amason61

Very nice. Great job on the camo paint work, especially.

Got a little more work done today. Was trying to finish the cockpit/IP when the carpet monster ate the Fire-Pull handle PE! Now, I'll have to fashion a replacement. Otherwise it's shaping up. Not 100% accurate, but once installed it'll look the part of a A-10C pit.

Nice, one, Lloyd. That desert brown is one of my favorite schemes on the Eagle. Looks good to me.

okay, here's a few more.

Wait . . . you didn't think I was talking about . . . oh never mind! I was invited to take an orientation flight with the one of the outstanding crews of the 6th Air Mobility Wing/927th Air Refueling Wing out of McDill AFB (also home to USCENTCOM and USSOCOMM). We flew North to the Panhandle of Florida and held in a pattern over Tyndall AFB where we were met by 3 hungry F-22 Raptors!!! My adrenaline level is still so high that I am struggling to find the words to express what an incredible experience it was. But . . . who needs words, when you've got pictures? Enjoy!!! And, finally, a self-portait of sorts . . .

Still working on the engine pods. To get the Sierra Hotel fan assembly to fit you have to modify the kit engine pod by removing the front of the HB engine at the seam line. Not too difficult. The other issue with the HB engine pod is that it is completely hollow inside; totally lacking any detail when viewing from the back. I decided to use a Revell A-10 as a donor kit and use the one piece rear shroud and rear exhaust inside. As you can see it offers a decent amount of detail. The only modification was to drill out the hole in the center, then paint and weather. Here is a mock-up of the HB/Revell versus the HB alone.

Mock up of the engine pods to show the vast improvement the Sierra Hotel Engine Inlet/Fan Assembly (part #48402) adds versus the HobbyBoss kit part. SH on the left/HB on the right. The depth of the inlet, the shape and height of the cone, and the number of fan blades are spot on! Plus, the fan blades are a separate piece making the painting of the blades and the ring around the inside of the inlet a breeze! I'd highly recommend this set to any future Warthog builders! Here's the "almost finished" product (still have to spray the inlet dome):

Not much progress to report. Got some base colors on the seat and IP and did a dry-fit to see how it all comes together.

Can you say "hand-cramps"? Spent better part of today adding depth to the fuselage "rivets" with a sewing needle! Whew! Glad that's over. A little FloryModel wash to check the results. Also opened a few fuselage vents and glues some mesh screen behind them.

Got an hour or so in this afternoon adding some Eduard PE to the rear canopy deck and kit cockpit.

Well, between Christmas, family, and an emergency root canal I haven't managed to make a lot of progress on my Blacksnakes build. I have, however, been keeping up with Sid de Koning's great build and taking copious notes. Mostly I've been fiddling with some Eduard PE bits and doing some minor scratch-building. Here's the update:

Wow! That pit and IP look incredible. Thanks for all the notes on the antennas/panels. I learned a few things that I will be applying to my Blacksnakes A-10C build. Keep up the good work . . and keep sharing the progress shots of it all. It is most helpful!

some glareshield trimming, notch cut for the PE fire pull handles, and some spare resin rod and lead wire to replicate the two boxes atop the glareshield. Sheesh! I wish someone would make a resin pit for the A-10C already!

You know . . . I like it! Cool Whif!

I've been putting my limited scratch-building talents to work to replicate something in 1:48 that could pass for an A-10C cockpit. Here's the HobbyBoss original kit part alongside the 2nd kit part that is undergoing surgery. Would really appreciate any comments/critiques at this point.

Here's my Hasegawa F-15A depicting 77-089 operating out of Soesterberg AB circa 1980. Kit: Hasegawa F-15A Scale: 1:48 Paints: Model Master for amin camo, and Alclads for exhaust area Aftermarket: Aires exhaust with Turkey Feathers, Afterburner decals (stencils on exhaust cans), Monogram decals for unit markings and Monogram "A"-style wheels mated to Hasegawa part; True Details resin seat

Yes it is. Forgot to add that in the description.

Starting my new project in anticipation of some new decals that are forthcoming for the IN ANG. Gonna try to have one of the first A-10 Blacksnakes builds going. Along with the external lumps and bumps that most all current A-10s carry, I am also going to modify the IP to include a second CRT found in the A-10C, plus I am going to add the Sierra Hotels awesome intake fan/shroud plus a few other goodies along the way.

Teaser before showing up in the Display Case:

Seat and cans done. Now just the last little bits and we're done!

Thanks for following the progress on this build. These are probably the last update shots before the final reveal. First time using an oil wash. Still have a few odds and ends to tend to. She's almost there, though!

Alan, I love your Eagle. The finish, stenciling, weathering are a thing of beauty. Nice work!

The joy of Hi-Viz stencils!

Now we're starting to look like an Eagle!

Thanks, Duncan. And, yes, the nozzles did change. Only the early A-models had the "turkey feathers". Somewhere around the early-mid 19080's the USAF removed the feathers on all the Eagle nozzles.