A-10 Thunderbolt (oz14549)

About this Plan

A-10 Thunderbolt. Radio control PSS scale model.

Quote: "Free time? Try our free plan! A foam and balsa PSS rendition of the 'Warthog' for the more experienced builder/pilot. A-10 Thunderbolt, by Jack Sidebottom.

Some say it's ugly, some like me are fascinated by its plain purposeful lines, and its simplicity. Whatever the attraction may be for you, you have to admit that it might have been designed with modellers in mind.

I came up with this model one non flyable weekend - you know the score, wind, rain, wife, etc! - and I hadn't anything on the bench, so it was a case of 'fix something that doesn't need fixing' or design a new model. The Warthog won. I was low on balsa but long on blue foam, hence the final design.

Aanyone who feels that they can fly such a model must by default be a 'competent' mod-eller so I do not propose a blow by blow, glue A to B type article. I will describe how I dealt with a few areas that might need a bit of clarification otherwise, all the info is on the plan, if you can't find it, or you're not sure, don't build it! It is not a difficult model to build, or fly, for anyone with a reasonable amount of time as a modeller. If you are still at the 'full instructions enclosed' and 'staggering around the slope just in control stage', please choose something simpler/easier first and then try the A-10.

Fuselage: Basically this is your average balsa/ply box with blue foam deckings top and bottom, carved and sanded to shape. If you want a removable tailplane you will need an access hatch in the top deck to connect up the elevators. The tail group is retained by a wing bolt and captive nut, the access hatch is by your favourite method.

Moving forward, the cockpit is a 'capsule' like affair, this allows the radio gear to be positioned as far forward as possible so avoiding the carriage of too much 'church roof'! With no need for a large hatch, simply make a floor to match your canopy, then measure from the top of the fuselage down to about 1/4 in from the fuselage floor at the front and rear of the canopy. Join the two lower points, to give your base or floor line, then join the two upper points to give the top line of the cockpit..."

A-10 Thunderbolt from R/C Model World, May 1999.

Direct submission to Outerzone.

Supplementary file notes

Article pages, thanks to RFJ.

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