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Finished: 1/48 Tamiya P-47D Razorback

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  • Member since
    January 2015
Finished: 1/48 Tamiya P-47D Razorback
Posted by BrandonD on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 3:40 PM

Well I have been away from this for way too long (moving, then other stuff), but I've managed to get some work in here and there, so I now have something to show (finally).

My kit is the 1/48 Tamiya Razorback, and I believe I posted pics of the cockpit before somewhere - maybe in the Thuderbolt Group Build (if not - too late. Dropped my phone in the river and it did not survive).

I have the Kitsworld decal set because I wanted to do something a little more fun than OD over Neutral Gray, and I went with a 56th FG bird. The scheme is supposed to have the top invasion stripes overpainted in OD, but I opted to leave it in the D-Day scheme before the overpaint.

This is the first time I've done invasion stripes, and it took a fair amount of tweaking to get them where I wanted them. 

 

Untitled

But once done, I was pretty happy with them. They are Tamiya White and NATO Black sprayed over gray.

Next up was the engine. I added some spark plug wires, as I've never done this before and wanted to give it a shot. Next time, I'll use copper wire, as the steel wire I had was not great to work with (too stiff). 

Untitled

 Next up was the scheme. I freehanded the camo after masking the nose, rudder and invasion stripes. My reference pics of this bird show the edges pretty soft, and I tried to replicate the effect without getting the green too discolored over the gray. The colors are Tamiya Medium Sea Gray (bottom), Dark Sea Gray and RAF Dark Green 2, all without mixing. The red is Model Master Insignia Red, and the rudder is Model Master Insignia Yellow. 

Untitled

Next up were the decals. As I mentioned, they're from Kits World. These went down excellently, and really sank into the detail nicely with the Micro Set/Sol combo on top of a layer of Tamiya X-22 gloss. I can't say enough good things about the quality of the decals.

The instructions, however - were not good. At all. The main scheme decals are easy enough to see, but the stencil data had literally nothing to indicate placement. I referenced the Kits World stencils to the Tamiya ones and placed them with the callouts in the Tamiya instructions. It took way longer than it should have and should not be necessary. None of them are numbered, either.

Oh well, it's ready for its next clear coat before going to washes. 

Untitled

 Thanks for looking, and hopefully I'm back in the saddle now after too much time away!

-BD-

  • Member since
    December 2002
Posted by 7474 on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 3:50 PM
Wow, looks great :D
  • Member since
    January 2013
Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 4:43 PM

Oh man, your stripes came out much, much, cleaner and straight than mine. How did you get the stripes even and straight?  I used Vallejo Off White and Model Master Grimy Black for my invasion stripes on my 1/48 Tamiya P-47 Thunderbolt 'Bubbletop'. It took me forever to get them even and straight. 

I am interested in how you did yours. I have the same P-47 Thunderbolt Razorback kit in my stash and would love to learn how you did your stripes.

  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by BrandonD on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 4:53 PM

Thanks, guys - I appreciate it!

 

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Oh man, your stripes came out much, much, cleaner and straight than mine. How did you get the stripes even and straight?  I used Vallejo Off White and Model Master Grimy Black for my invasion stripes on my 1/48 Tamiya P-47 Thunderbolt 'Bubbletop'. It took me forever to get them even and straight. 

I am interested in how you did yours. I have the same P-47 Thunderbolt Razorback kit in my stash and would love to learn how you did your stripes.

 

For the stripes, the wings were pretty easy. I sprayed the whole area white, then used the 4mm Tamiya tape and marked each edge. Then I used dial calipers to measure the distance, divided by 5, and set the dial calipers to that (I think it was 0.365 inches). Then I worked from the outside in, making sure the spacing was the same throughout.

The fuselage was another matter. I tried the same thing, but started with the foremost white stripe, and measured back from there. I thought it looked great, but then I took off the masking, and it was a nightmare. I had to go back and fix it repeatedly.

Lesson learned: cut the tape very thin. The reason is that the wider the tape, the more it wants to wander on a tapered part like the fuselage. So I used a metal ruler on a piece of tape on my cutting mat to cut it about 0.5mm wide, then used that to make the initial lines, and filled in with wider strips of tape.

Honestly, the next time I do this, I am getting one of these guys and projecting perfet lines on the fuselage to follow: https://www.amazon.com/Qooltek-Multipurpose-measure-Adjusted-Standard/dp/B00PQ4PJYC/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_469_bs_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=MEKVBP3ZEJ38Q53Y70KA

On the other hand, the way these were done was right before the invasion, and I have seen them look like they were done by a drunk guy holding the paintbrush with his mouth. So really, any amount of irregularity is conceivable, but I wanted this one to look clean, so of course I agonized over it. (They're still not perfect, but close enough not to bother me).

-BD-

  • Member since
    February 2014
  • From: Michigan
Posted by silentbob33 on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 7:56 PM
That looks really nice Brandon, I really like the look of your camo on top

On my bench: Academy 1/35 UH-60L Black Hawk

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: Lancaster, South Carolina
Posted by Devil Dawg on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 10:09 PM

Way to go, Brandon! Great job!

Devil Dawg

On The Bench: Tamiya 1/32nd Mitsubishi A6M5 Model 52 Zeke For Japanese Group Build

Build one at a time? Hah! That'll be the day!!

  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by BrandonD on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 12:40 AM

Well, I'm calling this one done.

Once again, this is the 1/48 Tamiya P-47 Razorback kit with Kitsworld decals. Paints are mostly Tamiya with  Model Master for the nose, rudder and rocket tubes. Mr. Paint Dark Dull Green was the interior color. Alclad is most of the metal bits, with some Tamiya and Testors.

Anyway, we're mostly just here for the pics, yeah?

 

P-47 05 copy

P-47 04

P-47 03

P-47 02 copy

P-47 01 copy

P-47 08

P-47 06_1

P-47 06 copyThis was a lovely kit that went together so well. Glad I have the P-47M to build in the future!

-BD-

 

  • Member since
    August 2015
  • From: the redlands Fl
Posted by crown r n7 on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 4:35 AM

just beautiful,that is a nice build and a fine kit. with my p-47's cant decide which prop to use?

 

 

 Nick.

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Naples, FL
Posted by tempestjohnny on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 6:25 AM
Way to cool. I like the full invasion stripes

 

  • Member since
    September 2016
  • From: Albany, New York
Posted by ManCityFan on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 8:12 AM

Your agonizing paid off big time.  That is a beautiful build.  The invasion stripes look perfect to me.  Glad you were able to sort things out and get back to this kit.  Well worth the time and effort.  Thanks for sharing.

D

Dwayne or Dman or just D.  All comments are welcome on my builds. 

  • Member since
    May 2017
  • From: Denver, Colorado
Posted by MrStecks on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 9:38 AM

Looks fantastic Brandon.  The stripes are great and so is the camo pattern.  That's a difficult paint scheme all around, and you nailed it. 

Cheers, Mark


On the bench:  Revel 1/48 B-25J Mitchell

In the queue: Tamiya 1/48 F4U-1A Corsair

  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by BrandonD on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 1:40 PM

Thanks, all! This was a fun paint job to tackle. My girlfriend actually took an interest in this one, and liked it until I hung all the ordnance off of it, at which point she said "It looks like it's trying too hard now. Like, it's saying 'Look at me. Look how much I can lift.'"

Maybe she has a point, but then, that kind of was the point of a CAS loadout.

As for the prop, I was only able to find out which prop to use because I found a few pics of this specific aircraft. Tamiya gives callouts for their markings options, but I didn't want to build one of those, and my decal sheet didn't say which it was.

-BD-

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • From: Salem, Oregon
Posted by 1943Mike on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 11:44 PM

Looks excellently done!

I also have the Tamiya P-47M in my stash so I'll be referring to this thread when I get around to that kit.

Mike

"Le temps est un grand maître, mais malheureusement, il tue tous ses élèves."

Hector Berlioz

  • Member since
    June 2013
Posted by bvallot on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 11:21 AM

Nice Jug BD! =]

On the bench:  

Tamiya F4U-1  Kenneth Walsh

 

  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by BrandonD on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 11:53 AM

Thanks, Bish and Mike!

Mike - This build was one of the best-fitting kits I've ever encountered. You'll love the M (although that fuselage spine insert could bea pain, as I look at the sprues for mine).

For the interior, I used Mr. Paint Interior Dark Dull Green and thought it really captured the P-47 cockpit color well. Definitely worth checking it out, but I've seen lots of mixes thatcapture it well, too.

I can't think of one complaint with this kit beyond my normal beef with Tamiya over thick decals and lack of a realistic seat harness.

-BD-

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Cleveland, OH
Posted by RadMax8 on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 12:02 PM
Excellent work. Not a huge fan of this particular paint scheme, but hey I'm sure it was effective. Those Tamiya kits are the best I've ever assembled in my career. I have this in my stash and I've assembled the M. You know the drill, no aftermarket parts really needed at all. Good build! This is making me itchy to start again.
  • Member since
    June 2014
Posted by BrandonK on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 12:54 PM

BD, I am totally jelly over this kit. I love everything about it. I need to get another razorback and do invasion stripes. Well done.

BK

On the bench:

A lot !! And I mean A LOT!!

2024 Kits on deck / in process / completed   

                         14 / 5 / 2  

                              Tongue Tied

  • Member since
    February 2012
  • From: Olmsted Township, Ohio
Posted by lawdog114 on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 7:43 PM
Nice work Brandon. The Tamiya Razorback is the best kit of all time in my humble opinion.

 "Can you fly this plane and land it?...Surely you can't be serious....I am serious, and don't call me Shirley"

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Northern California
Posted by jeaton01 on Wednesday, October 4, 2017 11:12 PM

Sweet, Brandon!

John

To see build logs for my models:  http://goldeneramodel.com/mymodels/mymodels.html

 

  • Member since
    March 2015
  • From: Streetsboro, Ohio
Posted by Toshi on Friday, October 6, 2017 3:52 AM

That is one fantastic build.  The invasion stripes really stands out!

Toshi

On The Bench: Revell 1/48 B-25 Mitchell

 

Married to the most caring, loving, understanding, and beautiful wife in the world.  Mrs. Toshi

 

 

  • Member since
    June 2017
Posted by Chemteacher on Friday, October 6, 2017 8:35 AM

Excellent work. Your invasion stripes look great. I'm struggling just getting the remnant stripes on the bottom of the fuselage of my '51 aligned. 

On the bench: Revell-USS Arizona; Airfix P-51D in 1/72

  • Member since
    January 2013
Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Friday, October 6, 2017 9:00 AM

Bravo!

  • Member since
    September 2017
Posted by Pinkbooger on Friday, October 6, 2017 9:11 AM

Awesome job! I love the stripes. Very precise.

"You underestimate the power of the dark side"

-Darth Vader

  • Member since
    November 2013
Posted by bstarr3 on Friday, October 6, 2017 10:50 AM

Really great and interesting paint scheme. Nice work!

  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by BrandonD on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:17 AM
RadMax - thanks for the compliments. I love the P-47 for how many different schemes it wore. And yeah, I'm already itching to do another! -BD-
  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by BrandonD on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:17 AM
Thanks, Brandon! -BD-
  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by BrandonD on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:19 AM
Joe - yeah I can't think of a kit that's better than this one. I really love the Eduard Spitfires, but the two-piece upper cowl takes it down a notch from this one. Though Tamiya's lack of a realistic harness is always a bit of a head scratcher to me. -BD-
  • Member since
    January 2015
Posted by BrandonD on Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:20 AM

Jeaton, Toshi, Chemteacher, Blacksheep, Pinkbooger and Bstarr - thanks for the kind words! 

-BD-

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