1:32 A-10A THUNDERBOLT?

A-10A Thunderbolt II in 1:32 scale

A plastic kit of the American A-10A Thunderbolt II attack aircraft in 1:32 scale. The span of the finished model works out at around fifty-five centimeters, so it is a large piece that needs its own space in the display case.

The real subject

The Thunderbolt II was created with a single task: to support ground units at close range, to survive fire from the ground while doing so, and to come back. The whole nose of the aircraft is in fact built around a seven-barrel 30 mm rotary cannon, which is so large and so heavily loaded by recoil that the structure of the airframe and the location of the nose landing gear had to be subordinated to it. The pilot sits in a titanium armor bathtub.

Two turbofan engines are mounted high on the sides of the rear fuselage, where the wing and the twin vertical tails largely shield them. The large straight wing gives the aircraft endurance at low altitude and a low maneuvering speed over the target, and under the wing and the fuselage it carries pylons for bombs and rockets.

Building and painting tips

• The parts are polystyrene and are glued with liquid cement for plastic.
• Work up the cockpit and the bathtub around the pilot before you close the fuselage.
• Spray the large flat wing surfaces in thin coats, otherwise every unevenness will show.
• Darken the gun muzzle and the area around the nose, because the smoke from the barrel left a conspicuous mark on the aircraft.

Who the kit is for

For modelers of contemporary aircraft who want a striking large model. The build is not complicated in shape, but the large surfaces call for careful painting.

Paints, glue and surface finishing products are not included in the package, unless stated otherwise.