Revell 1/48 P-47D Thunderbolt - COMPLETED

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Hey gang,

I’m coming at you with something I’ve never tried before. The other day, my wife was walking her dog and ran across a yard sale that was selling some kits. Spending $2, she was able to get me a Monogram A-4 and Skyraider, two started Testors SR-71s, and one started Revellogram Razorback. The Skyhawk and Skyraider are complete but without decals or instructions. The Blackbirds are started and appear complete, but are missing the instructions. The Thunderbolt is started, but missing its instructions, decals, and the tailwheel. Also, the guns’ blast tubes and radio mast are broken off. As something to distract me from the Hasegawa AH-64D slog I’m currently involved with, I thought I’d try to salvage the Thunderbolt.

It came loose, in a box filled with parts for the two Blackbirds.

I was able to get the parts sorted, and like I said, it appears that only the tailwheel is the only missing part besides the broken blast tubes and antenna.

I think the prop is from a different kit because the plastic seems to be different, and it doesn’t fit on the prop shaft. It’s really not going to make a difference. I won’t be going for 100% accuracy with this build.

The canopy was attached and unfortunately had a glue smear on the inner surface. Also, the panels behind the pilot were painted. I thought about prying off the canopy to repair the mar and repaint the panels, but I decided against it. I didn’t want to risk damaging the clear parts. Since I’m just going to be using this kit as an opportunity to practice some building and painting techniques, I figured trying to repaint or match the panels wasn’t worth it, either. So, with that, I cleaned up the seams, masked the canopy, and sanded off Revellogram’s infamous raised copyright “stamp.”

To check my work, the parts got primed in Mr. Surfacer 1500 black. I noticed that some panel lines were sanded off during construction, but I’m not going to worry about them.

After that, I started with the upper surface color of OD. After that dries, I’ll do the NG undersides.

Anyway, this is where I’m at with this. I’ll be going back and forth between my Apache and this project. Since this is more of a “practice kit,” I expect this one to go pretty fast. Still, comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome. Feel free to drop you two cents into the bucket on your way out.

Thanks for lookin’. Stay tuned!

-O

1 Like
2

Cool plan, O. I like the idea of taking a kit someone has started then abandoned and finishing the build. Such a kit can be a real test of your skills as a modeler. I might have tried to get the canopy off and sanded the inside to get rid of the glue splotch. With that done, then paint the inside of the canopy black.

It will be interesting to see your progress on this build.

Keep us posted.

3

Hello O!

I always thought it would be a pity to throw a good (almost) model away. And it’s good to do a “no pressure” build from time to time, it can be a great learning or practicing opportunity. So good luck with this one, I’ll be watching!

Paweł

4

Great find for $2 and sounds like a fun project - bringing a discarded model back from the dead. The P47 has been a favorite of mine ever since the old DOS game European Air War came out in the 90s.

Have fun and keep the photos comming.

5

Monogram’s P-47Ds are nice kits, even post-merger.

It’s a nice project, to salvage that kit. The missing bits aren’t much of an issue; many would have replaced the blast tubes with fine steel tubing, for durability more than anything.

6

Decals are the least of your worries- there is an almost an endless supply of aftermarket decals. There are places that feature fine diameter metal tubes for the blast tubes- google it.

7

Whoever started the models was doing pretty well. The engine for the jug is nice.

Bill

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OK gang, I had some free time this morning, so I got some more paint splashed on my T-Bolt. First, let me say thanks for the feedback.

fotofrank, I thought long and hard about the canopy. Figuring it was only a $.40 kit, I guess I shouldn’t have been so worried about damaging the parts.

Pawel, I too, have trouble throwing out kits. There are a few trouble kits that I’ve started and put aside. I plan to get back to them someday. I just feel like throwing away kits, not matter how much of a challenge, is a bit like throwing away money.

Joe, I’m already having fun with this one. I’m looking forward to seeing how things turn out with this one, especially since I’ll be trying a few new things on it.

Baron and missleman, I agree that the missing parts are not a big deal. I already have an idea on how to replace the tubes, but the tailwheel might be a bigger (but not a big) problem. My wife bought me a resin casting set as a gift, maybe I’ll try my had at casting my first part! I plan on building a “generic” OD/NG T-bolt, so I just need the standard markings. I’m confident I can cobble something together from the stuff in my stash.

GM, yeah, the engine looks pretty good. I think the crankcase is a little too blue, but I’m fine with it. I test fitted the part in the cowling, and not much is visible, so I’m not going to worry too much about it. I think I’ll use it as-is.

Anyway, let’s see what I got done today…

I spent some time playing with the paint on the topside. I want to depict a used-but-not-abused airframe, so I want the paint to look worn. I think I’m on my way…

I’ll do some more weathering after decals.

I was also able to get the bottom painted up, too. Again, more weathering will follow, but I think it’s a good start.

So, this is where I’m at with this. There might be a pause in my projects while I wait for the postman to deliver some stuff I ordered. In the meantime, comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome. Feel free to drop you two cents into the bucket on your way out.

Thanks for the support and encouragement.

Stay tuned!
-O

1 Like
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Hi “O”!

My [2cnts] worth. Looks like you’re off to a flying start. Looks great. Only goes up from here.

Stay safe.

Jim [cptn]

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Hey Jim, thanks for the pat on the back. Much appreciated!

So, like I mentioned, this is a practice kit. I figured that this project would be a great opportunity to work on my painting skills. So far, it’s been fun trying a few different things with the airbrush. Let me show you where I’m at…

I got the QIM markings painted onto the tail and cowling. The engine is just dry-fitted at the moment.

While I had the white paint out, I got a little carried away…

And, just for the sake of trying something different…

So, whatcha think? If it’s not obvious, I was going for the over-painted invasion stripes. I think I got pretty close. Tell me what you think. I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. As usual, comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome. Feel free to drop you two cents into the bucket on your way out.

Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to your feedback.

Cheers,
-O

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Hello O!

I’m glad you’'re having fun with your toy! :slight_smile:

I think the invasion stripes looked very cool with that shaded white. Those “painted over” stripes look kinda funny - I think the effect is a little too pronounced. While I don’t know that for sure I think OD would cover quite well and my impression is the old stripes wouldn’t show through so obvoiusly. But like I wrote I have no way f knowing for sure, it’s just my impression. Good luck with your build and have a nice day

Paweł

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Pawel, thanks for the feedback. I was basing my effort on some photos I saw of some A-20s with over painted stripes…

…but looking at the photos again, it may be that the stripes on the wings are worn off, not painted over. That may be the reason for the mottling. While reconsidering my effort, I ran across a pair of photos that show that some over painted stripes with just a hint of the underlying markings still showing through.

To my eye, the “mottling” is still there, but maybe not as pronounced as mine. I’m thinking I may go back and tone mine down a bit. Even it out a little more. Then, I can go back and weather some wear onto it all.

As you know, comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome. I appreciate the feedback. It gives me an opportunity to learn and broaden my horizons. Feel free to drop you two cents into the bucket on your way out.

Cheers!
-O

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Based on your last two examples I’d say you nailed it.

That said, while I knew of the invasion stipe markings, I wasn’t aware of the half baked overpainting that some planes apparently got.

So when I saw your example, I wasn’t impressed!

Through no fault of your work or research - it’s just that the target audience, who knows of this period and can appreciate your effort, is likely fairly small.

14

Prompted some interesting reading O. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_stripes

“One month after D-Day, the stripes were ordered removed from planes’ upper surfaces to make them more difficult to spot on the ground at forward bases in France. They were completely removed by the end of 1944 after the Allies achieved total air supremacy over France.”

15

Yes I read the same article after ortiz10 told us what ithe overpainting was. I hadn’t known. or more likely remembered, about it. Making models is a great way to learn history and I’m guessing most military model makers are history buffs.

16

Hey gang, just a little progress to share on my salvage Thunderbolt.

First, I processed all of the feedback I got about my attempt at replicating the look of overpainted invasion stripes. After taking a couple of days and returning to look at things with “fresh eyes,” I decided that my first attempt wasn’t good enough. So, I went back and tried again. I think this second effort is closer to representing the look of the real thing.

I also got all the the other bits and pieces painted, and in some cases, glossed and decaled.

I also had a little fun with some nose art. The “Babe” markings I found in my decal spares’ drawer while I was looking for markings for the airframe. As you can see, I’ve applied some decals to the kit. I didn’t use a lot of stencils because I really wanted to focus more on the paint. The heart for the nose art is painted on using a free-handed stencil cut from tape, then trimmed with white decal strips.

I’ll start on some more weathering before final assembly. Oh, and speaking of final assemblies, I found some stuff in my spares box that I’ll hung from the underside.

I honestly have no idea what kit these parts came from, but they’re better than the stuff that was in the Revellogram box. Besides the loadout, the last things I will need to source are some gun barrels (plastic rod), a radio mast (my spares box or scratched), and a tail wheel. The latter will probably be the hardest thing to find.

Anyway, that’s where I’m at. I really appreciate the feedback on the stripes. Again, comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome. Feel free to drop you two cents into the bucket on your way out.

Thanks for lookin’.

Cheers,
-O

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There are similar parts in the Tamiya P-47 kits, that may be the origin.

18

Hey FSM, I have some progress to share on my Jug…

I was able to get the things-under-the-wings-done. I figured out that the tank and bazooka tubes came from a Hasegawa Jug I built some time ago. Who knows where the 500 pounders came from.

I also did some more weathering. I needed to tie the decals in to the rest of the build, and I also wanted the airframe to look used. I tried a few new techniques on this one. Well, new to me, at least.

I’m pretty happy with the way things turned out.

In that last photo, you can see that some of the fiddly bits are starting to go on. I stole some blast tubes from one of my Tamiya Jugs. I’m planning on buying some aftermarket tubes for it, so it works out. Their alignment and placement isn’t perfect, but I did what I could, considering they were broken off when I got the kit. I also found that the retraction struts for the gear doors were missing from the kit. I found a pair in the spares box and modified them to fit.

Another thing that was broken off was the kit’s pitot tube. I didn’t notice it at first, but realized I had to replace it. I just “sharpened” the end of a piece of styrene rod and glued on a small styrene triangle. It’ll look the part under paint and installed.

I still need to make a radio mast and find a tail wheel. Everything else is ready to go on.

So, this is where I’m at with this one. It’s getting close to being done! Of course, comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome. Feel free to drop you two cents into the bucket on your way out.

Stay tuned!
-O

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Looks great, O! Better than my new ones.

Gary

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My [2cnts]!

[t$t] [t$t] [t$t] & [Y] [Y] [Y]

Stay safe.

Jim [cptn]