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OK, I mentioned that there have been many color schemes for the Hog over the years. Here's what I have been able to put together from books, magazines, and internet photos and color profiles.

1. Prototype scheme of overall 16473 aircraft gray, high-visibility insignia and stencils. Worn by YA-10As 71-1369 and 71-1360. Available in the 1/72 Matchbox kit.

2. Overall gunship gray 36118 with lo-viz marks. Worn by pre-production #1 73-1664 and later by the 19th TASS/5th TACG at Suwon AB, RoK in the mid to late 1980s. Wolfpak makes decals for one of the Suwon birds. The pre-production one can be produced by using Microscale sheets 72-313 or 48-69 and changing the last digit.

3. Overall mottle of white 37875 over black 37038. Worn by pre-production #2, 73-1665. This scheme is available stock on the Microscale sheets 72-313 or 48-69. The color effect is one of a patchy overall light gray.

4. Overall dark ghost gray 36320. Worn by pre-production #3, 73-1666. On Microscale 72-313 and 48-69.

5. Overall 40% Mask 10A. Worn by pre-production #4, 73-1667. On Microscale 72-313 and 48-69. This paint mix looks to be a sandy gray to my eye, but perhaps more than some colors, Mask 10A paints could look very different under different lighting conditions.

More to come later.

If you have additional or contradictory information, please let us all know. I may very well be wrong on some of this.

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Here's a couple of pics I took a couple of years ago, has 600 gal F-111 tank on it. Was passing through to/from Afghanistan.

DSC_0266_zps9e570ce0.jpg

DSC_0265_zpsc7bd789f.jpg

Edited by bashace
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More color schemes:

6. Overall gunship gray 36118 with left wing outboard of MLG and outside of left vertical tail in white 37875. Black anti-glare panel. Worn by 71-1360 for spin tests.

7. Three shade symmetrical mottle of white 37875 over black 37038. Black anti-glare panel. Worn by pre-production #5, 73-1668. The color effect is that of three patchy grays, the first very light (almost white), the second a light gray, and the third a medium to dark gray.

8. Three shade asymmetrical mottle of white 37875 over black 37038. Black anti-glare panel. Worn by pre-production #6, 73-1669. The color effect is that of three patchy grays, just as 73-1668. The pattern, however, is very different.

9. Overall light ghost gray 36375. Black anti-glare panel. Worn by early production aircraft. Noted on at least 75-0258, -0259 and -0260 (according to USAF records). Pre-production #5, 73-1668, was later repainted in this scheme.

10. 36320 Dark Ghost Gray top surfaces and sides, 40% MASK-10A paint on lower surfaces (Fairchild records); OR more likely 36375 top and sides with 50% MASK-10A (USAF records). Black anti-glare panel. Delivery scheme on 75-0261. Marks are the large size “DM†tail code and AF serial number stencils.

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11. 36320 Dark Ghost Gray undersurfaces, with 40% (USAF records) or 50% (Fairchild records) MASK-10A paint on top surfaces and sides. Black anti-glare panel. Delivery scheme on 75-0262. The effect is one of a top lighter than the bottom (reverse countershading). Marks are generic black.

12. JAWS 1: Base coat of tan 30227 (or sand 30277?), with spots of gunship green 34092, dark green 34102, and field drab 30118. Seen on 75-0258 and 75-0262, in different patterns. Smaller black or green 341102 anti-glare panel changing shape over time on -0258. Green 34092 anti-glare on -0262.

13. JAWS 2: Base coat of dark green 34102, with spots of dark gull gray 36231, gunship green 34092, field drab 30118, and tan 30227 (or sand 30277). Black anti-glare panel. Seen on 75-0259.

14. JAWS 3: Base coat of dark gull gray 36231, with spots of gunship green 34092, dark green 34102, and field drab 30118. Black anti-glare panel. Used on 75-0260.

15. Asymmetrical MASK 10A (Pattern 1). 30% (dark) MASK-10A and 50% MASK-10A. The asymmetrical schemes can be easily determined by looking for dark “cheek†patches on the forward fuselage under the cockpit. According to Don Color, this was the delivery scheme for 75-0263 and -0264. There is no anti-glare panel.

MANY more to come...

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Paint schemes continued

16. Asymmetrical MASK 10A (Pattern 2). 30% (dark) MASK-10A and 50% (light) MASK-10A. This variant is only slightly different than pattern 1; the 30% MASK-10A covers the entire left aft fuselage side under the engine, while in pattern 1, this area is 50% MASK-10A. According to Don Color, this was the delivery scheme for 75-0265 through -0274. Again, there is no anti-glare panel.

17. Symmetrical MASK 10A “False Canopy†scheme. 30% (dark) MASK-10A on top and 50% (light) MASK-10A on bottom, with a false canopy of gunship gray 36118. This is the first scheme to be used for a large quantity of production machines, from serials 75-0280 forward to 77-xxxx (one source says a total of 146 aircraft were painted in this scheme). Markings went to a dark gray. Several early units wore this scheme, including the 354th TFW (MB) and 355th TFW (DM).

18. Prototype Europe I scheme (1978). Dark green 34102, gunship green 34092 and dark gull gray 36231. The nose was 34102. More gray present than in the eventual pattern chosen. Returned to black markings. Worn by 75-0266.

19. “Charcoal Lizard,†like the eventual Europe I scheme with a lighter gray. Dark green 34102, gunship green 34092 and gunship gray (“charcoalâ€) 36118. The nose was 34102. Seen on 75-0269 in 57th TTW markings (WA).

20. Europe I (version 1): Dark green 34102, gunship green 34092 and deep gray 36081. The nose was 34102. Production scheme from serial 77-0223 onwards. There may have been a change in pattern on the right nacelle during this time; I cannot confirm this. If you have evidence on this, please let us know!

Still more to come...

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  • 2 weeks later...

21. Europe I (version 2): Dark green 34102, gunship green 34092 and deep gray 36081. The nose was changed to 36081. Claimed as scheme for production from January 1979 onwards, while another source claims this change did not happen until 1985.

22. Europe I (version 3): Dark green 34102, gunship green 34092 and deep gray 36081. The nose remains 36081, and the wing and engine inlet leading edges are now continuous 34092 and the rudders are 34102 on all sides (they are interchangeable left to right). Change made c. 1989 to facilitate maintenance repainting.

23. “Snow Hogâ€: As Europe I but with the 34102 replaced with white 37875. Tested on a single aircraft (80-0222) in 1982 in Alaska. Unit was the 18th TFS, 343rd Composite Wing.

24. “Flipperâ€: Used the Europe I pattern with colors of light gray 36495, haze gray 36270 and gunship gray 36081. Tested on 76-0530 of the 917th TFG, AFRES, Barksdale, LA in 1990-1991.

25. “Peanutâ€: Also used the Europe I pattern but with tan 20266, tan 20400 and brown 20140 (Detail & Scale Version) OR field drab camo 33105, earth yellow camo 33245 and sand camo 33303 (alternate interpretation). Tested on 76-0552 of the 917th TFG, AFRES, Barksdale, LA in 1990-1991. Markings included the warthogs’s face often associated with this unit.

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Nobody has any more pics, stories, videos, et cetera to contribute?

Here are the last two schemes I'm aware of:

26. Early Ghost Gray (c.1992-1993): Light ghost gray 36375 bottom and dark ghost gray 36320 top and sides, with the 36375 coming up the sides of the fuselage and a wavy demarcation. No false canopy on the bottom. Black markings. Seen on 81st FS (Spangdahlem, Germany) and perhaps other USAFE aircraft.

27. Ghost Gray (current): Light ghost gray 36375 bottom and sides and dark ghost gray 36320 top and sides, with false canopy of gunship gray 36118 on the bottom. Black markings. This is the current scheme for all A-10s and has been since shortly after Desert Storm.

PLEASE let me know if you find any errors in these descriptions, or if you have other information to suggest on this subject. Thanks.

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