Figured since this one isn’t being outlined in a group build that I’d start a WIP thread.
I’ve always had a great love for nose art. I’ve got countless prints, books, etc. on the subject, so I always enjoy doing a project adorning pin-ups or other artwork.
Raid Hot Mama has always been one of my favorite pieces of said art and what’s better is that it happens to be a P-47…one of my favorite aircraft.
Kit options are limited in 1/32 P-47s with just the lazy Hasegawa offering and the Trumpy pop which gets criticism for surface detail…ironically from the same people that will whine when a manufacture doesn’t rivet a subject…go figure. Anyway, “Mama” is a Razorback…and only Trumpeter makes this particular variant…so…
The Kit:
Will be going with the Zotz decals:
AM will be limited to HGW fabric harnesses and Montex masking for insignia and such.
I started work on the engine which is a kit in itself. Three sprues of parts…I’ve built kits with less!
Pretty straightforward however. The part was finished with various shades of Alclad. I wired with some scrap wire from an old electronics charger. Dark wash with some targeted dry brushing. Loaded a brush with some Model Master Oil and Grease stain and flicked it onto part to simulate oil splatter.
Next I moved on to the interior. Research indicates that the Dark Dull Green later became the Euro 1 Medium Green color…or that they are very similar at minimum. I had a bottle left over from an A-10 build, so I tried it and it looked pretty good to me. I did some fading, shading with the AB. I know it’s very stark in these pictures. It’s a little more so than it is to the naked eye, but even still I purposefully did this. Gloss coats will blend it in significantly.
This is where I am at now…(along with some random sub assemblies).
Great to see another Thunderbolt build! (did I mention that I love this plane?) That engine looks awesome! The cockpit color seems to be a bit light IMO, but I suppose it’s just the picture?
I have the same kit in my stash (the build is scheduled for late 2014) and I originally planned on building “Raid Hot Mama” as well, but then I changed my mind and got me the decal sheet with “Magic Carpet” (those NMF wings just look too nice not to build her)
BTW, don’t build the supercharger assembly or the plumbing for it. They can cause all sorts of fit issues if they aren’t aligned perfectly and you’ll never see them anyway…
The lightness is a result of my tinkering with the photos. It’s much darker. I generally darken and cool photos since the white balance on my camera usually makes it bright and hotter. When I did so with that pic the green nearly disappeared to the black background.
Nice start. I like the oil splatter idea. You could also try Tamiya Smoke lightly sprayed on the cylinder heads which gives them a convincing used look. My research when I built Gentile’s early D-5 showed that not all P-47’s had Dull Dark Green interiors. Some early production razorbacks were done in interior green. I suppose you could get away with either since yours is a razorback. I’ll be watching your progress.
Joe, it does appear that I could have gone either way with cockpit color. I opted for this color over the interior green color mostly because I’ve used that color on so many past builds.
Anyway, for the life of me I can not get pictures to be truly representative of what the color is to my eyes…one of the problems with relying on camera phones I guess. I only deal with the other camera for finished pics.
The HGW belts are tedious for me so I broke putting them together over several sessions. Half way done:
Detail painted the sidewalls (note my color selection or specific little details is somewhat artistic in choice. My brain hurts if I even consider trying to dig thorough reference photos to be 100% correct…so visual interest is the goal. Doesn’t sit well with a lot of people but oh well.
Hit this with a little dry brushed aluminum and gloss coated in anticipation of a wash.
Figured it was time for another update. Now that the FW 190 is off the line I can really get going.
Finished the pit off with a light wash and hit is with a flat coat. Added some wiring to the rear of the IP since it’s a bit visable through the canopy.
I got the fuse closed up. Wasn’t pretty…but it’s done…there are a few other things I’ve done…more pics later.
dflu78. Sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way. I was trying to help you make a more accurate P-47. The ‘War’ over the color of the rear deck color has been fought and won by those in the know; O.D razorbacks had the rear deck O.D. NMF razorbacks had a NMF rear decks. I’m sure you weren’t saying I was wrong, just tactless. I can live with that:)
Nice 'pit Dflu. I’m looking forward to seeing your progress. There’s plently more knowledgeable than me, but I’ve seen that rear deck done in dull dark green, interior green, heck even, in neutral grey which looks kind of cool too. I did the same as you with my D-5 and used the interior color. Leftie, thanks for the info, but I too would like to know where battle was fought regarding the color of the rear deck. Is there an article or thread I can read somewhere?
