A-10A Bagram Warthogs

This kits turned out to be a bit of a slog in the end after I was really looking forward to starting it. In general terms it needs some work but the kit goes together well - just makes sure you test fit and properly prepare the parts and they will generally fit okay with filler required. The big issues is that the front windscreen seems to have a design flaw - the one that came with the kits was cracked as was the one that I got as a replacement. Not sure if anyone else has found this or I was just unlucky? Other than that the main issues I had with the kit it self was getting the long flat undercarriage on the main fuselage to fit and look okay and also the canopy isn't really designed for the open position. The issue was more with the aftermarket. I am also not a fan of rubber wheels - I wish Eduard had brought out a Brassin set!

For the aftermarket - the weapons are all Eduard Brasson weapon and would highly recommend them - fantastic details and are simple enough to get together. Left to right when face the front are 648363 AN/ALQ-131 (Shallow) ECM Pod; 648155 GBU-12, 648151 AGM-65; 648232 TER with 648137 Mk.82 Bomb with Airbrake; Centre Fuel Tank (from kit); TER with Mk.82 Bombs; 648237 AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening pod; GBU-12; 648029 AIM-9M/L. I would just say take your time with them and treat them as carefully as you would a model and you'll be fine. They were weather with Mr Metal Colour Steel dry brushed and a black oil wash. I didn't use a gloss coat prior to the oil wash but will use one next time

The interior PE set (49395) is the standard you get from Eduard - add a lot of extra detail most people couldn't achieve from detail painting and all down to personal preference if you want it or not. The exterior set (48573) has a mixed bag of things you would want and things you wouldn't - I would suggest a fair bit of the fret is unnecessary but then there are others on there that are required. The wheel well doors on there are better served by resin I would suggest. This was the first time I used Aires resin wheel wells (4412) and in terms of details they are a massive jump up from the kits. Unfortunately the only one on my model is the nose well - I completely messed up the main nose well as it takes a lot of cutting of the plastic. There was all sorted of nonsense in involved and I needed to get new wings and then I tried to remove paint the resin and that adversely affect them so I just gave up in the end. I would say a very worth while purchase in terms of extra detail but do not use if its your first time using the resin. The Master gun barrel is a little fiddly but a huge improvement on the kit part. I always recommend Master Pitot Tubes (AM-48-081) etc, always worth the relatively low price. Finally, the Two Bobs decals (48-054) worked a treat, I am now just trying to source another of these for a potential future build

I used the H307 and H308 Mr Hobby paint (I think they were the numbers at least!) and these worked as well as ever, although there is only a very subtle difference between them, which made spraying difficult. As always, when mixed with Mr Levelling Thinner they produces a very smooth surface and one could decal straight onto it; although with this and my current build I am thinking a gloss coat may still be worth it to protect the paint a bit. I used Extreme Metals for the fan blades and can't recommend them highly enough

I put down a satin coat and then used UMP Sand wash rather than dirt as the plane was based in Afghanistan I wanted more of a sand/dusty look. This was a mistake, the colour was too much and it looked terrible. So I put down a matt coat and covered this with dark dirt. Although not perfect this looks a lot better. I think next time I want to try to get a dusty/desert look I will do my usual of dark dirt over a satin and then get the sand in with pigments.

This kits is not without its issues, but from what I gather is the best A-10 on the market so if you wanted to build one this is the go-to. I haven't built the others though so this isn't a direct comparison. One piece of aftermarket I think it missing is something for the engines: they are a very visible area lacking in detail, so I think someone has missed a trick there.

To be completely honest if I were to build another A-10 (and I would love to as I love the plane!) I think I would wait for someone else to bring out an updated kit. It is a popular plane I think, so hopefully it will happen. Dare I even hope that Tamiya would bring an update mould out?! I am pleased with the outcome but this model did turn into a bit of a slog in the end and I was glad to get it finished.