Trumpeter: US A-10A Thunderbolt II

Let’s take a look at Trumpeter’s rendition of the iconic Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II aircraft at 1/32 scale. Is it any good? Explore the kit with us and see for yourself!

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Summary

1. The History of The US A-10A Thunderbolt II
2. What is Inside Trumpeter: US A-10A Thunderbolt II
3. Watch The Unboxing and Full Build Review

Background on the Trumpeter US A-10A Thunderbolt II

The Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II, also known as "The Warthog," is a renowned aircraft of the United States Air Force. This aircraft is the ultimate sledgehammer of brute force, intended to stop any and all enemies dead in their tracks, and, oh boy, it sure did. After entering service in 1976, it is still on active duty at 50 years old and has played a major role in the conflicts in the Middle East.

The A-10 can fly at low speeds and altitudes with ease, giving it the ability to do precision strikes as well as serve as close air support against tanks, armored vehicles, and enemy troops. Its exceptional track record and outstanding design make it an iconic aircraft that is sure to gain even more notoriety in the future.

What Do You Get?

The box art features the A-10A Thunderbolt II in the desert with the European camouflage scheme. Now let’s take a closer look at the kit and explore some of its parts.

Front Fuselage & Tail Pieces

This sprue contains the front of the fuselage. You will see the nose, cockpit, and parts of the tail on this sprue. Underneath the nose is the part that makes this aircraft so famous: the GAU-8 Avenger. Another interesting feature of this model is the tail that forms an almost wide H pattern; this odd shape serves as a shield to protect the engine from infrared detection. The details in each part are beautiful, and they’re all indented. These indentations make the model all the more realistic.

Rear Fuselage & Tail Pieces

Here we have the rear part of the fuselage and parts of the tail. As we can see here, the A10 has low-set wings; these give the aircraft its great maneuverability, allowing it to fly at low speeds and altitudes.

Wings

Top 

Underside

The wings are fantastic, there are a lot of indented details, rivets and everything that the picture is not doing any justice. These wings are large, enabling the Warthog to lift an incredible amount of weapons. It can carry 7,600 kilos of ordnance and has a total of 11 hard points, with 4 under each wing and 3 under the fuselage. Talk about heavily armed.

Sprue A

In this large sprue, we have bits and pieces of the aircraft, the underside, control surfaces, and parts of the front section and the tail.

Sprue B

For this sprue, we have more of the front section and the upper part of the tail. The upper part of the tail is where the engine sits, this arrangement makes it easy to swap out the engine in case it’s damaged or no longer working.

Control Surfaces & Landing Gear

Sprue A

Sprue B

In these sprues, we got more of the control surfaces, the cockpit, the instrument panel, the doors, air brakes, and the landing gear.

Weapons

Sprue A

On this weapon sprue, we have the dumb bombs as well as the fuel tanks. The dumb bombs or iron bombs, which we can see in the picture above, are bombs that are dropped on top of a target and detonate. These types of bombs are still used in combat today, alongside smart and guided weapons we are used to seeing in modern warfare. 

Sprue B

Next we have the side winders, these are short range, heat-seeking missiles equipped by the A10 for self-defense. There are more iron bombs on this sprue as well as racks that carry multiple bombs on one pylon.

Sprue C

Here we have one of its primary anti-armor weapons, the Maverick missile. It is designed to lock onto and destroy armored vehicles and tanks from a fair distance away. Then we have more of the pylon and the ECM Pod (Electronic Countermeasure Pod) that is used to jam the enemy’s radar and communications.

GAU-8 Gun

Sprue A

Sprue B

Last but not least for the weapons, we have the drum for the GAU-8 and ammunition belts. The GAU-8 is a seven-barreled cannon that can fire anywhere from 2100 to 4200 rounds a minute; these rounds can tear open a tank like it's made out of wet paper.

Plastic Container

Inside the container, we have the ejection seat, landing gear struts, and rubber tires. Having rubber tires on a big kit just really adds to the overall appeal; that little feature can make loads of difference appearance-wise. Plus points for Trumpeter on that one.

Decals

The decals use the European camouflage scheme, and just like the rest of the kit, they are very well done.

Instructions

The instruction is pretty standard. It goes through the construction process and painting guidelines straightforwardly. Considering the kit’s size, you might expect that the manual would be larger, but that’s not the case. It has smaller instructions that are devoid of color. Larger instructions with colored instructions would be nice, but it’s a minor gripe in this otherwise detailed manual.

Final Thoughts

The Trumpeter US A-10A Thunderbolt II at 1/32 scale is a definite 10/10. Trumpeter’s done a great job in making this kit; the well-executed model coupled with the plane’s rich history make a fantastic combination. The parts are well-crafted and detailed, and all in all, it’s a wonderful kit that’s definitely worth checking out.

Before you go, let me give you one piece of advice: if you can get an A10 kit in any scale from any company, do yourself a favor and get it. The A10 Warthog is a rock star in its own right, so you’re definitely going to enjoy making it.

Watch the Unboxing and Review

Watch as Dan unboxes and shows you everything inside the Trumpeter: US A-10A Thunderbolt II kit.

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