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A-10A, 80-0206/WR, 92nd TFS, 81st TFW, RAF Bentwaters, 1987.


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Back in the more innocent days of the 1980s, when East and West had thousands of nuclear missiles they’d thankfully never use pointing at each other, the USAF had no less than six squadrons of the brilliant A-10 based in East Anglia. These were a regular sight as pairs or fours of Warthogs flew low over the countryside, brightening up many a family holiday in those halcyon days for a young aircraft enthusiast. 
 

A-10A 80-0206 was assigned to the 81st TFW’s 92nd TFS, and based at Bentwaters, not far from Snape Maltings and Rendlesham Forest. It is almost certainly one I would have photographed from the end of the runway in the mid-80s while my parents patiently waited for me to get my Warthog fix!
 

This is the Italeri kit, built mostly oob except for the Quickboost fan blades and Caracal decals. I actually finished it months ago but for the decals which finally arrived today! Please feel free to comment on anything Hog related, it’s one of my favourite aircraft of all time. I wish they were still in Suffolk now. It was strange going back this summer and seeing RAF Woodbridge so empty.

 

I hope my Hog does justice to those heady days ...

 

51-C5992-B-9-DCC-409-E-B93-D-E7-A6-BC2-C

 

CF58-A8-E1-AD37-48-E6-BD6-A-D293-A54002-
 

CCEE6-E6-D-60-DF-4-EB5-979-B-E50716-D419
 

55-F391-C0-8458-4689-928-B-02-D64639-E1-
 

23-E7-AEB6-5-AC8-4192-95-A4-EBCB01021-F3

 

0-A9-C11-BE-AC74-4374-973-F-EC7-E60-ACCD
 

BA1-DB9-F1-CBC4-43-E0-AC8-F-A7-CE9-D4-A1
 

565-E4638-1-BCD-4765-BE6-C-4-E4-AA0-F48-
 

ADF765-D7-6-B82-4181-BF8-C-5493-A3407740
 

0-F04-B39-D-77-D0-4-C20-A2-DF-6300680-CC
 

8-F7-F9494-DE8-B-48-BA-B4-ED-39-D30-B0-C

 

A52-E7-A4-A-719-C-400-C-8726-20191-A70-A

 

DFD92-DFC-88-B4-4-A0-B-AFFE-4-F69-DABE5-
4045555-D-7-C38-418-B-9-F17-B0959312957-


71-F695-FD-DD3-A-4-E21-92-F8-B4571-DA229

 

WIP here: 

 

 

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Lovely job! A 1/48 81st TFW A-10 is on my want to build list. I too have very fond memories of the A-10s flying over our campsite in Suffolk all through the 80s, and up to 93. Been to Bentwaters a few times since the museum opened there, and went on an organised visit to Woodbridge in 2016. Sad to see the tower looking so derelict, though at least was able to go up to the top of it. Since I was there, the doors have been removed from all of the hardened aircraft shelters too. At least Bentwaters is mostly intact. 

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Looks great I do love an A-10. I live just down the road from what was Bentwaters, in fact I live in one of the houses purpose built for Families that worked on the base.

We used to get loads of Military aircraft in Suffolk, as I was growing up, Phantoms from Wattisham,, F-15s from Lakenheath,  Jags from Coltishall not to mention the abundance of aircraft popping in and out at Mildenhall. All seem to see now are Apaches flying between Wattisham and Woodbridge. Great times and always an airshow on, need to plan a day out to Lakenheath to see their new kit coming in and out

Anyhow the model looks great and in the best colour scheme, what was the weapon load like supplied with the kit as a matter of interest.

Great job mate

 

Darren

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Lovely build of one of my favourite aircraft! 

 

 One recollection of the Hog for me (apart from the many airshow displays I saw) was when I was driving along a street just outside Durham City way back in the early 80's. I glanced to the left at a junction & saw an A10 between the houses at a ridiculously low height, It was just a fleeting glimpse but I spotted it again at the end of the street, just pootling along, probably around 250ft or something. 

 Still love watching videos of them being chucked around. Awesome, deadly platform. 

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Thanks for the likes and comments chaps! Seems like many of us have fond memories of the A-10. Very much missed from our skies.
 

@dashellis, looking at the spares bag from this kit it looks like the weapon load supplied was some rocket pods, iron bombs and a couple of sidewinders, plus the ECM pod that I used and the big drop tanks. If you want them I can post them down if you like? I can’t remember now if the maverick I used was included or if I used one from my spares box. 
 

911-C3-C47-A0-F0-411-E-A1-CE-D894-F1027-

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19 hours ago, Lord Riot said:

Thanks for the likes and comments chaps! Seems like many of us have fond memories of the A-10. Very much missed from our skies.
 

@dashellis, looking at the spares bag from this kit it looks like the weapon load supplied was some rocket pods, iron bombs and a couple of sidewinders, plus the ECM pod that I used and the big drop tanks. If you want them I can post them down if you like? I can’t remember now if the maverick I used was included or if I used one from my spares box. 
 

911-C3-C47-A0-F0-411-E-A1-CE-D894-F1027-

 

 

Hi Mate, thanks for the offer but I dont need them I was just curious if it came with the full load or not, I have one in the stash to make and haven't opened it yet. I do love a fully loaded A-10 but probably me just being lazy but steering away from multiple bomb racks with multiple bombs etc , seem to  end up knocking them off all the time or spending too long on them. I need to improve on my 1 completed model for last year. Working on an A-6 at the moment and have finally decided against the multiple racks with dozens of bombs hanging off them

 

Darren

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Always a fan of the Warthog. Built more than a few in my time. Saw a few in my time. Although one day flying from Edinburgh to Blackpool, ATC warned us there were two A10s on a reciprocal. Panic stations but we never saw them. 

 

Remember one airshow season when an A10 would formate with Sally B the B17. It made the Fortress look small. 

 

I would dispute Lord Riot's assertion that the eighties were an innocent time. I was in my twenties and far from innocent. 😇🤣

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Add my name to the list of fans of your model and those with local connections! Grew up near Woodbridge and the folks now live in Hollesley so I regularly pass RAF Woodbridge to see them. A few years ago I remember sneaking through a hole in the fence to get a closer look at the giant hangars, although sadly they were well locked up. I'm not old enough to remember the USAF presence (3 at the time of this aircraft) but glad I grew up somewhere with so many cool places to explore from the hundreds of 8th AF bases onward.

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That’s a fine job and we’ll worth the wait for the Caracal decals. I also like how your photos show how different the paint job on the A-10 can look from different angles.

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Very, very nice!  The A-10/OA-10 is a very neighborly aircraft, and does not announce itself like the F-16 or F-15; extremely quiet by contrast.  We had 3 squadrons of them at D-M (it was/is the FTU for the A-10) and they were constantly working the ranges.  I came home one day to my apartment in the foothills, and my neighbors, seeing me for the first time in my BDU's, asked if there was a "base somewhere around here."  It was a funny moment, because the base was just 10 miles away, on the southern outskirts of Tucson!

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What a lovely model   great work.  Great memories of summer holidays going to Suffolk to a family friend's cottage.  I used to love going for the holidays due to the aircraft flying over, used to regularly see the A10s .

Great memories thanks.

Chris

 

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On 11/02/2021 at 17:37, Lord Riot said:

a regular sight as pairs or fours of Warthogs flew low over the countryside, brightening up many a family holiday

 

Oh yes! They made also regular visits to West-German skies in the 1980ies. If I remember correctly there were usually some A-10 detachments deployed to FOLs (Forward Operating Locations) in then West-Germany.

 

I recall back then my favorite “task” after coming home from school was getting our dog and walk up a hill some 3 kilometers away from my parents home. There was a high seat at the edge of the woods that allowed an almost 170 degree view on the surrounding hills and valleys where the A-10s would roam. I had binoculars and on some occasions I would see the GAU-8/A Avenger directed at me – though I am not sure the pilots had ever spotted me.

 

The A-10A will be my next subject. Just got the new Cold War Hogs decals from Caracal.

 

Cheers

Stefan

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  • 2 months later...

Lovely Build...

 

I too have fond memories of these beasts in the skies over East Anglia. Including a low level sneek attack by a pair of Hawgs whilst driving my car down a quiet lane in the Suffolk countryside in the Summer of '92 scaring the poop out of me as i never heard or saw him coming...only to then look in my rearview mirror to see his wingman rolling in on me for a mock gun run too. 😬

Was a sad day as a spotter to watch the final 2 jets fly out to their new home @ Spangdahlem only afew short months later as the 81st Fighter Wing deactivated.

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