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ITALERI 1:72 OA-10 WARTHOG
Reviewer: Geoff
Goldfen
(rec.models.scale)
Kit Review
submitted:
April
2000
Aircraft:
The A-10 Thunderbolt II - or "Warthog" as it is affectionately
called - is the mainstay choice of the USAF for heavy armoured ground
interdiction duties. The OA-10A variant is more designed for Forward Air Control
tasks although it is virtually no different from the standard versions.
The Kit:
This is released as Italeri new tooling and is exquisite in handling for
crispness and engraved detail. There are well over 100 injection mold
parts in light grey plastic and 7 clear. The quality seems excellent and
one can't help but want to get into the project as quick as possible.
There are two sprues containing the parts and a separate sprue for the clear
parts which were not packaged separately, unfortunately.
Instructions:
The standard Italeri fold out pages with a brief history on the type,
sprue diagram, two four-view sketches for markings and of course the assembly
steps, which are about 9 in total. Painting instructions are provided for
external components and most of the individual parts from the ModelMaster range
with some FS Numbers also provided where possible.
Construction:
This starts with the customary cockpit assembly and the kit provides
enough to satisfy the closed canopy modeller, but a little extra detail will
need to be put in if you like open cockpits. The usual provisions are
supplied such as molded floor with instrument panel (no decal is provided), seat
and control stick. I found that trying to fit the cockpit assembly into
the fuselage halves was a trying task and needed to trim it slightly for a flush
fit. You also need to cram in a fair amount of nose weight to keep the
project from being a tail sitter (as I later found out).
The fuselage halves go together quite well if the above cockpit notes are taken into account and outside details such as tubes and aerials are already molded on, so care needs to be taken to ensure these components are not inadvertently broken. If there is any criticism directed at the 30 mm gun barrel then its at the molding around the barrel where small bits stick out that should actually be holes. The profile seems correctly positioned on the aircraft nose, slightly off centre. The main wing assembly is quite straight forward although you have to pay attention to the way it sits when drying as it has a tendency to allow itself to droop a little. Letting it dry at the correct angle before tackling the next step in the project will overcome any hassles here.
The engine pods and tailplanes go together quite well and again are best left to dry before tackling further steps just to ensure they are correctly angled in the finished profile. While they fit very well you can't help but feel that they would be easy to manipulate with even the slightest of touches.
Speed brakes can be affixed open or closed, along with the canopy and the avionics and access doors, and in all instances I decided to leave them open. The kit also provides a crew ladder which makes for an interesting project for a possible diorama set. The undercarriage was straight forward to assemble and fit well with some plumbing detail provided in the bays.
The kit provides a decent repertoire for stores, including bombs, Mavericks (with clear parts for their nose), sidewinders (which are a bit undersized), ECM pod, rocket pods and a large fuel tank. The only criticism other than what is listed here is that the stores are a bit basic in mold.
The other components of construction were straight forward and most parts fitted exceptionally well as it is meant to.
Versions & Decals:
Two options are provided for by the kit, both USAF, one from 52nd FG and
the other 110th FG of the Air National Guard. Both examples wear the same
colour markings of Medium Grey (FS 35237) on upper surfaces and Light Ghost Grey
(FS 36375) on lower surfaces and on leading edges of wings, tailplanes (with
wavy lines separating the two colours) and engines. To match these in the
Humbrol range I chose H145 and H127 respectively and these seemed close enough
for my liking. The only thing to pay careful attention of here is the
instruction sheet which has the darker of the greys depicted in a lighter
shade!!
The decals come on a small decal sheet and most of the stencilling and markings are common to both examples, with only unit insignia the only difference. Most of the stencilling is also in a dark grey, almost black colour, making for a fairly boring looking subject ;)
The decals are thin with a glossy register and very little carrier film and apply very well to the model surface. Only the really small decals, especially for the stores, were a problem to apply.
Accuracy:
Apart from the small notes pointed out above, I can't really
fault the model much in its replication of the real thing. Surface detail
looks convincing, the profile of the aircraft is also convincing and
measurements are pretty well spot on. It matches reference photos and
drawings very well.
Overall:
For the price and the subject this is an excellent kit and
definitely one I can recommend quite highly. It builds into the subject
very well and other than a few nit picky bits above is about as accurate as I
think you can probably get in this scale. Best of all it builds relatively easy
as most components fit very well and only care needed to leave parts to dry is
the only thing that stops it from a shake the box and out it comes type of
project. Furthermore, it would also be an excellent project for the more
experienced who wants to super detail the kit.
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