1/144th Mini Warthog
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 One
aircraft that has impressed me over the years has been Republic's A-10
Warthog. And no, it is not a Thunderbolt II, regardless of what the brass
say, it's the Warthog.
Ask any crew, that is how it's known. It may not be pretty, may not be
fast or sexy, but it is one mean machine. Although the Air Force has tried
to dump it several times, nothing can fill the void at present. I will
not review the Hog's history here, there are plenty of books and sites
on the web for that. But we will take a look at a 1/144th scale example.
Model
 The
photos are of a completed L & S kit. Unfortunately this is long gone
now, but DML released several kits of the Hog, and Shanghai Dragon is
about to re-release several. The attached art work is from their upcoming
release of the "Highway of Death" kit. Both kits are extremely
close, however the L & S kit seemed to be a little more "crisp"with
its moldings.
As usual, I managed to get infected with
AMS while building this little jewel, so there are a few modifications.
I decided to show several things immediately, the main flaps down, the
canopy opened up with a detailed cockpit, plus an open access door and
boarding ladder. Since we're going this far, may as well open up an engine
and show that as well. Obviously, I tend to get a little carried away.
 As
usual, the cockpit was the starting point. 1/144th scale cockpits
really aren't that hard to do. Just remember, modeling is the art of "simulation",
not "recreation". I normally add an instrument panel and side
consoles, detailed with various bits and pieces of 1/72 cockpit decals,
with a few mini dabs of color to break up the drab appearances. The ejection
seats of most 1/144 scale kits leave quite a bit to be desired. Aeroclub
makes a white metal seat and pilot (AE006), while it is a generic seat,
with a little detailing and painting, it can be made acceptable. The boarding
ladder on the Hog is rather unusual, it is a telescoping square rod with
steps attached. This was made of plastic sheet and sprue. Another small
detail I've noticed was the SPR (Single Point Refuel Panel), at the forward
end of the starboard landing gear sponson. This was heat smashed, detailed
and painted. The main flaps were cut out, the wells detailed with sprue,
and the flaps made of sheet plastic.
 The
Port engine came next. Using photos that are available just about everywhere,
I stated out using mostly bits and pieces from everywhere. The TF-34-100
engine has plumbing all over the place, so pay particular attention to
the color photos available. The open cowlings were made from sheet plastic
curled around dowling. The locking latches and hold open rod was made
from wire stock of various diameters.
 I
had earlier decided to use the "European 1 scheme" for colors.
The present day grey on grey just doesn't do it for me, the Hog needs
to look like it's "rooting" in the bushes. I selected an Air
Force Reserve unit from New Orleans (If I remember correctly) due to their
painting the Hog nose and tusks on their birds. Minor details were then
added on. Brake lines were made from stranded 22 gauge wire, door linkages
were from pieces of surgical steel wire, landing lights are railroad jewels,
and the remove before flight tags are strips of aluminum foil painted.
Summary
 So,
there you have a Mini-Hog. Remember folks, just because it's 1/144th scale
doesn't mean it can't be a decent model. It all falls back on the individual
modeler, and how much work one wants to put into the model. And trust
me, there are some great small scale modelers around. If folks want some
more information, I suggest they drop around to smallscalemodels@yahoo.com.
They are a great bunch of folks that are extremely willing to help out
fellow modelers.
'Till next
time - keep building, and think small!
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