Search the Community

A-10C Ejection Seat with Integral Belts PRINT (6481035 for GWH) 1:48 Eduard Brassin Great Wall Hobby released their new A-10C Thunderbolt II kit last year to applause, as it offered modern levels of detail in 1:48 to this highly regarded aircraft at the peak of its use. The kit is well-detailed, but in the usual fashion, you can improve on even the best injection-moulded parts with the use of other media, particularly 3D printed resin, which is starting to take over in the after-market world of scale modelling. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, the set arrives in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The resin parts are further protected by a clear plastic clamshell box within the package, which has a sticky pad on the inside that helps to hold the parts in position. This set consists of five printed resin parts, one of which is also pre-painted. Your eyes do not deceive you, the ejection handle between the pilot’s knees is indeed yellow with black stripes, saving you a delicate job. A small decal sheet is also found in the package to apply after painting is complete, using Gunze Sangyo colour codes that are called out throughout the instructions. The main portion of the ACES II seat is printed as one in extreme detail, adding the headbox top with its canopy-break “ears”, the seat cushion, the afore-mentioned ejection handle, and a launch rail behind the seat that is also shown as a blue ghost image in position, allowing the completed seat to be slid down the cockpit’s aft bulkhead into position. The moulded-in belts have the potential for ultimate realism if sympathetically painted, as they are draped in a typical fashion to that of a real Thunderbolt, as if the pilot has just left. There are nine different decals on the small sheet, most of them doubled up, so you should have some spares if you make a mistake. Eduard decals also have removable carrier film that can be carefully peeled off when the decal is set, leading to a more realistic look to the finished model. It’s a focal point of the A-10 due to the prominent position of the pilot that gives him or her a bird’s eye view of the battle-space, so well-worth the effort to add to your model. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I'm planning on building a JAWS A-10 in 1/48th. I'm thinking of using the Revell kit, since it seems to be a nice baseline and it's been a while since I built the Revell kit, and one did pop up in my LHS. Definitely going to ask how they got one since I haven't seen one in ages. Out of production or something? Maybe that's just Europe. Now, I know the Tamiya kit is technically the best for an early A-10, but I'm wondering how accurate their depiction of the lack of countermeasures dispensers are. If you don't have the kit, the areas are molded much more skinnier than all the other kits. You might ask, why not just build the Tamiya kit? Simply because I find the lack of detail too much and it just wasn't a pleasant build because of that. Anyways, my question is, how accurate is Tamiya's molding when it comes to these areas? Am I going to need to thin down the dispensers on the Revell kit, or will it be enough to just cover/fill them up? I know I'm splitting hairs here & most people won't notice but I strive for realism, especially when it's almost a one-off subject. Might be a long shot but if someone can find reference pictures of the areas where the dispensers would be, or just early A-10s in general, I'd be grateful... other than the common JAWS pictures.

A-10C Upgrade Sets 2nd Tranche (for GWH – Great Wall Hobby) 1:48 Eduard Great Wall Hobby (GWH) sprung a new 1:48 scale A-10C Thunderbolt II on us late last year, and although we’ve not seen one here at Britmodeller yet (we have one on the way), the potential given their history of well-detailed models is generating much excitement and anticipation as they reach people’s stashes and workbenches. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner, and we reviewed the first tranche of sets here recently. Now we have the second batch of sets available for you to salivate over and choose from. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. There are also some weapons sets and other more complex sets available now and coming soon, so watch out for our next review. Interior (491458) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small sheet of pre-printed clear acetate sheet. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, sidewalls, and side consoles with added levers for the cockpit and the extensive instrument panel are in full colour, with rudder pedals; a replacement HUD that is made from PE, adding a lens to the lower portion, and sections of acetate film after removing the kit parts marked in red. The canopy is augmented by hoops with rear view mirrors, a hoop for the windscreen, and a frame for underneath the canopy to be seen when it’s posed open, adding skins to the sides of the retractable crew ladder bay, and vents on the sides of the forward fuselage, which isn’t strictly speaking part of the interior. Speaking of exterior, the undersides of the wings are upgraded by adding chaff and flare boxes to the wingtips just inside the downturned tip, and to the rear of the main gear bay nacelle, removing the moulded-in kit depiction beforehand under both wings. Zoom! Set (FE1458) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted and acetate parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the more structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1459) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. As well as the crew belts, you also get a set of pull-handles either side of the pilot's knees that gets him or her out of there in case of an emergency, plus a pair of straps on the drogue ‘chute pack in the ejection seat’s headbox. Review sample courtesy of

A bit of a departure from my normal subject.. a More modern 'jet' though this is strictly speaking a Turbofan engined bird! It was the kit that got me back in to modelling which I started nearly 2 years ago.. on the ordnance load. I got side tracked in to my real love and interest WW2 planes... its a very well thought out kit in my opinion. The engines and the wings marry up nicely with the fuselage.i decided I'd like to depart from the serving suggestion of a cammo model pattern and go for a Grey scheme. I've not decided which decal set to use yet but I'm not that bothered about historical accuracy for this project. I just wanted to enjoy the build and experiment with something new.. that doesn't have a propellor! I got some AK Real Colours US Modern Aircraft Greys paint set and so far I've sprayed Grey Vallejo Primer and then the Dark Ghost Grey sections. I did think I could just use Primer and maybe mix my own Dark Ghost Grey but a little research encouraged me to splash out on the rather excellent AK set. The model is surprisingly large for 1:48 scale. I think this is my perception as I've been engaged doing smaller WW2 planes so much ! I've enjoyed the kit so far . I made some mistakes on the painting of the ordnance load I know.. apologies in advance .. but I'm finding the masking tasks a bit too much so I'll make it look mean and ready for a fight rather than accurate.. Any advice on weathering , especially the turbo fan exhaust patterns/ colours would be gratefully received! Also I'm guessing that the overall General weathering would be very restrained for this type of aircraft? I'm thinking non combat situations allow more time for cleaning aircraft and maintaining them ? I've always liked the Warthog. It looks like it means business! Here's a shot of the progress so far...Regards, Andy

A-10C Update Sets (for Hobby Boss) 1:48 Eduard Hobby Boss have had a couple of A-10 kits in 1:48 over the years, but have recently released an updated kit for the modernised type C that is currently in use with American forces, complete with all manner of technological updates to keep it in touch with Allied forces, and taking out those of the enemy. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Interior (491324) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass, plus a small sheet of acetate film that has been pre-printed with shapes to aid cutting out of the parts. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, sidewall quilting and instruments, and complex side consoles with added levers for the cockpit and the extensive instrument panel for the cabin are in full colour; ejection seat controls with tip of the launch rail; details for the rear ‘turtle’ deck behind the pilot and on the closure mechanism, as well as on the sides around the aft of the cockpit. Additional parts are supplied for the HUD frame, and here one of the strips of acetate is scored to create a flat-topped right-angled triangle that fits inside the two sides, and a coloured PE lens for inside the bottom. Finally, the canopy and windscreen are detailed with additional instruments and roll-over hoop frames that include rear-view mirrors on the canopy side. SPACE 3D Printed Cockpit Decals (3DL48098) The Eduard SPACE sets use new 3D printing techniques that lay down successive layers of different colour resin, creating highly realistic almost full complete panels that are supplied on a decal sheet. They can depict metallic shades, plus glossy, satin, and matt colours too, which really ups the detail on everything they print. In addition, a small sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted PE is included for the aspects of the set that lend themselves better to this medium, such as seatbelts and rudder pedals. The 3D printed sheet contains a superbly detailed multi-part instrument panel that requires the removal of the inferior styrene details, plus more for the side consoles, which also have additional levers installed. A detail insert is provided for the control column, a colourful insert for the HUD and two patches on the top corners of the seat cushion are the last decals, then the kit seatbelts and seat controls are relieved of their moulded-in details so the new pre-painted PE replacements can be fixed in place to complete the overhaul. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1325) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. As well as the crew belts, you also get a set of controls and pull-handles either side of the pilot's knees that gets him out of there in case of an emergency. Masks (EX915) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki masking tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. Masks Tface (EX916) Supplied on a larger sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the interior and give your model that extra bit of realism, which should come in useful if you purchase any of the detail sets that also include extra details for the canopy. Review sample courtesy of

Here's my build of the Italeri 1/48 A-10C "Black Snakes". Very nice kit, good fit and details. The following after market sets were used: Eduard (48854) - A-10C exterior Eduard (491026) - A-10C interior Eduard (648382) - AN/ALQ-131 (Deep) ECM Pod Master (AM-48-081) - GAU-8 Avenger gun tip and Pitot Tube Quickboost (QB 48 173) - A-10A Thunderbolt II Correct Fan Blades ResKit (RS48-0192) - AGM-65 Maverick missile with LAU-117 Painting was done with Gunze lacquers, the main colors are Dark Ghost Gray (C307) and Light Ghost Gray (C308). The aircraft was finished with a coat of mat varnish. Build photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA7r2u

Hello everyone. I am happy to present my finished model of A-10A as flown in Operation Iraqi Freedom back in 2003 by Captain Kim Campbell. On 7/4/2003 this specific aircraft was badly hit by A/A over Bagdad, however Cpt Campbell managed to bring the aircraft back and land safely!!! The model is the Academy 1/72 kit and no aftermarket products were used. It is painted in Humbrol colours Hu127 and Hu128 and received a mat finish with GUNZE acrylic matt coat. I managed to do a few improvements to the cockpit, the landing gear and added some antennas, sensors, etc. The overall impression of the kit is that it has very nice detail in panel lines, rivets, etc, but the fit is just horrible! There was no part that went together with another without the use of putty and sandpaper! The decals went on nicely even thought they are thick. However the sharkmouth decal was not used on the aircraft's nose. Instead it was painted. I understand that the weapon load is non realistic (someone told me that the plane can not take off like this) but when I was putting it together I didn't know that. Well, it could be a display plane in an Air Force Open Day! In any case, these is the complete model that I hope you like! Thank you very much for your time. Take care everyone and keep modelling!!!

Joining you with this kit. Which has remained in my stash since it came out in 1997. Two finish options - both Europe Lizard. I've not decided which as yet.

Finished this today - the HobbyBoss A-10 with Authentic Decals aftermarket transfers and Eduard bombs and missiles. I'm visiting a friend in England tomorrow and her son James asked me specifically for a model of this type of aircraft - he requested 'wheels-up' so he can hang it from his ceiling, which required a bit of modification but the kit gear doors fortunately fitted very well. I added an Airfix pilot from the Vampire. I got the transfers because the kit transfers looked a bit ropey and didn't include a sharkmouth(!) and was a bit dismayed to find the kit didn't include any external stores either which meant I promptly spent twice what I had paid for the kit on Eduard resin bombs (Mk.82, Mk.83, Paveway II and HoBoS, if I recall correctly). I'm not sure if the aircraft would have carried all these stores at the same time but the model is for a 14-year old so I reasoned moar dakka. Thanks to Jamie at Sovereign Hobbies for sorting me out the colours (ACUS03 Light Ghost Gray and ACUS40 Dark Ghost Gray) - the kit instructions show a much greater contrast between the two greys (grays) but this is for clarity, the real colours are pretty hard to tell apart - not quite as hard as my photos indicate but that is my fault. Anyway it's my first completion of the year, here it is: Cheers, Stew

Old school photos are mine; More modern photos from Graham James

Im in with a Lizard A10A from Tamiya in 1/48. This is an old kit, with raised panel lines and unrealistic armament - I will look for references, raid the spares and other kits for appropriate weaponry... As you can see, I bought this 'partially started' from Evil Bay - can I ask Mods for the to confirm its wellunder the 25% mark - I will need to start again anyways.. I have some aftermarket decals from XtraDecals to build an A10A based out of RAF Bentwaters/RAF Woodbridge - these were always seen around East Anglia growing up in the early 80's in their cool lizard scheme. I often went to Bentwaters as a youngster before joining the Army in 1985, as my dad had a friend serving in the USAFE based there so loads of memories.... Funny thing, 21 years later A10C's saved my and some colleagues bottoms a few times in Helmand (along with GR7/9s !) and they are still going strong - formidable weapon with that great sound when it fires over you.....Brrrrrrp..... Brrrrrt.... More Brrrrt... Low level fun from the titanium bathtub!

Hi guys, as you can see in the title I will do the 1/32 Hasegawa P-47D Thunderbolt II. It will be build most out of the box. Pictures of the box content will follow later. cheers,

Hi everyone! I finished this one a while ago, but have not yet presented it to the Britmodeller readership. It's the Revell (Italeri rebox) A-10A, that was built under a strong influence of 'A-10s over Kosovo' book. While A-10 is in my top 3 US aircraft list, it is said to see so many A-10 models built with totaly unrealistic loadouts. In this case, I replicated the warload as it was on that fateful day, including the empty Maverick rail. For more photos and full story (I bet you are wandering what's with the green engine pod), click on the below photo. Thanks for watching!