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

[OV10]

STOP TEASIN..............am feelin the same. Just gotta figure a way to do the swirl on the turbine cone.

[Aros]

STOP TEASIN..............am feelin the same. Just gotta figure a way to do the swirl on the turbine cone.

Very slowly, very carefully, use magnifying glass(es) and don't sneeze! LOL

[Pheonix]

Okay. I have funds for this one. I had the small one (64mm) I believe and it flew very well. I still have it. I love the looks of this one. I was going to buy another F-7 but changed my mind. I had a lot of issues with this one in terms of linkage and wing foam. I could not get anything to stick to the foam from the mold release residue. I finally stripped the wings, sanded and repainted. This solved the problem. I am not too happy with having to go through this arduous procedure. I hope the issues with the linkage are3 fixed with the next batch. I still might purchase another one when in stock.

[Bogietrim]

I've posted this a couple times and it deserves more...This is destined to be my livery once she's in my hands...

Ditto!!

[Bogietrim]

Also Alpha mentioned something about working with Callie on several different sets of graphics. Will the graphics for the Arctic scheme be one of them???

[Alpha]

I was under the impression that Eielson's only camo'd A-10 (for the eight day long Operation Cool Snow Hog) was in fact white and GREEN not black. It was a test scheme that was only flown for a limited time in March 1982, never used operationally, and while rumors estimate up to three test birds in this scheme, only one has actually been ever confirmed.

I do believe Callie is working on decals for this bird. I need to check with her and ensure I've sent her all the appropriate references.

[F106DeltaDart]

I was under the impression that Eielson's only camo'd A-10 (for the eight day long Operation Cool Snow Hog) was in fact white and GREEN not black. It was a test scheme that was only flown for a limited time in March 1982, never used operationally, and while rumors estimate up to three test birds in this scheme, only one has actually been ever confirmed.

I do believe Callie is working on decals for this bird. I need to check with her and ensure I've sent her all the appropriate references.

Interesting, definitely looks green in that photo, but looks black here: https://warisboring.com/in-1982-gorg...160#.sfa4in9y1. Although with only one test airplane and limited, photos it is always hard to tell the true scheme.

[Alpha]

OK, putting my scale geek hat on here.

Looking at various loadouts, the A-10 looks really cool with not only TER's (Assuming only A/A37B-5E or BRU-42. Assuming TER-9 only used on supersonic aircraft ) but also the triple Maverick launchers (LAU-88/A) but from what I've read they say the LAU-88/A was not a common loadout as it burned the landing gear. I guess since our models won't be burning anything other than batteries we can do any loadout we choose but looking for historical accuracy here. Also, what is the rack designation for the duel Hellfire loadout? Any ex A-10 crew verify this?

You're correct, Beeg, the inner Maverick mounted on a Lau-88/A was prone to searing the expose main tire. Two were flown most often, unless it was a target rich environment in which the expanded kill capacity warranted the risk of charred rubber.

Regarding the rack designation for a DRA Hellfire, I need to check my references, which admittedly are rather scarce on the topic, so the rest of this is speculation. Off the top of my head, the Hellfire had difficulty firing stably from platforms traveling at speeds above 250-300 knots, not to mention the complications being a LOAL weapon.. I *think* early Hellfires were LOAL-DIR, which adds another layer of complication when deployed from an A-10 in its preferred attack posture. I could be wrong on the LOD-DIR, though.

That's one of the reasons why the munition is so popular on helicopters rather than aircraft moving at speed, weight being another. Despite having an arguably superior guidance system than a Maverick, the A-10 didn't have the best equipment to field Hellfires, and even now that they do with the latest round of hardware/downlink upgrades, the Maverick probably remains the best general purpose munition for that mission.

[OV10]

DD,
In the article associated with that pic is this authors statement, " This white and very dark green — almost black — Warthog flew for several days during Exercise Cool Snow Hog (yes, really) in March 1982."

[Alpha]

Interesting, definitely looks green in that photo, but looks black here: https://warisboring.com/in-1982-gorg...160#.sfa4in9y1. Although with only one test airplane and limited, photos it is always hard to tell the true scheme.

My father was in Fairbanks in 1982, and he distinctly remembered the aircraft's dark shade being dark green, almost black, but not black. It appeared to be a deeper green than seen in the dark green used in the European 1 scheme, but even that seems improbable since the original A-10As received were in that scheme.

Either way, it's a slick scheme and I can't wait to see some of you flying it!


EDIT: Haha, looks like you beat me to it, OV10. I hadn't read his article yet.

[F106DeltaDart]

Sorry, totally missed that sentence :Silly:. Thanks for the clarification though.

[Alpha]

Ultimately, it's about flying what you think looks neat. This isn't a Scale Masters competition, so there's no pressure and no judgement, at least not coming from me! Some of the best schemes I've seen on airplanes have been custom made from their owner's imaginations, or amalgams of popular design elements.

If we're being technical, the picture Aros posted is of a RC turbine model that mixes the nose art from Missouri's 442nd FW, the tail flash of Alaska, a video game's name on the nacelle "Arctic Thunder", and non-spec paint job. But hey, if it looks neat and the pilot loves it, then it's all good!

[Aros]

Exactly! I am only a scale snob with certain warbirds...Some models I don't care if it's "fantasy scale", as long as I like the look of it. And this model (for me at least) is one I don't mind if it has a fantasy scheme. It just looks soooooo good. :Cool:

[Beeg]

You're correct, Beeg, the inner Maverick mounted on a Lau-88/A was prone to searing the expose main tire. Two were flown most often, unless it was a target rich environment in which the expanded kill capacity warranted the risk of charred rubber.

Regarding the rack designation for a DRA Hellfire, I need to check my references, which admittedly are rather scarce on the topic, so the rest of this is speculation. Off the top of my head, the Hellfire had difficulty firing stably from platforms traveling at speeds above 250-300 knots, not to mention the complications being a LOAL weapon.. I *think* early Hellfires were LOAL-DIR, which adds another layer of complication when deployed from an A-10 in its preferred attack posture. I could be wrong on the LOD-DIR, though.

That's one of the reasons why the munition is so popular on helicopters rather than aircraft moving at speed, weight being another. Despite having an arguably superior guidance system than a Maverick, the A-10 didn't have the best equipment to field Hellfires, and even now that they do with the latest round of hardware/downlink upgrades, the Maverick probably remains the best general purpose munition for that mission.

I've been doing more research on Hellfires and although both the A-10 and Hellfires have been upgraded and it's possible to use them it's sort of a waste from what I've read. The A-10 can easily carry the weight of as many Mavericks it wants and for close in GAU-8 has the same destructive capability as a Hellfire. The Maverick has better standoff range and that's where it seems things are going. So, unless someone with recent experience and can respond I'd say Hellfires haven't been and probably won't be used on A-10's.
Now, an A-1 Skyraider with Hellfires would be awesome!

[Beeg]

Here's an interesting read.

http://aviationweek.com/defense/congress-wants-10-vs-f-35-flyoff

..and a few funnies....

http://funnyjunk.com/channel/military/F+35+vs+a+10/wRhbLjE/

[Bogietrim]

This one could be fun as well. I don't think it is too dark for the gator effect and I think even I could paint this one!

[Bogietrim]

Try again!

[Grossman56]

Sorry guys, can't help but choke on my popcorn as I chuckle...This is starting to sound like an art class, so as an artist, let me clarify. There is no such thing as black, its always a combination of colors just as there is no white. Its's always a 'greenish black or a blue-black if you get what I mean. Yes, you can argue that you can buy black paint, but try using it in a painting and it looks like a 'black' hole. As an example. I don't use black in any of my paintings, but use a mixture of Van Dyke brown and Prussian blue, but you can mix a bit of yellow onto it and, because blue and yellow make green, the result will be a greenish black. So, if you want, take that black paint and mix a slight amount of green ( a darker shade of green) and mix the dang color! FYI, when matching the colors on my P-40, I mixed the left over green with a bit of red and made the brown.

Grossman56

[Pheonix]

I love this lively. The nose is just right on. Will this be on of the lively on the model? I hope so.

[Alpha]

Hey Phoenix, I hand painted the Blacksnakes mouth shown on recent photos of the aircraft. I always paint test a production foam model from bare white to full color with decals, so we can measure the decals, color chroma, and other factors. Especially for nose decals, dimensionally they're difficult to get right once the customer applies them to a 3D shape. We do plan to offer as decals the popular Tigershark mouth, a Warthog mouth, and hopefully the Blacksnakes mouth. The blacksnakes is the most difficult because the individual lines are so thin and floating. Even with a waterslide decal, as is planned, it's a challenge to deliver a product that will apply cleanly and not tear. Our testing continues.

Callie will be offering an adhesive vinyl Blacksnakes decal set. I've used it and it needs to be trimmed here and there to fit around the nose and meet up with the other side, but overall it does 90% of the work, so that might be a nice option.

I visited with the pilot of this aircraft at Oshkosh last year, and he was professional and kind. A good ambassador for the armed forces and brimming with excitement about his aircraft yet humility about his role with it. The best part of the week was getting ushered off the line after hours with a camera full of up close reference photos.