Kit: No. 2655
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Italeri, from MRC, 732-225-2100,
www.modelrectifier.comPrice: $36.00
Comments: Injection-molded, 218 parts, decals
Pros: Accurate shape and dimensions; nice decals
Cons: Fit - poor alignment, lack of locating holes or pins
This is Italeri's first 1/48 scale A-10A Thunderbolt II. Parts are molded in light gray plastic with both engraved and raised detail.
Weapons are provided in pairs: rocket pod launchers, M-117 750-lb. bombs, AGM-65 Maverick missiles, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, and CBU-87 or -89 cluster bombs. One ALQ ECM pod and one fuel tank round out the weapons load.
The canopy must be posed open unless you remove its hinges. Also poseable are flaps, boarding ladder, an electronics bay on the starboard side, and a refueling receptacle on the port sponson. I left everything open except the flaps.
The decals are nice, with markings for four aircraft: two in the Euro I scheme and two in the current tactical gray.
However, you'll find flash on almost every part, and alignment issues throughout. For instance, the fuselage halves fit fine - but the engraved panel lines don't line up, requiring rescribing.
Aside from decals for the consoles and instrument panels, it's a sparse cockpit. The seat is the best part.
Step 3 calls for a 30-gram weight in the nose. You'll need more (45.4 grams, to be exact), but there's room for it up front.
To close big gaps in the wing seams at the ends, clamp the ends, glue, and let everything dry overnight.
The engine exhausts fit, but the engine pods don't align. I reduced the circumference of the fan-blade parts to join the engine pod parts, filing to them fit. The pods' top and bottom pieces were warped; I glued one side at a time.
Oddly, an engine door is provided - although there's no engine to display. Again, warped parts require that you glue and clamp one part at a time.
The intakes are too big for the pods. I glued them as best I could, then filed and sanded. Gluing them to the fuselage was lots of fun! There is a large gap along the length of this "joint." Align the assembly flush with the top of the fuselage, front and back, and fill the gap underneath. I used Micro Kristal Klear, let it dry, then blended it with a damp cotton swab. That way, you don't lose any detail.
You also must file and taper the rear of the wing fillet to the wing, which sits way too high. Sand it to fit - if you're careful you'll have fewer panel lines to rescribe.
Glue the wings, engine pod assembly, and tail assembly; working in that order makes it easier to get at the seams for further sanding. The tail also needs filler along the wing-fuselage seam.
I glued the tops and bottoms of the ailerons, then their tops to the wings. After the glue dried, I pulled the bottoms in with tape and glued the lower surfaces.
The gear doors are a guesstimation - there are no real locators on the wings.
The weapons had alignment problems, too. Cutting off the locator pins prevents misshapen bombs and missiles. I glued the pylons to the wings first to make painting camouflage easier. Besides notches in the pylons, there were no locators for lateral alignment. I super glued the pylons, eyeballing them all the way.
Some of the instructions' colors are inaccurate: The Desert Storm scheme should have Euro I gray (FS36081) instead of gunship gray; the two Air National Guard schemes should have dark ghost gray (FS36320) instead of light ghost gray (FS36375), and the latter instead of medium gray; and the same goes for the 1991 RAF scheme. Also, the access bays and door as well as the gear bays, doors, and struts should be aircraft gray (FS16473), not white.
This model took about 30 hours, 10 for filling seams and rescribing. It doesn't look bad, but it takes experience and patience.
- Larry Schramm