80-0275 —

Those markings are wrong. The USAAF used that version of the "stars and bars" from August 1943 to early January 1947, After the USAF was created all "stars and bars" had a red or blue bar in the middle of the white bar.

Paul, the markings and paint job are supposed to be WWII style from the P-51. The star and ball would, therefore, be correct.

The Warthog ! Iraqi Freedom Fighter. I just built a 1/72 scale plastic model of this aircraft. When completed, the tail section is so heavy with the large engines and twin tail section, the back end stays on the table with the nose and front landing gear are in the air. I wonder how the real aircraft stays on all three landing gear on the ground ! Must be the fuel and weapons in the wings.

When I was a modeler, and wine bottles were sealed with metal, I would use pliers to shape it into the nose of whichever a/c I was making. Kept the aft end in the appropriate alignment with the earth....

The real A-10 has aft CG "issues" The GAU-8 is pretty heavy though, and is a large part of why it stays on 3 wheels.

I work as an engineer on the A-10 support, and it definitely requires ballast to stay on its gear when we remove the gun. This is true of most civilian aircraft as well with aft mounted engines. Learjets, Challengers, and similar aircraft fly from the factory with a thousand pounds or so of lead in the nose. Once the interior is in, they have enough fwd weight to keep the nose down.

Bernie, Wouldn't the markings be more along the lines of a P-47? We are talking about an officially named Thunderbolt II.

Bill, how much does the ammo weigh in addition to the gun?

I love the paint job on this Warthog. It does harken back to post European invasion paint schemes and I would agree with John about being similar to a Thunderbolt.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b2/bf/f9/b2bff91ccd31de5425795fef8307671b.jpg

Also George, as a former modeler myself and having a similar issue with the A-10 I built back in the late 70s as a teen, I used modeling clay to keep the nose down. You just have to put it in before you glue the fuselage halves together. It works like a charm.

Here is another more closely related.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bf/20/42/bf20425b29bb2901d7b5c347c78cbd2e.jpg

Yes, the P-47 Thunderbolt "JUG" and the A-10 Thunderbolt II where made by Republic.

Interesting paint scheme

George, it is the weight of the cannon that keeps the nose down. When they remove it for service the tail hs to be propped up

Whatever the markings, she's one beautiful lady.