1/48 Monogram A-10

104th Fighter Wing Red Sox

by Ken Middleton

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This is my Monogram 1/48th A-10 Warthog in the markings of the 104th Fighter Wing / Massachusetts Air National Guard. It carries the markings of the Boston Red Sox baseball team to celebrate their World Series victory in October 2004. The decals are made by Kursad and Kedi Decals, and I used Superscale for the stencils and formation light strips. The model is destined for the unit as a gift. 

I won’t go too much into the standard building of the kit, but focus on the different things I did to update it, and prepare it for an in-flight configuration.

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Preparing for the In-Flight Display

After the joined fuselage halves dried, I determined the spot for the ½ inch brass tube that the clear rod would be inserted into. Seeing this model is very heavy, I picked a spot pretty much in the center of gravity. I first drilled out the starter hole with a ¼ inch bit, and then used my Dremel and a grinding bit to clean up the hole. The tube was cut with a pipe cutter tool, and was secured with 5 minute epoxy after I got the engine assembly on. It is important to plan out an in-flight display, and do the work well before getting too far into the model. If a mistake is made, then hours of work is not lost, and also one minimizes the risk of damaging work already done.

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Modernizing the Hog

The next thing I wanted to do was update the model to the LASTE configuration (Low Altitude Safety and Targeting Enhancement). This included a few bumps on the tail, and the formation light strips. The bumps were added with shaped sprue, and are very basic. The real bumps are more complex in shape, but I have not mastered that technique. I also wanted to add a GPS dome. To create that, I used a nose gear tire from a 48th Revell F-16 kit. I sanded down the thickness to make it more flat. I secured that with glue. I then found some sprue in the kit that was just about the same thickness as the hole, and cut a piece and inserted that. I sanded it down to almost flush with the tire. To add the final bump on the top, I cut a piece of sprue and attached that. A little bit of sanding and adding putty was done. Though it looks OK, it stands too proud and should have more curved and smooth edges. Tom Silkowski and Mike Stephens were big helps in this regard.

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Other Modifications

The canopy comes posed in the open position, with the extended portion at an angle molded onto the rest of the canopy. To close it, I used a razor saw and cut off the extended arm. I inserted that portion on the plane, and after I attached the canopy to the model, I filled in the void using strip styrene. I then sanded it down a bit. 

I wanted the speed brakes closed as well, so I inserted the open brakes and glued them. After they were dry, I gently and uniformly squeezed them to close them. Minimal touch ups were necessary to make them fit, and it is a fairly simple process. 

Painting and Decalling

The camo consists of dark ghost grey on the upper surfaces in a pattern, and light ghost grey elsewhere along with a gunship grey false canopy. Because there is so much green to cover, I decided to try out Tamiya’s spray cans for both colors. I sprayed the dark ghost grey first, as there would be less to mask, and would cover the green better. When dry, I then masked off the dark ghost grey and painted the light ghost grey. Using the cans was pretty quick and easy, but created a semi-disaster later on, which I will explain more later.

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The paint had a semi-gloss finish and saved me having to gloss coat before the decals. The decals are ALPS-printed, and needed a clear coat to seal and protect them. I used Future for that. The decals are very nice and thin, and quickly separate from the backing. I used setting solutions as usual on them. For the stenciling and formation light strips, I used one of Superscale’s sheets for the A-10. I had to substitute the serial number in front of the windscreen as the number combination used is different than one would think. I had made some of mine own before Kursad made these decals.

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The Display Stand

Preparing the model for the stand is the first part of the process, and the stand itself is the second. Here is a pic of the rod, the heat gun and the gloves I use. It is ½ inch acrylic rod, and I eyeballed the curve I wanted, and heated up the area for about 2-3 minutes on the high setting. Once it started to droop, I quickly placed it on the concrete floor, and bent it to the desired curve. I then held it there until it was firm – about 45 seconds. I then moved onto the next curve, also using my Mk I eyeball. I then cut a bit off the length that will go in to the model. It is thick, and took me a bit to cut it 3/4 of the way with the razor saw. I then snapped off the excess. 

The base has a hole drilled it in to accept the brass tube, which was secured with 5 minute epoxy too. I sealed the wood with 3 coats of Future, sanded in between dried coats. The label was made with MS Power Point, and laminated to protect the paper. The red frame is a simple photo matte. The label is secured with white glue. I placed a section of black felt on the bottom to cushion the base. A laminated label with my contact information is placed under there as well.

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Final Touches.

I added a new blade antennae on the spine (that broke off before I even started on the kit) and 2 new ones under the forward fuselage. I sealed the model with 3 flat coats, and when dry, removed the canopy masking. That is when I noticed some overspray had snuck up under the canopy. I struggled with how to deal with it (if at all), but finally attempted to remove it. I gently squeezed the canopy, and the canopy/windscreen assembly popped off as one. Phew….a Q-Tip and soft cloth got rid of most of the residue. I reattached it with white glue, and no paint touch-ups required.

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All in all, it was a great and unique project. And, I have a request for another one! 

Thanks to Kursad for making the decals, Tom Silkowski and Mike Stephens for their A-10 knowledge and photos, and everyone’s feedback in the discussion forum.

Ken

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Photos and text © by Ken Middleton