by gwizdavid

The A-10 has always been my favorite fighter jet and I knew it had to be next on my modeling/printing list.  This model is really big - 45" x 40" but actually pretty easy to print and a lot of fun to put together.  The wings and fuselage clip together while the back fins and engine attach via posts.  I also used glue on mine for added strength.  You'll need 38 clips for both wings and 16 for the fuselage.  The largest part is Fuselage 3 at 172mm across.  I modeled this in Sketchup.
If you want to download it and edit it, go here:
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/01b49bd0-c8ac-44de-8222-3dcd56bd013f/A10-Warthog-Snap-Together-3D-Printer-Ready-Model

If you plan on printing this, here are some tips:

1. Print the cockpit at a higher resolution.  Take most of your time fitting the cockpit to the fuselage at the edges where they meet.  This will save a lot of time during sanding, priming and painting.  You can see on my photos that I used a lot of filler and didn't do a great job of sanding it smooth.  If I had it to do all over, I would make sure the cockpit and fuselage fit together more seamlessly.

2. For the best fit possible with the clips, your bed needs to be as level as possible.  I'd suggest printing the first two parts of the wing and two clips to see how close the snapped together parts are. If your bed isn't fully level, you'll have gaps in between the parts even though they're snapped together.  Even so, you can fill in those gaps with filler and prime over them if needed.

3. Some of the shroud pieces that extend off of the fuselage in parts 2 and 3 are a bit thin.  I didn't take the time to get those fixed when I printed mine.  I would suggest finer printing or supports on fuselage 2 and 3 for those parts to print properly.  Or if they don't turn out they should be sanded off.

4. I have two options for the cockpit included.  One is split in half for easier printing and size.  I also uploaded the full model in case you'd like to print it at one piece.  Just check to make sure it will fit on your bed.

Here are some things I think could be improved on:

1. The canopy looks ok, but is looks off being open on a place with no landing gears deployed.  Someone with time on their hands could design a canopy that encloses the full cockpit.

2. A landing gear would look great on this model.  However, this model is so heavy that I'm not sure a plastic gear at scale will hold it up or could easily break off.

3. Some parts, since they're designed in sketchup, are not as smooth as they could be.  Sketchup doesn't easily allow for smooth circles, so some parts can look a bit boxy.  I really need to learn Fusion 360...

Print Settings

Printer Brand:                      

Prusa

Printer:                      

i3 MK3

Rafts:                      

Doesn't Matter

Supports:                      

Doesn't Matter

Resolution:                      

.2mm

Infill:                      

20%

Post-Printing

Decal Details

I created and cut the decals for the A10 using a Cricut.  I've included a jpg of the final set in case you want to print it on another device.  If you would like to cut these on a Cricut brand machine, you can download the set directly here.

1. black decals - http://community.cricut.com/profiles/585707d79dfb9f7c0b1a0eb7/project-detail/5b7190e85be29406712351c2

2. white decals - http://community.cricut.com/profiles/585707d79dfb9f7c0b1a0eb7/project-detail/5b7191256b6b7a06cf337569

3. red decals - http://community.cricut.com/profiles/585707d79dfb9f7c0b1a0eb7/project-detail/5b71915a6b6b7a06cf3375cb

I printed these on the corresponding vinyl color and overlayed them on the black vinyl.

M