support infinitesimal loads and the plastic wouldn’t have softened to produce a less-than-90-degree inside angle at the front corners.  

 

Superglue’s also the least-worst agent for attaching the nice new Aeroparts resin intake ramps to the remainder of the intake tunnels on my Airfix Phantom FG. 1.

 

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OK lets go  "horses for courses" as stuporgoo will do the same for me on mine but I still don't understand not making seamed joints with poly cement

 

I dont mean slurping lots of liquid poly in either, just the light smear of tube glue that sets the seams forever

 

(given that some stuff kits are moulded in have very little polystyrene dna in them, gods know what some of 'em are squeezed out of, viz:my russki moulded Buccaneer) :(

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Built this one not long after it came out too.  As it models the prototype, isn’t it a 20mm Gatling rather than the production 30mm?  All I can remember is propping up the engines to stop them sinking downwards while the glue dried.  Was best part of 25 years ago though.  Built my first hog since last year in 1/48 & yours looks like it will have more detail!

 

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Thats the 1/48 not the matchbox one

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On 4/21/2018 at 6:56 PM, Lord Riot said:

Amazing! And I love Warthogs, ever since those halcyon summers days at Bentwaters and being buzzed by pairs of hogs over North Norfolk.

 

This build also typifies the kind of skill and patience I don't have! Wheelwells always strictly OOB for me! Damn good work sir!

Lucky you!  Living in Australia, I've never laid eyes on a real one.  :(  But it's been one of my favourite planes pretty much forever.

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On 4/22/2018 at 1:13 AM, perdu said:

I will enjoy this, I am a confirmed Matchbox fan and Maurice Landi was a hero to me with his determination to make interesting models for me but I wanted to ask you or anyone else who eschews proper solvent type Polystyrene cement

Why?


Superglue always separates if you don't need it to, it only surface grips the kit parts instead of turning them into a single entity

I rarely use the stuff unless I expect to be separating the parts later

 

So would you tell me what makes it work for you , I can never get on with it and the fumes make my nasal cavities rot

In the case of panel line filling, I'm actually using the super glue as putty rather than glue.  It's pretty amazing for this, once you sand it smooth, it pretty much becomes one with the plastic, much more so than any other type of filler that I'm familiar with.  As far as glue goes, I absolutely do use polystyrene cement for virtually all plastic-to-plastic bonds, Humbrol Liquid Poly being my very strong preference.  But if you're gluing non-plastic materials, then you need either epoxy or CA, and for those jobs my choice is Selly's Quick Fix Shockproof (not sure what the non-Australian equivalent might be), which is expensive, but very strong

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