Friday, September 8

Preview: Great Wall Hobby's new-tool 48th scale A-10C Thunderbolt II

Great Wall Hobby are bringing us an all-new A-10C in 1/48th scale. In the preview images and mockups they have supplied this looks like an innovative kit. We look at the information in our preview...

Preview: Great Wall Hobby's new-tool 48th scale A-10C Thunderbolt II

A-10C Thunderbolt II
From Great Wall Hobby
Kit No # L4829
1/48th scale
The kit is made from plastic & photo-etch
Completely new-tooled kit
We have already seen some of the plastic of Great Wall Hobby's new-tooled 1/48th scale A-10C Thunderbolt II on the 'net. Part like the engine below tipped us off to the though that has gone behind this kit's development.
We have anew slew of images compared to photographs of the real thing to show us the key areas of the new-tooled kit's design. We start at the undersides of the aircraft, and feature the textured skin, access points, aerials, ports and wheel-recesses of the aircraft 
The smart horizontal tails of the A-10C are featured here. Posable flying surfaces and all the rivets & actuators are in place.
Arguably the most important part of the kit is probably the cockpit. Parts you can see from the outside are a major point, like the panels before and after the pilot's seat. This is also detailed as close to the real thing as great Wall can achieve.
The Hydraulic actuator for the cockpit is also features in the CADS with rivet detail in places you wouldn't even think to look...
Another important part of the kit and one that has been portrayed erroneously a few times, the nose of the Thunderbolt is oddly shaped and more complex than it seems.
The bubble-type canopy is always hard to achieve. GWH has also studied this part, with detail looking not to have been achieved so far in plastic injection kits of the type.
Lastly, the engines. The intakes, with the fan and its blades we have already seen a test shot of. The nacelles and exhausts are depicted here in some great detail. This kit looks to be gifted with some great research so far...

This kit is still in development, for a release we would think early next year. More on this kit from Great Wall Hobby on its release