Jump to content

1/48 Italeri A-10C or Hobbyboss A-10C?


Recommended Posts

Not sure where to post this where it'll get more traffic, so a duplicate post is in the Research Corner. Mods can delete the wrong one, please. 

 

Which of the above listed kits do you think is better? Or which one is a true A-10C OOB? If not, any aftermarket parts available to make one such? Do the intakes need attention for aftermarket engines or relatively easy scratch? Obviously these will be subjective opinions, however, does one offer any better detail or accuracy over the other? I've not seen either kit. Thank you for your help.

 

Semper Fi,

Masterguns

Link to post
Share on other sites

I believe the Italeri is closer, but to my knowledge neither is a true A-10C.  The Hobby Boss is missing some antenna's as well as have an -A cockpit.  The Italeri has a later antenna suite, which I believe is closer, but still has effectively an -A cockpit.  I saw Quinta made a -C cockpit for the Trumpeter 1/32 A-10A, so maybe they'll scale it down to 1/48.  

 

This is mostly personal preference, but I was not a fan of the Italeri A-10.  It went together ok, but the moldings were awfully think leading to thick trailing edges, etc.  The trumpeter is a bit of a pain to build, but I personally have found to be a better starting point.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks, gents. I just looked at the Phase Hanger items, and if those items are as good as they look in the pics, then I'll be placing an order really soon & picking up the Hobbyboss kit. Do you think that PH covers most, if not all, areas to correct or add what's needed to make a good looking 1/48 C model? According to taste, of course. Is there anything else you can think of other than the PH stuff that could make the HB more detailed? Eduard PE? Current ordnance resin?

 

I know very little about USAF specific aircraft equipment since some of their gear can vary a lot as when compared to what our Naval aircraft use. At this time I'd prefer to use after market items for most detail enhancements. I can scratch build some parts if nothing else is available retail that is designed for the HB kit. I'm wanting to do a recent as possible IN ANG 163rd FS/122nd FW bird out of Fort Wayne IAP from one of the Caracal Decals sheets. Thanks for the info. 


Semper Fi,

Masterguns

Link to post
Share on other sites

I am by no means an expert either, but from what I've heard about the Phase Hangar stuff, the guy building the masters for all the after market parts is quite well versed with the A-10, and the intention is for all the Phase Hangar stuff to be everything you need to do a current and accurate C model. I intend to do my build with resin/aftermarket weapons, though I am not sure which manufacturer yet. I can say that Phase Hangar also have a 1:48 APKWS set which I bought. I would post pictures for you to see the details but I am in the middle of a move and I'm not sure where I've tucked them away. I'll see what I can find tonight.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My son is a crew chief on the A-10C in FWA. I’m using the HobbyBoss kit with the Phase Hanger items to build a kit for him.  He looked at all the sets and felt they were pretty comprehensive. I already have the cockpit and he was impressed with the accuracy and detail. The rest of the sets were just released. I have a trip to LAS tomorrow. My plan is to stop by Nats and pick up the rest if he is not sold out. 

 

Just an FYI, the Italeri nose is the wrong shape. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, ElectroSoldier said:

I seem to remember having looked into this before the Italeri kit has some little problem with its engine fan blades.
They are molded the wrong way around maybe.

The Italeri fans have really obviously the wrong number of blades -- too few.

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/18/2021 at 9:11 PM, habu2 said:

I haven’t seen the Italeri A-10 kit in person but in every other Italeri kit I have seen the cockpit panels have been, umm, how should I say… fictional. 

They are non existent on this kit. Represented by decals, that are wrong. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I've got the Italeri kit assembled and the worst part are the engine pods for fit. I used resin engine fronts on mine so no fan blade problem. I also found sanding the upper wing ends on an angle made the fuse./wing connection nicer.

 

Don

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I always thought the HB A-10 captures the nose of the Hog better. Italeri is too boxy. Frankly, both in 1/48 and 1/72. I don't like the way it slopes down to the business part of an A-10, which in turn creates a weird angle on the nose to windscreen transition. So I guess You may want to take a look yourself at some builds to compare if that is ok with You.

Link to post
Share on other sites
15 minutes ago, Drifterdon said:

So just out of curiosity and not trying to jack this thread but what is wrong with the Monogram/Revell A-10 other than having the decelerons and canopy molded open?

 

Probably the raised panel lines Im guessing. The Revell kits of that era are well known for being fairly accurate. But the thought of rescribing an entire model is pretty intimidating, even for someone with the skills to do it.  

Link to post
Share on other sites

The Decelerons are easy enough to close up on the monogram kit. The biggest problem with the monogram kit is that it represents pretty much a brand-new 1977 delivery A-10, with all the period-appropriate lumps and bumps. A LASTE upgrade set will take care of most of that, but you're still left with an A-model cockpit... though that pretty much puts you on the same ground as all the other kits.

 

I'm not in to rescribing and I don't mind raised detail, so that's not an issue for me. I've got a monogram kit I'm in the process of building up as an Arkansas A-10C. I used the Sierra Hotel LASTE upgrade set and I modified the Instrument panel myself (added the second display and shaved down some of the coaming... jerry-rigging, but better than nothing). Modifying the canopy to sit closed wasn't an issue either.

 

I'm not saying it might not be easier to go the Hobby Boss or Italeri route, but the Monogram kit should by no means be completely out of consideration!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...