Howdy folks. I'm working on my very first build and i thought i'd share some pics of how things are coming along, and share some of my hurdles with Andy.
Here's the kit and my tools/equipt:
As soon as i opened the box and saw all the tiny parts i knew i was in trouble haha. Oh well, i wanted a challenge thats why i decided to BUILD a model instead of just buy a replica A-10. In hindsight i wish i'd flipped through the instructions FIRST and taken it all in, but i got right into building the cockpit and painting the pilot. I have shakey hands but i think the pilot came out ok considering. Thanks for suggesting the clamps Patrick, that helped out a lot with the painting.
My first real problem came when it was time to glue the two main halves of the jet together with the cockpit inside. I couldnt quite tell exactly where the cockpit should be situated, but i got it mostly correct... i think
I noticed in the instructions that there was a side note that said something to the effect that, "A weight must be placed inside the nose to weigh down the front end for proper balance..." Ok, but it failed to say how much weight. I thought about gluing a penny or something in there but decided to just skip that part and figure something out when i was done. Apparently in the real A-10 THIS is what serves as that weight:
In hindsight a penny would not have done the trick! (More on this at the end, Andy!)
So on i march... after my daughters go to sleep each night i do a bit of cementing, sanding and painting. Loving every minute.
I did notice that some of the fits aren't perfect. My main complaint is that the engines don't fit well in the space provided on the fuselage. There was too big of a gap. I had to in-fill with cement and it just didnt go together well. Im sure to most people who look at it, it won't be noticeable but if one of you guys was examining it, you'd definitely notice. I did my best and moved on...
Another issue was the landing gear for the front wheel goes into place early on and you have this delicate piece sticking down for most of the build, which means you can't just lay the plane flat on a table, etc. I don't have a good clamp set so i was constantly having to set the plane up in various improvised positions when gluing on the wings, tail and so forth:
Hey it's starting to take shape! Fumbling towards completion...
After getting the rest of the landing gear in place and putting the tires on, I see why the need for the weight:
Well crap! That thing is off kilter HARD! I was shocked how hard i had to push down on the nose for it to put the front wheel on the ground. Since Andy said he was about to start this model i decided to see just how much weight one would need to put into the nose when glueing the fuselage together for it to sit with the front tire on the ground. I don't have weights around here for that so I had to improvise. Knowing that a nickle weighs 5grams, I started taping together nickles and placing them on the nose:
In doing so i found that it takes a minimum of 30 grams of weight in the nose for it to be properly balanced. Now Andy, there could be slight differences in the way the rear landing gear is situated which could affect that number, but that's what i came up with. I hope that helps and if i were going to do this again I'd tape together 7-8 nickles (just to be sure) and secure them in the nose when glueing the fuselage togther.
I've still got to put a few small pieces on the landing gear, but i was thinking i actually might remove the landing gear and tires altogether because i want the model to be of the jet in flight. I just think it looks cooler that way, and i might suspend it from the ceiling or craft some sort of "stand" to mount it on so it looks like it's flying.
From here i mostly just need to paint this thing and attach the ordinance and I should be done. I'm pretty sure it'll look like an 8 yr old did this, but i'll still be stoked when it's complete. I LOVE A-10s and i can't wait to put this in my office and admire it. Ive already learned a lot from this first build and i think i'll put an airbrush on my christmas wish list along with some other fighter jet kits. Fun stuff!
THanks to everyone for looking and for all the many many posts with advice and words of encouragement. You guys have all been so helpful and I really sincerely appreciate all the help so far!
Best,
Joe