Official Freewing Twin 80mm/90mm A-10 Thunderbolt II Thread

[Warthog]

I just bought my WART a few weeks ago. Haven't flown yet. What is this cockpit kit your referring to? And,, where do I get those whistles? Thank you.

[Elbee]

I just bought my WART a few weeks ago. Haven't flown yet. What is this cockpit kit your referring to? And,, where do I get those whistles? Thank you.

WH, Check out Dirty Dee on cults.com. his A-10 cockpit kit is available for purchase as STL files. I bought one he printed for me before I had my printer. It is outstanding. The whistles are on Thingiverse and mount in the nacelles. These can be printed in various lengths to give differing notes to simulate the engine whine. Hope this helps. Best, LB

[gravity tester]

Warthog- If 3D printing isn't your thing, you can get the whistles off of the Nerf Vortex footballs or one of the many knock offs from the dollar stores. Maybe you know some neighborhood kids that won't miss theirs.

Welcome to the Squawk. Honestly, I do think the whistles are cool and they do add to the overall "hog-ness", but you might have a listen to the stock fans first before you get out the Xacto knife and band-aids. IMO, the sound is impressive as is and does have a higher pitch to it.

[Waconut]

Warthog,
The tracking says my cockpit kit will arrive on Monday.
I will post a couple pics when it arrives.

As far as the whistles go I purchased a few Nerf whistler footballs on Amazon. I have 4 whistles installed in the nacelles.
There are videos on YouTube that will show the installation.

Later!!
Anthony

[RCRT2018]

So I just purchased the A-10. I have read many of the post on painting and weathering. However, I was wondering what are some tips to painting the landing gear. What is the beat paint to use and any prep. Thanks

[Waconut]

I purchased the upgrade landing gear mains and painted the struts before installing. I removed the wheel and axle and used self etching primer then flat white paint. I masked the tire off and also gave the rims a coat of flat white. Weathering was applied to the strut and rims with an airbrush. I was able to do the front strut while still mounted to the plane, it required a lot of masking and removing the landing light.

The rattle can self etching primer and flat white paint was purchased at Home Depot.

[Waconut]

I painted the light gray on the bottom of the A-10 today, really made the rivets pop. I will wait until the cockpit kit is installed to paint the top side.

Can’t anyone tell me the correct paint color for the cockpit?
Thanks!!
Anthony

[Elbee]

I painted the light gray on the bottom of the A-10 today, really made the rivets pop. I will wait until the cockpit kit is installed to paint the top side.

Can’t anyone tell me the correct paint color for the cockpit?
Thanks!!
Anthony

Don't have the FS Numbers for you, but in this case on mine, I used Lt Gull Gray for the cockpit sides and bottom and Extra Dark Sea Gray for all things black. Best, LB

[scootergenie]

Waconut, would you mind sharing what are you using to make the domed rivets ? Excellent work btw.

[Waconut]

Waconut, would you mind sharing what are you using to make the domed rivets ? Excellent work btw.

Thanks!!
I am using Titebond wood glue drops applied with a syringe. I blunt the end of the needle and deburr it. It doesn’t take much practice to get the hang of applying the rivets but you will go cross eyed after a couple hours. I think I have between 6-8 hours over several evenings applying the domed and flush rivets.
The syringes I am using are 22ga. You can pick them up really cheap on Amazon.

[Warthog]

Just ordered my cockpit kit. Been working on the smoke cannon and gun sound. Smoke is forced to the gun nose by EDF flow. E-cigarette heating coils. Sound is made by spinning an offset (off balance) motor. Vibrates the whole fuselage! I'll video the first test and post it. This is FUN!!! LOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imGfA3SF30c

[Elbee]

Great work. That's a lot of 'vapor'. Now I know what to do with all my old coils. Also, logical/clever to use the EDF for power. Bravo Zulu. Best, LB

[Warthog]

Don't have the FS Numbers for you, but in this case on mine, I used Lt Gull Gray for the cockpit sides and bottom and Extra Dark Sea Gray for all things black. Best, LB

WOW! That looks so cool, I thought the pilot was going to climb out and walk away!

[Elbee]

WOW! That looks so cool, I thought the pilot was going to climb out and walk away!

He did after the initial check ride, but I promised him no more rolls on take-off and an extra week of vacation. Thanks for the compliment. Did you order your cockpit from Dirty Dee? Also, I misspoke about painting all the black with Extra Dark Sea Gray. I used Tamiya's Rubber Black on the IP and then sprayed a matte clear to soften the color some. Best, LB

[Warthog]

He did after the initial check ride, but I promised him no more rolls on take-off and an extra week of vacation. Thanks for the compliment. Did you order your cockpit from Dirty Dee? Also, I misspoke about painting all the black with Extra Dark Sea Gray. I used Tamiya's Rubber Black on the IP and then sprayed a matte clear to soften the color some. Best, LB

Yes, Dirty Dee. Thanks for all the paint info.. Looks fantastic!

[sam51401]

I have to ask, does the vap smell like spent gun powder?

[Waconut]

I received my cockpit kit from Dirty Dee on Monday. It sure does make a world of difference when finished. My JHH 1/10 scale pilot will not ship until next week. I set the stock pilot in just to see how it looks.

[gravity tester]

Warthog-
Brilliant work on the cannon, seriously. Some questions: Where is the vape oil stored and what battery is used to heat the coils? Speaking of batteries, it looks from your pics like its getting crowded up front where the 6s flight batteries normally reside with the cannon motor and plumbing. Can I ask what your plan is for those? Inquiring minds and all....

Thanks!

[Elbee]

I received my cockpit kit from Dirty Dee on Monday. It sure does make a world of difference when finished. My JHH 1/10 scale pilot will not ship until next week. I set the stock pilot in just to see how it looks.

WN, WOW, Looking great. Very nice work, Sir. Best, LB

[Waconut]

I installed the fuselage vents today. Not as tough of a job as I figured. The large dome vents are functional. The smaller inlet vents are not.

I found out today I am going to have back surgery, I really would like to get the top painted before that happens. I may need to just mask off the cockpit area and get it done.

[Warthog]

Warthog-
Brilliant work on the cannon, seriously. Some questions: Where is the vape oil stored and what battery is used to heat the coils? Speaking of batteries, it looks from your pics like its getting crowded up front where the 6s flight batteries normally reside with the cannon motor and plumbing. Can I ask what your plan is for those? Inquiring minds and all....

Thanks!

I'm just finishing things up. I'll post more photos very soon. One tip, if your going to use the EDF flow for the power. You only need one line from one EDF. I found out the hard way that one works way better than two!
I use a 2S LiPo to power the e-cigarette coils. There is no oil tank. Just soak the cotton real good before you fly. I stacked the 6S's and the CG is about dead on!