I’m trying to build a P-47M in 1/48th scale. I couldn’t find a kit so
I purchased an Academy P-47D and am attempting to make the
necessary conversions. Does anyone know of an after market
supplier of the dorsal fillet, added to later P-47D’s and to M’s? Or
the availability of a 1/48th scale kit that may have this part included.
Whaz up Modeler25,
Hasegawa made a P-47D that contains a dorsal fillet which came as an option**(kit #09305).** At this very moment as I am typing, I am looking at it on my shelf and its begging me to build it. BUILD ME BUILD ME LOL…!!!
About July of 43 in the mid of the production run, Republic introduced the bubble canopy variant. The 25 block had a cut down rear body to accomodate the new canopy sys. This improvement in the begining was found to hurt the a/c’s lateral stability.
To correct it, a dorsal fillet was added during the production run of the P-47D-30. In all just check your local hobby shop, IPMS show or e bay cause I know it is still avalible. Hope this helps ya out. Flaps up,Mike
The Hasegawa kit is the way to go if you’re building a late model D/M. I built mine as one of the Polish P-47Ms that flew with the 56th FG in the spring of 45. Can’t remember the pilot’s name offhand, both model and info are back in storage in NY. The P-47Ms had some of the best paint schemes of the war. The one I built had flat black upper surfaces and bare metal underneath. Of course, being 56th FG, it had the distinctive red cowl, so a rather colorful bird all around!
As these fellas say, the Hasegawa kit is what you want. I’d recommend sanding the fillet down, however. It’s kinda thick. But it’s close enuff for me!
I built the old Monogram kit, started it before all the “new” kits came out, and added the fillet myself. It was frustrating and alotta fun at the same time. 'Bout half way thru the project, the Hasegawa kit was announced and I just went “Grrrr…”, 'cuz I rescribed the whole dang thing too. I built it in Leo Batista’s markings. “Josephine, my Flying Machine” with handpainted nose art and possibly the nicest paint job I’ve ever done. Butz, you should remember this one, and it’s ultimate fate as well! LMAO Oh well… Cats. Can’t live with 'em, can’t kill 'em.
Cobra has good taste in Jugs. The 56th did have the wildest, if not the most colorful schemes around. I especially like the 61st FS black/midnight blue Jugs that he mentioned. Neat lookin’ ships. I’d like to build Witold “Lanny” Lanowski’s HV-Z(bar) someday. Better get crackin’, though, or Butz’ll beat me to it! LOL
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Yes, there is an after market kit. It has 2 resin fillets, and 2 or 3 white metal props including the Curtiss paddle blades. I’m attempting to use it on a Monogram kit. I have tried to vacuform the spine using one resin piece as a master, but it hasn’t worked yet. You have to notch the tai to make it work. I don’t remember the kits name and I"m at work. I’ll have to check when I get home.
Blackwolf,
That’s it! Lanny Lanowski! Couldn’t think of his name for the life of me. He’s the guy with the all black upper surfaces and bare metal undersides. Sharp markings. And as for your “doing the conversion only to have the kit come out” experience, I just had the same thing with the Panda 1/35 UH-1D/H. I kitbashed two UH-1Cs with parts from a Revell UH-1H to make a nice UH-1H and a month and a half into the project, Panda announces the kit… GRRRRRR…
Anyhow… I should build another Jug. Once the Cobras and Loaches are done…
Nice taste in Jugs, huh??? Well, yeah, you should have seen my ex fiancee…
Just remembered…
Missing Link made a conversion for the late D & M. Had resin fillet, prop and some other stuff. I just sold mine not too long ago. I don’t think you can get this set anymore, except maybe at a show.
If I remember right it was kinda ugly resin, though, so maybe I would have been better off not mentioning it. Oh well… Too late! LOL [:p]
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ROTFLMAO!
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Medallion models made my conversion, MM39. Can’t find them at Squadron or Roll Models. May not be around any more.
From what I understand, the P-47M’s were built from the last 130 D30 airframes produced at the Farmingdale plant, so the Hasegawa D30/D40 kit could be used. M’s did not come off the production line with either dorsal fins or wing pylons - they were added in the field. Since they were D30 airframes, they did have the dive brakes, and the landing light installed outboard of the pylon. I think the M also had the K-14 gunsight, also in the Hasegawa kit. Also you would need an aftermarket engine and prop, or possibly from the Pro-Modeler P-47N. The engine and prop in Academy’s “N” are wrong, but I have heard that they are correct in the Pro-Modeler kit.
Hey all
Isn’t Pro-Modeler and the Academy’s 47 the same w/ really no changes except for markings and load.
I have both kits so check them out a lil later. My luck I’ll start one of them LMAO.
Flaps up, Mike
Yepper, there were only 130 P-47M production aircraft almost all of which went to the 56th FG. The fillets and pylons were added to each airframe after delivery to England.
The highly troublesome Pratt & Whitney R-2800-14W/-57 “C-series” engine was the only truly obvious distinguishing feature, visibly, between the P-47M’s and the D’s. The fillet and the paddle-bladed props were both added to D-models of other various fighter groups. (As an aside, the “C-series” engines and the troubles encountered with them by the 56th almost led to the unit’s conversion to P-51’s! The Stangs had been delivered and were ready to go after conversion training.)
As stated above, the pylons were also added after delivery as the P-47M was intended to be a high-speed fighter-only variant of the Jug. Contrary to popular belief, the P-47M was NOT developed specifically to counter the Fi 103 (V-1) flying bomb. The idea for the high-speed variant of the P-47 pre-dates the appearance of the Fi 103 and the initial high-speed prototype flew more than a year before the first flying bombs hit England. In any case, the P-47D’s in service at the time were more than up to the task of intercepting a V-1.
I admit that the issue of the K-14 gunsight is one that has escaped my attention. But often times pilots of many units would have a different gunsight installed, if they were so inclined, and if it was at all possible. The 56th was probably no different in this regard.
JGUIGNARD states that the ProModeler P-47N is the only 48th kit that basically has the correct engine and prop for the P-47M and I am inclined to agree. Has Hasegawa ever released an “M” variant as one of their “special” releases? I don’t recall ever having seen one. It’d be nice if they did!
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BUTZ,
Nope, the ProModeler and Minicraft offerings are two entirely different kits.
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So Blackwolf
Which kit did Pro-Modeler use?? Or was it their own tooling. Refresh my mind since I have not looked at either kit in a while. So how r the Furry friends doin???[:D]
ProModeler’s P-47N was entirely new tooling and not based on any existing kit. Wish they would have done a better job of it too. Oh well…
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Blackwolf,
Basically what you are typing(LMAO) is that this is there own tooling(said aint it [V]). Remember our discussion earlier about what co’s. bought/stole other molds and used them under their names.
Flaps up,MIke
Butz,
I get the gist of what you’re saying, but… what the heck are you talkin’ about? [?]
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I guess everybody built Lanowski’s plane at some point, huh?
That’s the Monogram kit with Ministry of Small Aviation decals and a resin aftermarket kit for the fillet and prop. Sorry, I don’t recall who made the resin.
Sharp! My Monogram kit was going to be finished in Lanowski’s markings until I learned about the release of the Hasegawa kit. Then I decided to finish it in Leo Batista’s markings and save Lanny’s Jug for the new kit. I too was going to use the MSAP decals but have since found three other sheets with these markings. Did you have any trouble with the MSAP stuff? I’ve heard some bad things about them but I’ve never run into anyone who’s actually used them.
Unfortunately, the Jug I built suffered some catastrophic feline-inflicted damage. But I think I’ll patch her up and post a photo or two!
Great job!
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