1:48 A-10A Thunderbolt II (for GWH kit)

The cannon they built an aircraft around

The design of the A-10 began with the weapon. The seven-barrel GAU-8 rotary cannon of 30 mm caliber measures over six meters including the ammunition drum and weighs so much that the airframe had to submit to it and not the other way round. So that the firing barrel would lie on the longitudinal axis, the whole cannon is shifted slightly to the left and the nose landing gear wheel has moved out of the way to the right.

The rest of the aircraft came about by the same logic. The pilot sits in the so-called titanium bathtub, the pair of TF34 engines hangs high at the rear, where the fuselage and the tail surfaces shield them, and the controls have a mechanical backup for the moment when the hydraulics take a hit. The type entered service in 1977 with the task of protecting ground units from the air over the Central European battlefield.

The analog cabin of the first form

The original A version keeps its forest of round gauges; large-area screens came only with the later conversion to the C standard. The elements on offer respect this state, carry printed scales, lettering and warning plates, and their surface is embossed to a depth, so the result does not look like a film stuck on.

The fitting takes a while and manages without solvents. Tweezers, a toothpick for pushing into the corners and a surface freed of grease are enough. Neither the kit of the aircraft nor glue is part of the package.

The tales that the recoil of the weapon can stop the aircraft in the air are exaggerated, but it is nevertheless a force comparable with the thrust of one engine. Firing is therefore done in short bursts and the pilot watches his speed during them.