Hey FSM,
Here's another Tbolt I dusted off for the Shelf of Doom and Thunderbolt GBs. It's fourth, and last, that I had sitting in the closet collecting dust. I figured I could kill two GBs with one stone and finish up all the P-47s I had lingering on the SoD. The first two Jugs were already posted some time ago. They were a Revellogram P-47 Razorback and a HobbyBoss Easy Assembly bubble top. The third (Lady D) was posted earlier.
This was another built OOB for a different friend. The squadron codes and serial are my friend's initials and birthday. The paint scheme is loosely based on some squadrons in the ETO during WWII. It's painted with Alclad and Testors and MM enamels. It's (lightly) weathered with Flory's washes. I added some subtle chipping to the invasion stripes on the leading edges of the wings. The markings were cobbled together from stuff in my spares drawer. The nose art was a custom piece printed by Mr. Osborn at Fireball Modelworks.
I had a couple of minor issues with this kit. The most frustrating thing was seeing how low the belly tank hung once it was installed. It was only about 1mm off the ground. Luckily, I broke the tailwheel off during final assembly. I was forced to scratch a new tailwheel assembly, but that allowed me to make it a bit longer than the kit piece. As a result, the kit stood a bit taller, giving a bit more ground clearance. Secondly, the had some minor issues with the nose art. First, I somehow scratched the starboard pin-up's legs. Also, the "Miss M" nose art tore at some point. I was able to repair it (the best I could) with some paint. Last, I couldn't get the decal film around the port pin-up to completely disappear. Besides those little ticks, I'm happy with the way the kit built up and turned out. I think I like this build better than Lady D.
Anyway, let's take a look at the pictures...
After 4 Tbolts in a row, I think it's time for something different. Anyway, thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Feel free to share your thoughts.
Cheers!
-O