Thunderbolt decals applied

Here’s a couple pics of the Hasegawa P-47D-25 that I’m building.
I finally finished applying the plethora of decals today. Many of the stencils are small, so it doesn’t look like there are as many as there really are.

This was a “Limited Edition” kit, that came with AeroMaster decals. They were beautifully printed, with absolutely no silvering. After I seal them with Future, I can begin the washes. One step closer to being finished !



The blue stripe on the fin is not intended to be a “wrap around.” This is noted in the decal’s placement guide.

The previous progress pics are here: http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/tboltbuild.htm

Hope you like this one as much as I do !

Great looking Thunderbolt! [^]Your NMF is outstanding, what did you use?

Looking good there, Pix. I like your Jug’s scheme. The early style stripes on the tail are cool. Look forward to seeing it done.

Andy

Thanks mustang and ARBANE !

mustang - I used four shades of Alcad - Aluminum, White Aluminum, Duraluminum, and Magnesium. These shades were sprayed over a protective coat of Future, and also glossed with Future. Alcad is great stuff, but expensive. Nothing else looks as much like real metal to my eyes.

Thanks again !

Looks good Pix… Oh there’s a surprise[;)][:D]

Excellent work Pix. The decals came out great. Nice to see a PTO Jug for a change.

Regards, Rick

Your builds are always great and informative. How do you mask off individual panels for your NMF? I’ve had troubles with masks peeling off underlying paint.

Pix, great looking Jug! One of my favorites. I really love the tail art!

Boy Pix she shure looks good. I might just have to try Alcad.

Pix,

Bravo!!! A beautiful build,as always! Love the NMF, and the panel shading variations are outstanding, they look just like repaired battle damage! How do you decide which to vary the color on and how do you mask them out?

Brian [bow][bow][bow]

Gorgeous!

Thanks Marc, Rick, IrishFan, Bgrigg, smokinguns, and Brian !

IrishFan - I use 3M drafting tape to mask. It is VERY low-tack, and comes in a variety of widths. I get mine at my local stationary store. They are much less expensive than “hobby” tapes, and do a better job (in my opinion). Drafting tape has never pulled up any paint, even coats that wrre only a couple minutes old. Great stuff !

Bgrigg - I like the tail markings also. Most Thunderbolts you see have single-color rudders and cowls that are painted with straight lines. These are nice markings, if you don’t want your aircraft to look like all the rest !

smokinguns - Alcad II produces metallic paints that are like no other, in my opinion. You can mask them (with low-tack tape) without worries, and spray topcoats without changing the metallic look. They are a little pricey at $7 for a 1 oz. bottle, but I feel they’re worth it. Should you decide to try them, I suggest using Future as a primer. I’ve has issues with both their gray and gloss black primers, but Future has performed flawlessly on every occasion I’ve used it.

Brian - I looked at hundreds of photos of Thunderbolts, trying to discern which panels were different shades. The only thing I found was that no two seemed to be alike ! I just selected a few panels to paint in different shades, and stopped before it started to look like a checkerboard. Knowing when to stop is important when you’re building things in miniature. It’s way too easy to go overboard in an attempt to make something noticable, and this ends up looking exaggerated. For masking, I use 3M drafting tape. See my reply to “IrishFan” for a more detailed reply.

Thanks again !

Thanks Brian !

You snuck in while I was pontificating ! With my one-finger typing, it takes me a while to reply. Glad you like it so far !

Pixs, the decals look great. Luv the tail. I will have to try future as a primer, was scared to put Alcad on top of it. Do you still wait 48hrs before you a/b the Alcad?

Thad

Pix

The only thing I can add is, it is one beautiful looking Jug. I like the way she looks now without the weathering. But, I never went in for heavy weathering of aircraft.

Thanks Thad and berny !

Thad - I apply the Future with multiple light coats, about ten minutes apart. This is followed by wetter coats, until I get the shine I want. I left it to dry for about 24 hours on this one. I’ve also sprayed Alcad over Future that has dried for only about 30 minutes, with no cracking or other ill effects. That was done on smaller pieces. When covering large areas like wings and fuselages, it seems to work best if the Future dries for at least 24 hours. There is less potential for the heat of your fingers to leave prints in the Future.

berny - I’m not a fan of weathered aircraft, unless it’s on a base or in a dio. I feel that weathering is a product of the environment, and a worn model on a clean shelf looks odd to me. Almost like a clean build in a wartime dio, only in reverse. For my “museum finishes,” I only darken the panel lines with colors that are shadow representations of the surrounding color. The yellow nose, anti-glare panel, and fuselage band have already received their washes (I did that, and Dullcoted them before I sprayed the Alcad).

Thanks again !

very nice jug … just ordered the 1/72 Revell P-47D-30 can’t wait to get started

Repeating others, you have a beautiful job on this one. One question: after applying the yellow on the cowling, how did you get the thin black line around the edge? OR- put anoither way, do you have a solution for doing such? Thx, you’ve put the challenge into me to do a better job on my models. Bill

Thank you Jeff and Bill !

Bill- the black stripe is two decals, one on either side. AeroMaster supplied a template for masking the nose.

This one has been finished for a while, and you can see pics of it here: http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/tboltbuild.htm

Thanks again !

Beautiful job Pix! I think the nose really is unique and the color sets it off. Another winner.