DoogsATX
When the flaps are extended, what's the color of the exposed portions of the flap and wing? Yellow chromate? Bare metal? Whatever the prevailing paint scheme was?
Doogs,
Hal Marshman, Sr. is a long time modeler and recognized expert on the P-47. He just recently had an annual award at a major New England contest named in his honor. I asked him this question and below is his answer.
"I'm not a member, so I probably cannot reply to that Q. It's a common question and I'm sure you've seen many buildups on the net where the leading edge has been carefully masked off and painted an interior color. I had typed up a lengthy answer to your Q, but did something wrong and lost it. The quote below is my answer to a club friend who normally doesn't build planes, but wants to participate in the Maine contest where they've made a category in my name for Thunderbolts.
"1) The area behind the canopy on razorbacks came out of the factory in the same color as the basic fuselage finish. If the bird is camo'ed OD, so is that area. Jug is NMF, so is that area. I do believe some units may have painted their's Neutral Gray, as an antiglare measure, but it was not regulation.. Going along with that, another question is the leading edge of the flaps. Simple, out of the factory, same as the outer surfaces. The well into which the flaps retract is the same color as the wing bottoms. Gear legs can be either OD, or aluminum paint. On a Razorback, I recommend the OD. Wheel covers out of the factory were neutral Gray. Machine gun blast tubes were stainless steel, not gunmetal. The anti-glare panel on nearly all P-47s was OD. The interior wants to be Dull Dark Green, for which Euro 1 Green in the Model master range, is a good substitute."
2) You don't specify if you're going 1/72 or 1/48. In the 1/48th Tamiya kit, the canopy can most certainly be cemented in the open position, and if you apply pressure until the glue dries, so can the seventy-second offering.
3) I don't normally do NMF planes, but Collins, who is a master with NMF uses Testor's Bare Metal sealer with it, prior to decalling.
Hope that answers any questions you may have had. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Hal Sr"
The only thing not covered is field repaints, When it became obvious that the 8th and 9th Air Forces would be operating from fields on the continent after the invasion, orders came down from the top specifying camoflage be applied to NMF machines, as they would now be in danger on being attacked from the enemies Air Forces while on the ground. Under the circumstances prevailing then, most ground crews had many planes to paint, and little time to invest in doing so, so every short cut possible was brought into play. Most airplanes were repainted with the flaps up, and canopies slid forward and masked, frames and all, hence the pics you see of OD airplanes (or other camo finishes) with NMF canopy frames. Field repaints is another subject that hasn't been covered adequately, and I think I may just do an article on that business. Hal Sr"