1/48 scale Aircraft Series No.28 plastic model kit of the US A10
Thunderbolt II.
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat,
twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the
early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force (USAF)
requirement to provide close air support (CAS) for ground forces by attacking
tanks and other armored vehicles, and other ground targets with a limited air
defense capability.
Tamiya released this kit relatively early in their series of 1/48 aircraft
because of their president's fondness for the plane. This has helped fuel the
rumors that the company is also working on a 1/32 version, but that remains to
be seen. This is a top-notch kit of the plane, with good detail all-around, but
is more representative of the prototypes than the latest production A-10s.
However, the prototypes carried much more colorful paint schemes, and if those
appeal to you then you definitely want this kit.
- Appx. 150 parts in olive green and clear with fine recessed
panel lines.
- Weapons including: (6) AGM-65 Maverick, (1) GBU-8, (1). GBU-10, (6)
Mk.82 500lb bombs, (1) Mk.20 bomb, and (1) ALQ-119 pod.
- Detailed nose and main landing gear, wheel wells, and boarding steps.
- 30mm Gatling gun capable of 2100–4200 rounds per minute, 10 hard- points
for 16,000lbs of ordnance, and titanium armoured cockpit.
This plastic kitset requires assembly, paints and glue to
complete.
Wingspan: 14–1/4" (36.5cm)
Fuselage Length: 13–1/2" (34.5cm)
Tamiya Product Number: 61028
Scale: 1:48
Suggested Paint Colors (not included):
X-1 – Black
X-10 – Gun Metal
X-11 – Chrome Silver
X-12 – Gold Leaf
X-14 – Sky Blue
X-2 – White
X-23 – Clear Blue
X-27 – Clear Red
X-7 – Red
X-8 – Lemon Yellow
XF-1 – Flat Black
XF-16 – Flat Aluminum
XF-19 – Sky Grey
XF-26 – Deep Green
XF-4 – Yellow Green
XF-49 – Khaki
XF-51 – Khaki Drab
XF-56 – Metallic Grey
XF-58 – Olive Green
XF-61 – Dark Green
XF-62 – Olive Drab
The need for close air support, on small pin point targets, was
recognized early during the Vietnam conflict. Following an experimental
development program begun in the early 1970's, the Fairchild Republic Industries
A-10 Thunderbolt II was selected for production. The performance
characteristics demanded were for operation on unimproved short fields, both
high and low airspeed maneuverability, easy maintenance, long loiter times and
range, excellent pilot protection, and a capacity for large mixed weapons
loads.
The appearance of the A-10 is remarkable while its performance is amazing.
Known affectionately as the “Wart Hog” by its pilots, it's a large single
seat aircraft, identified by a pair of TF-34–100A high bypass fan jet engines
mounted high near the rear of the twin tailed fuselage. A few of the
specifications are: Length 53' 4"; height 14'8", span 57'6"; maximum gross
weight 47,400lbs, including 16,000lbs of external stores. Internal armament is
the GAU-8/A 30mm Gatling cannon capable of 2100 or 4200 rounds per minute. It
carries 1350 rounds of ammunition, a fire control head-up display, CRT TV
monitor, laser spot seeker plus a diversified armament panel that can facilitate
any operational need. The A-10 has been around since 1972, and has again proven
its worth during the recent Gulf war.