A-10 by Tamiya, First wingy thing project

[wotan]

Finally I have been tempted into the darkside of aircrafft modelling. The A-10 is, in my view, the most attractive and cool looking of all the early modern planes. The Stug of the air in fact.



I saw this Tamiya version in my LHS and had to pick it up. Only later did I realise that it is a fairly old and somewhat criticized kit. No matter I am a somewhat old and criticized modeller, so all should be well. So as the title says never having built an aircraft kit before I have been scouring the web for info and never realised that there could be so many opinions, commentaries, disputed facts etc etc about models. Anyway it was clear to me that the kit lacked a certain amount of detail so some additional work was going to be necessary.

I decided to start with the office since that seems to be where all the experts start. This is very basic in this kit as the pilot's seat clearly shows. I will set to work on this shortly.



All tips, comments and ridicule will be welcomed. This will progress slowly no doubt as the golf season winds down.
John

 

[papa 695]

I too love the look of the A10 John, so I've pulled up a seat to watch you build your first aeroplane.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

(Pulls up a chair next to Ian).

Great subject, I built this very kit at the beginning of the year. I think it gets a lot of bad press online, I didn't find it that bad.

 

[Jim R]

Hi John
Great to see you and doing something different. I shall follow along and I'm sure you will make a cracking job of this.
Jim

 

[scottie3158]

John,
Firstly it's good to see you back at the bench. As to advice on wingy things I can't help but I will pull up a chair to see you work your magic.

 

[Mr Bowcat]

Forgot to say, I'd highly recommend investing in a Model Masters GAU-8. The kit part isn't great.

 

[wotan]

Gentlemen Thanks for dropping in and I hope this will not disappoint.

Bowcat Thanks for that tip. I have ordered one, don't know when it will show up. I did also order the Eduard PE set. Not sure why since I hate PE but we'll see when it comes.

John

 

[Dave Ward]

John,
oddly enough, I'd looked at this model, yesterday!, but decided against it ( couldn't find it at a price to satisfy me! ), so I'll follow you for the vicarious experience!
It's the start of a slippery slope, you realise? Once that first aircraft is complete, then there will be no stopping you!
Dave

 

[Mr Bowcat]

It's the start of a slippery slope, you realise? Once that first aircraft is complete, then there will be no stopping you!
Dave

Damn right. I'm a confirmed armour guy, but since I built my Hog I've also done an F-15, got a Tornado on the bench now, an F-35 in the stash, and today I was eyeing up Tamiya F-14's.

 

[Jakko]

never having built an aircraft kit before

I always thought every modeller ever started by building aircraft kits as a child … Maybe I’m just projecting my own experiences onto the world in general

 

[JR]

John .
Good to see you back.
A plane !!! are you ok
Carry on , no doubt you will put your mark on it. I shall sit with the guys and enjoy.
John.

 

[Dave Ward]

My first model was the Airfix Renault Dauphine - I think in 1964 then, I think the Airfix HMS Daring - I can't remember the first aircraft, but my guess it would be another Airfix kit, or maybe Frog? Over 50 years ago, and I'm still trying to keep the glue off the clear bits!
Dave

 

[wotan]

My first model was HMS Cossack by airfix, won in a primary school sack race. Welcome everyone. I'm really only doing a plane because I want to try some new painting techniques.

So I have been fiddling with the office chair, adding some upholstery, seat belts and other doodads to look like a basic Aces ejector seat. Here it is primed.



Bit of tidying up to go I think once painted it will do the job. A bit better than the basic lazyboy anyway.
John

 

[papa 695]

certainly a big difference with the seat John, great work. Should look the part when painted up.

 

[flyjoe180]

Nice work so far John

 

[rtfoe]

Wow! That's one packed Aces seat you've done John...much better than the ordinary hard cushions from the kit. Safety belt also nicely done. I remember the A-10 as my first Tamiya plane as well. Even with the its discrepancies...well I didn't know it at the time, it was far ahead in terms of fit even against the popular Hasegawa. There are more accurate offerings now but it will build into a nice kit. You made a good choice for a first go on planes.

Cheers,
Richard

 

[wotan]

Thank you chaps. This is all a bit intimidating. I have been continuing with the seat since I am waiting for the PE to come before I start the rest. So here it is.



Blown up shots really show the flaws, but I guess not much will show when its installed.
John

 

[scottie3158]

John,
Nice work but I would expect nothing else from you so no pressure lol

 

[Jim R]

Hi John
That seat is a thing of beauty. Your skills have transferred to a new genre and produced a stunner.
Jim

 

[rtfoe]

Beautifully done John. It might be quite intimidating unless you remember that these wingy things are precision made thingy's so as best to mask straightlines and airbrush as frequently as possible. The cushions and belts will be ok with brush marks and the odd fold or two as they are fabrique. The flat surfaces are metal and are sprayed thinly to avoid excessive weight. Chipping and wear is one way to hide factory applied paint. Concentrate on the top end of your seat as sits very high in the A-10.
I'm guessing you're not using the pilot...Tamiya has provided one of the best pilots...if I can recall the arm and head can be repositioned.

With your painting skills I would look forward to the A-10's bodywork. You can go to the market with it although I have yet to take up courage to really weather planes as this Master(Sensei) from Japan I met last week at our recent ScaleArt2018 event. His name is Syuichi Hayashi and he has taken weathering planes to another level.
https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/shuichi-hayashi-stunning-models
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHdnICllDPhgeEg1qQoYzDg

Now I can appreciate jets. I have his latest book with step by step images with English text to go with it. Click on the above and get inspired....I did.



Cheers,
Richard