1/48 Tamiya P-47 C 56th FG Robert S. Johnson "Half Pint" (FINISHED)

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
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I’m back with two subjects I can never get enough of. The 56th FG and the Tamiya P-47, in this case the razorback version which I will back date to Robert S. Johnson’s “Half Pint”, which was a C model. Some may be familiar with the incident of June 26th 1943 where Johnson, while escorting bombers in Half Pint, was badly shot up by an FW 190. Engine on fire, he managed to pull out of a spin, stabilize the aircraft, then miraculously stay airborne. His windscreen was covered in oil, canopy damaged and he couldn’t eject, so he had no choice but to try to limp back to England. Unfortunately JG2 Ace Egon Mayer stumbled upon Johnson’s stricken Jug and decided to go for the easy kill. Mayer pumped all of his ammo into Half Pint but the fighter shrugged it off, essentially denying him his 69th kill. All he could do was salute Johnson and fly away. Ironically Mayer would succumb to the guns of a P-47 in March of 1944.

Here I pay homage to Johnson, the 56th FG and the other 8th Air Force Fighter Groups that protected the bombers over the skies of Europe. This included my Grandfather, a B-17 ball turret gunner in the 390th BG.

The Tamiya P-47 needs no introduction. Perhaps the best plastic kit ever made. Super Scale offers Half Pint on a sheet dedicated to Johnson. I found it on ebay.

I started with the cockpit. I made my own custom mix for Dull Dark Green by mixing XF-26 Deep Green and a touch of XF-8 Flat Blue. Other than Eduard seatbelts, its out of the box. Tamiya’s pit is stunning with no need for resin. Even the instrument panel decal is beautiful.

Soon I’ll back date that cowl and start working on that R-2800.

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Oh yea. Another Jug from Joe…

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Another great start Joe! I’m going to look real hard for one of these at the model shows I’ll be going to in October and September. Yours always turn out so beautiful!

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Awesome! Another heroic pilot with a great story behind his plane!

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I love the P-47, his book is a good read. Looking forward to your finished Jug.

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Uh-Oh. Joe’s favorite aircraft. This should be an epic build. Adding to it you’re the king of OD on FSM Can’t wait to see more picts.

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All I can do is just shake my head in amazement. It really does look like you block out each and every detail in the cockpit for airbrushing. I really don’t know how you can achieve that with a brush…nor can I paint a clothes pin near as well either

All right, I’m going to level with you all. But what’s most important now is that you remain calm. There is no reason to panic.

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Your work just astounds me Joe [:O]. I heard this story as a kid and was amazed by it.

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Thanks guys. As I said, this is perhaps the greatest 1/48 plastic kit on the planet. If only their Mustang was as good.

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Over Macho Grande? I’m afraid I’ll never get over Macho Grande. Those wounds run pretty deep.

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I am using the Hasegawa Razorback D kit and a Cutting Edge P-47C cowling to do the same bird. Been stalled/sidelined for a few years…

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Fascinating account of Johnson’s ordeal. I think he got glycol in his eyes from going out without his goggles which nearly blinded him. Joe…you gotta go for the shot up bird…that would be wild.

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Wow! That looks amazing so far. Great work!

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Fantasic work so far. I look forward to further updates.

I am building the Hasegawa Razorback 47 and it was a pretty good kit. Not a fan of the 5 piece propellor tho. I will be marking the bird in the 63rd Squadrons UN-W The Bird my uncle was shot down in. Thats my uncle in my avatar.

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Looks absolutely insane! So you airbrush the floor and sides of the pit then hand paint all the instruments and controls? Just asking…Im a newbie.

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Ultra, I’ve been building models for 37 years and I’d love to know the answer as well. I’m always up for learning different techniques. I’m glad you asked the question!

Eric

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Thats a very finely made cockpit right there!

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Thanks everyone. Ultra, Eric, that’s exactly how I do it. Here’s a tutorial I did while building my Dauntless. This should answer your questions and perhaps give you guys some ideas. Thanks for following.

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/160714.aspx

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I have the Hasegawa Razorback in my stash as well, but the Tamiya kit is just light years better in detail. You could get an aftermarket prop if your so inclined or I could sent you a Tamiya one as I have a spare parts box full of them. Please tell me more about your uncle.

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Alright, as I promised, I’d get working on the front end. Half Pint was a C model, so I needed to do some minor surgery to the cowl. The C had the two lower flaps on each side deleted (or I should say not added yet?). Fortunately this is an easy fix. Tamiya offers an open or closed flap option. I took the closed piece and sliced off the lower two flaps thusly.

These were then glued onto the cowl and the the flaps filled and sanded smooth.

I then cut out the remaining flaps from the “open” piece, attached it and now you have an instant C cowl.

A test fit…success!..and alot cheaper than an aftermarket replacement.

I turned my attention to the Pratt Whitney R-2800. In all honesty, I think its one of the weaker areas of the kit as the cylinder cooling fins arent very detailed. I should say I’ve seen much better. I think I’ll try a Quickboost mill next time. Regardless, I dressed it up in the usual fashion.

First styrene, stereo wire, and then paint…check out the link to see how I do this:

http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/149327.aspx

Detailer Wash and X-19 Smoke…

Here we see the difference the ignition wires make inside the cowl. It’s very worth it to me.

Not unlike their Wildcat, assembly is barely worth mentioning. It practically builds itself. That said, it’s a good idea to attach the upper wings to the wing root then add the lowers to avoid a slight gap. Also, I filled in the groves for the fuselage drop tank as, according to my research, the C did not have a provision for one.

Time to paint. Half Pint was the standard Olive Drab over Neutral Grey with a white cowl band and white tail ETO striping. After an XF-1 Flat Black panel line pre-shade, I added the white with XF-2 and taped them off. I started with the lower side and used XF-53 Neutral Grey cut with Tamiya Lacquer Thinner. Sprays like silk. I added Flat White and made condensation streaks.

I lightened the control surfaces then weathered everything with a brown/black postshade. I’ve been getting brave with the grunge factor, especially on the underside.

I hope to throw down the Drab soon…