Academy 1/72 A-10A "Operation Iraqi Freedom"
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Overview
The A-10 was developed to fight Soviet armored advances in Europe, but
it saw its first combat over the deserts of the Middle East. With its
30mm cannon and an impressive eleven weapon hardpoints, the A-10 made
an impressive name for itself over the deserts of Iraq.
The Kit
 This
is a re-release of Academy's nice A-10 kit, and it is one of the better
1/72 A-10 kits out there. The kit is molded in light gray plastic, with
recessed panel lines throughout. In addition to the basic aircraft the
kit comes with a good collection of weaponry, including iron bombs, Maverick
missiles, and laser-guided bombs. The decal sheet provides markings for
a pair of A-10s and are nicely printed.
Like most kits, construction starts with the cockpit. This kit comes
with a fairly rudimentary interior, with a simple tub, three piece seat,
control stick, and an instrument panel. The instrument panel and side
consoles are decals, and the completed cockpit tub fits onto the top of
the nose wheel bay. This assembly then fits onto a piece of the fuselage
that incorporates part of the lower fuselage, making it a bit easier to
add nose weight incrementally.
 Once
the fuselage is together, the rest of the assembly is as you would expect.
The wings are in three pieces, with the lower wing piece incorporating
part of the lower fuselage. The engine nacelle assembly also incorporates
a part of the fuselage and has separate one-piece intake faces. The stabilizer
also has a part of the fuselage on it, which is going to require lots
of test fitting to limit the amount of filler needed. Considering the
complex construction of the A-10, this can not be avoided, but with careful
assembly there should be no problem.
 Moving
to the undersides, the landing gear is nicely detailed and should be very
sturdy. The weapons stores are simple, with a Multiple Ejector Rack (MER)
for the centerline, with six Mk. 82 bombs. Moving outward, there are two
laser-guided bombs, followed by six Maverick missiles, and ending with
a large shape that could be a fuel tank or a napalm canister, or something
else. It just doesn't ring any bells with me, and the instructions do
not identify it. Those who really want to deck out their A-10 would benefit
from raiding their Hasegawa weapons sets to vary the loadout.
 The
decals are nicely printed and in excellent register. Both options are
finished in the modern two-tone gray camouflage. The first option is an
A-10A flown by Captain Kim Campbell of the 75th FS, 23rd Wing in Iraq,
2003. This plane features a sharkmouth on the nose. The second option
is an A-10A of the 81st FS based in Germany. This A-10 has a black panther's
head on the engine nacelle. Both schemes include all the necessary unit
markings, including the bands for the tail tips. The decal sheet also
includes a set of stenciling that will help make your finished model look
more like the real thing.
Conclusion
This is a nice A-10 kit, and the quality decals will greatly increase
the appeal. My thanks to MRC for the review sample.
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