Excellent.  =]  I think you have a beautiful jug there!  Some times you have to embrace the troubleshooting and turn your mistakes into happy accidents.  If you were looking for a pretty plane in NMF I'd feel for ya...but if you're looking for a warplane then I wouldn't sweat it too much.  I think you have exactly that.  =]

Great job! I wish mine looked that good.

Glenn

Looks really good!  I'll have to try that technique in the future... *(note: get a storage shed, let sit for 18 months...)* 

Gary

@bvallot - thanks! Yep, i do like dirty machines. I actually find the weathering process one of the most enjoyable of model building.

@Glenn - thanks for the compliment.

@Gary - hahaha! Thank you.

Looks great, Chris.  The natural metal and weathering both look effective.

What did you use for your NMF?

Blue

Thanks Blue!

I used Humbrol silver, over an acrylic gloss black.

Nice work!  Looks great!

Great Jug, I have to say I really like the 78th FG machines.... looks great with a big checkerboard on the nose

Thanks 7474 - i really enjoy colourful aircraft, however, those checkerboard decals did test my ability a bit.

This looks really good, excellent finish on the natural metal.

Only thing I spot, that might need correcting, is the olive drab surface on the fuselage: possibly a flat finish to help with anti-glare in front of the pilot?

regards,

Jack

@Jack - yes, I agree, it should be flatter than what it is.  I have put down two coats of Testor's Dull Coat, however, it's still a bit too gloss still.

Thanks for the input.

Hey Chris, Despite the effects of being in storage you seem to have done an excellent job of recovering your Jug. Your NMF and weathering look really good as well as the detail work on the engine.

When I read your story about your Tamiya P-47 I had a distinct case of deja vu. You see, I too have an unfinished Tamiya P-47D sitting in a plastic container on my shelf. I also started mine in 2012 for the Big Beautiful Jugs GB. I had a mishap with the Alclad finish on my fuselage and my attempts to do a spot respray resulted in a complete disaster. Thus, I was not going to be able to finish it by the GB deadline. Hence, I temporarily shelved it until such time that I get the motivation to break it out and completely strip the Alclad paint off the fuselage and totally repaint it. You, my friend, may have just provided me with said motivation. Good Job.

    Joe

Very convincing NMF.  Thanks for sharing...

Joe

You really had all these issues? From the top at least the paint looks flawless and the decals look perfect! I wish I had some disasters turn out so well!!!

Chris, Actually the semi-gloss look is fine. A lot of-47's had that look. The 78th FG. was no exception. Being a JUG fan myself, I've read a lot about them and have seen plenty of pics. Especially if it was a C.O.'s A/C it was well taken care of and usually had a "Simonize" wax job. A good crew chief took excellent care of his "BABY."  I've built 27 1/48th Tamiya P-47's and have another 10 to go. I'm hoping they {Tamiya} will someday put out a 1/48th "N" soon. -Bob  

Bob,

Cheers, thanks for the insight.  

I'll admit, i don't really research my builds too much, so it's probably just luck that it turned out this way. There is a layer of Dull Coat over the model, but in the photo it still shows up quite glossy.

Sounds like you are a huge Jug fan - 27! That was my first in 1/48th. I've built one before in 1/72. Have another 1/48 in the stash and hope to improve based upon what i learnt from this one. Overall, it was a very enjoyable (though long) build.

Thanks for looking.

Good job. Gotta luv them "jugs". Bob

Just found this one.  hat a nice job.  Looks really great.  Great job on a great kit.

Very nice build .

I have a 1/48  HSG  P47-D in my stash and hope it turns out near as well.  I bought Alclad II nmf for this kit but that's about as far as I got with it.  I guess I'm afraid of ruining it so I haven't started it yet.

Question;  How does the HSG kit compare with the Tamiya ?

Great work!  I've got one in the stash.  Hopefully I can build mine as nice!

Thanks for the comments Bob and Marc.

Jay Jay - not too sure about comparison, i don't have the Hasegawa kit. I've seen some built though and from memory i think they come close on detail. No idea about fit, but Hasegawa are generally very good overall.

I know what you mean about being scared of ruining a good kit. i had the same concerns with this one, but figured i'd have more fun building a nice kit than putting it off and dreaming about building it.

Fly-n-Hi - i've seen your work, i know yours will come out spectacularly. You just need to do a wip thread so we can all learn (ie, copy) your tips and tricks :)