Thanks guys.  Gary, sweet pic!.  That's Michael Jackson's plane right? (not the late the king of pop).  I could have sworn the 62nd FS, used RAF colors.  I suppose you can't believe everything you read........or perhaps that RAF colors are correct and this color photo was doctored?  That would explain the grey underside.  Who knows...I try not to sweat these details too much.  I'm convinced nobody, not even the pilots, really knew for sure.    

Dflu, Jim, and Bvallot, thank you for the compliments and input which is alway welcomed. I unfortunately painted the inner cowl per the kit instructions, being Zinc Chromate Neutral Grey.  It won't be seen much anyways.  

Radmax, where can I find Andermatt's markings?  "Miss June" might fit the bill. I may just build McBath's Dottie which looks interesting to me.  

Anyways folks, I was able prime the plane and get the NMF down last night. Unfortunately my compressor is on its last legs.  I think one of the pistons is shot since its getting progressively louder and won't expell air evenly anymore.  The longer I hold open the trigger the more the pressure plummets.....rather annoying.  Since this is my second Silentaire Scorpion and their customer service is crappy as well, I'm done with them.   Nice job Silentaire, I probably just cost you a few customers. 

I started with a base color of Alclad Duraluminum.  Due to my aforementioned compressor issues, some spots came out gritty, like pebbles.  I had to sand this out with 2000 grit paper.  I then broke out the Tamiya tape and started painting certain panels different shades of Alclad.  Here I'm about to get started.....you get the idea.

I painted the control surfaces Semi-matte Aluminum, other panels got regular Aluminum and Dark Aluminum.  After a few hours of messing around with it, I came up with this. 

The M had the leading wing and tail plane edges in NMF. I took car of this at this point.

God willing, I'll figure out which subject I'll be doing soon and I can get going on the scheme. 

Joe 

lawdog114

Thanks guys.  Gary, sweet pic!.  That's Michael Jackson's plane right? (not the late the king of pop).  I could have sworn the 62nd FS, used RAF colors.  I suppose you can't believe everything you read........or perhaps that RAF colors are correct and this color photo was doctored?  That would explain the grey underside.  Who knows...I try not to sweat these details too much.  I'm convinced nobody, not even the pilots, really knew for sure.    

Joe,

Yeah, that's the problem with old photos.  You never know whether to trust them or not.  I was actually hoping you might have more concrete information than I do, as I have a couple of Tamiya jugs in the closet and was thinking of a 56th color scheme.  Oh, well!

Oh, and it's possible the underside is actually NMF.  I've read some info on that.  Either way, it makes for an interesting color combo.

Nice start on the NMF, BTW!  You'll do your usual outstanding work, I'm certain. 

Gary

Joe,

You should be able to find it at Sprue Bros

Professional photographers and many amateurs, including myself, will deliberately underexpose colour transparency film by half or one stop to produce more saturated colours. Light blues can look much more intense than they were in reality.

There are some obscure black pigments  but the common one is carbon black. This is a soft pigment that does not produce a good black paint. Many black paints are in fact very dark blue, purple, brown etc. Other pigments may be added to the carbon black to improve things. The colour Night was a mixture of carbon black and Ultramarine pigments. The Ultramarine made the paint harder and more durable. The overspray had a Prussian Blue look and consequently stencilling painted with Night could look dark blue.

RAF paints were used is one story. Techmod give Dark Sea Grey, Medium Sea Grey and Sky for Pengie IV. This is pausable. One story that seems to be very credible comes from Sam Sox Jr of the 352nd Fighter Group Association.

“The name panels for Moonbeam and Eleen were medium blue. The medium blue had gotten some lighter since blues during the '40s was very prone to oxidising. When all 352nd Mustangs were repainted in September of '44 to the darker blue, the RAF colour Deep Sky Blue, any Mustang which had been previously painted the medium retained the original name plates  rather than have the squadron painter, Sgt. Sam Perry, repaint them, hence the lighter back ground of the name panels. Petie 3rd was received by Meyer  after mid-September so it had never been painted the medium blue and the name panel and aircraft was Deep Sky Blue”.

Another story is that they mixed up their colours from a cache of car paint they found.

According to Gładych Pengie V's colour was match to his dinner jacket.

www.network54.com/.../Remnant+of+Elusive+Black+Paint+used+on+61st+FS+56th+FG+P-47M%27s+-+Photos

AJPress shoud be releasing a book on the 56th FG soon. I think they are planning more then one volume. There will be unpublished photos and decal sheet. Hopefully there will be more information about the various schemes they used.  

Antoni,

Unfortunately, the film use back then was different from what is used today (if anyone uses film anymore).  And, of course, film doesn't age well.  However, I'm wondering if Life or Saturday Evening Post magazines may have any photos that were printed in their publications?  Not sure how magazine images would fade over time.

Well, I've already noted the thread over at "P-47 Heaven" above, but I'll leave this extract here concerning the 61st fighter group. 

Hi Todd, and welcome.
Its very interesting that Krys Lanowski is saying his fathers plane was black, as its early 1970's colour profiles of Lannys HV-Z that appear to have started the colour debate. Notably, early publications always stated the 61st FS M's to be painted black.
Just goes to show that if something is said often enough it can become a "fact".

Heres an interesting angle on the 61st FS M's.
Little Friends lists 27 M's allocated to the 61st FS.
3 pilots have stated the aircraft were black. ( waiting to hear back from a 4th)
One pilots son has also stated the aircraft as being painted black.
Not all of the aircraft have allocated pilots confirmed as yet.
Of the 12 that do, we have 25 % of the pilots confirming they were painted black.

I shall leave it to the indivudual modeller can draw their own conclusions.
Nige

Gary

PS> Joe, don't let any of this scare you off!  Paint whatever you feel will look best, and damn the torpedoes!  I look forward to the sequins on the wings... (speaking of Michael Jackson, the pop star)

Early colour films do fade or can have poor colour reproduction. Early Agfa often has a brownish caste that can turn light blues beige.

The colour photographs in Life magazine etc., were taken with Kodachrome which is different than other colour films and famous for not fading.

The majority of colour films use dye couplers. During development the colour forms by dyes coupling to couplers, hence the name. The dyes used in this system are not 'fast' and prone to fading.

Kodachrome has all the dyes already there, and during development the colour is formed by bleaching out the unwanted dye. This allowed Kodachrome to use dyes that were very 'fast' and did not fade.

Because this system differed so much from standard photographic film development you had to send it to a Kodachrome lab to be developed. There may have been a few independent labs but Kodrachrome effectively had a monopoly.

Cibachrome prints are made using similar technology where the dyes are bleached from the paper and I have had Cibachrome prints hanging on the walls of my house in full sunlight for decades without any sign of any fading.  

Joe - Superb attention to details and construction work. This will be a beautiful representation of a genuine workhorse and sturdy war bird when completed, I'm looking forward to seeing it when finished.

Compressor: For about 35 years I used a diaphragm Badger, still works OK, then a Coleman with tank, but Herself finally said they're too loud, she's right. So a few months ago I bought a California Air Tools twin cylinder piston rig, less noise than the human voice when speaking, wish I had made the move LOOOONG ago. I have no affiliation with them, just a customer that's very happy with the product, and suggesting it as a consideration for replacing yours.

I ordered it online from Home Depot, US $170, free shipping to your home, (if in the US.) The wife and I both use hearing aids now, the other compressors were just plain uncomfortable to be around, this one fits my needs perfectly and is super quiet. Again, not a sales pitch, just a user recommendation.

Thanks so much for all the work you put into posting your progress, I learn a lot from following your work. Well done.

Patrick

Great looking NMF, Joe!

GAF

Joe, don't let any of this scare you off!  Paint whatever you feel will look best, and damn the torpedoes! 

Thanks everyone for the compliments.  Antoni, thank you for the information on the colors, also great information about the 352nd too.  One of Preddy's "Cripes A Mighty " mounts is on my short list, so this will be useful when its time to throw down the blue nose. 

Gary, thanks for the encouragment.  I like to annoy my co-workers with the adage of "if you want it your way....Burger King is down the street".  That aside, I generally start out with the recommended formulas then eyeball them until they look good to me.  I've been doing this since I switched to Tamiya paints. 

Anyways, after him-hawing around on a scheme, I ultimately decided to do George Bostwick's Jug soley on the fact that he scored a 262 kill.  It also helped that the kit came with the markings.  I ordered Superscale sheet #48-1091 at Sprue Brothers with intent to build Eugene Andermatt's "Miss June" only to discover his plane was an early M and had no fillet....for the love of @#$!.  Well at least I can use the stenciling and insignias instead of the Tamiya ones.

I started by using Blue Tac to tape off the fuselage demarcation line.  The NMF wings and tail surface leading edges were taped off too.  I then painted the red cowl ring XF-7 Flat Red, taped it off, then blue tac'ed it to the plane.  I then sprayed the panel lines XF-1 Flat Black.  For the lighter blue, I mixed up the Tamiya recommendation of XF-18 Medium Blue, XF-2 Flat White, and X-16 Purple, which is supposed to be similar to Azure Blue.  I sprayed it and thought it looked too purple.  I added some XF-83 RAF Ocean Grey and liked it better.  Once It looked ok to my eye, I added white and made condensation streaks across the wings.   

I then used the instructions as a reference and masked off the camo pattern.  (note:  I had to tap into my fresh blue tac supply.....lol)

I then mixed up the darked blue.  I went with the reccommended XF-17 Sea Blue, XF-1 Flat Black then XF-2 Flat White.  It looked too grey to me so I added a touch of XF-8 Flat Blue.  I then added more white and streaked this too.  Here's how it turned out..

I removed all the tape and gave the air frame a light post shade.  I also taped off and sprayed the black band around the cowl.  I read some scuttlebutt that this band signified a jet kill, like a badge of honor, but I couldn't verify this.  Truth be told, I think it looks silly and kind of detracts from the overall look. 

I have no idea how accurate the blues are, but I'm pleased with how it looks so far.  I hope to get started on all of the fiddly bits soon. 

Joe

Joe, it's really something to watch you paint.  You make these lines look so clean and pretty.  You've definitely established a niche in the style in which you do this.  Each plane I've done recently is so different from the next that they each have their own challenges.  So I never get the feeling of continuity between each build.  Consistently turning out similar builds to look like the one before it just hasn't happened for me yet in the 9 or so planes I've made.  So when I see the WIPs you post, I'm often left with this "son of a b!#@h" feeling.  lol

You make it look easy.  =]

Wow, Joe, that's really looking good!  Looks like I will have to add an M to the stash!

Steve

Thanks Bvallot and Steve.  Bvallot, its just a matter of finding techniques and products your comfortable with.  It took me 15 years to find the right combination for my particular needs.  9 planes into this hobby I was still using a single action Badger 250 and Model Master emanels paints (not a dig, I just never really had luck with them).  Then on a whim, I tried out Tamiya's Olive Drab and it was like an epiphany for me.  I find that I get great control with their paint and I use them pretty much exclusively now.  I also found that when diluted with Isoprophyl, they make a great weathering tool by means of postshading.  Keep practicing and the continuity will come.  

Joe    

Joe,

Great build and WIP.  I just stumbled into this kit today in the clearance aisle at my LHS.  It was an opened return at a fabulous price. Wasn't I surprised to see you've got one underway.  

Thanks for the pointers and discussion.  Fantastic stuff.  

Best, Mart

Nice stumble Mart.  You won't be disappointed.  This and the razorback counterpart are probably my favorite kits.  You can make a D out of the M kit too....and your welcome on the pointers. 

Last night I got it clear coated and decaled.  I used a mixture of Superscale and the kit decals.  I had some uncharacterist wrinkling on the Superscale fuselage insignias.  I just couldn't get a few creases out.  I drenched them in  Micro Sol now they are barely noticeable.   Normally I dont have problems with Superscale.  The rudder was done in XF-8 Flat Blue lightened to match the tail codes with XF-2 Flat White. 

I also painted the prop and decaled it too. 

Almost time to dirty this turkey up with a Flory wash.....stay tuned

Joe

I wrapped this guy up last night.  To review, its the 1/48th scale Tamiya P-47M in the markings of the "Ugly Duckling", flown by Col. George Bostwick of the 56th FG/63rd FS.  Bostwick was an 8 kill ace to include an ME 262 jet.  The 56th FG was the only FG to get the "hot rod" Thunderbolts and they scored 4 ME 262 kills. Bostwick's came on March 25th 1945 when he caught one with his 8 fifies as it was taking off.

As I've said, the Tamiya Jugs are modeling bliss for me.  Pure joy everytime.  These are by far my favorite kits.  My example was built mostly out of the box, except for PE seatbelts and Ultracast tires.  My research revealed that the 56th did not use wing pylons for extra speed, so I did the same.  Of course afterwards I found a pic of this plane with pylons....ugh!.  I decided not to retrofit them.  I did manage to lose the canopy brace so I robbed one from another M in the stash.

Thanks for following this build and comments are welcome. 

Joe

Another beauty Joe!  

Joe,

Absolutely fantastic. And speedy to boot! I've been working on the same kit for months, you crank this baby out in a couple weeks.

The thing I like best about your builds is that your paint always looks so professional. There's not a single blemish in your paint. I'm lucky if I can get one panel to look perfect.

So, what's next?

Thanks Sanderson and Max.  I think my next project will be the new tooled Tamiya A6M5 Type 52.  I've been anxious to tear into this one for quite some time.  I'll probably get the detail set that includes metal cannons and such.  I've also been itching to build another P-51 too, possibly one of Preddy's Cripes A Mighty mounts.  We shall see..

Joe

Hot dayum!  You've done it again Joe, another masterful build, and as mentioned, in no time at all really.  How do you do it my friend?  Oh, I know; you just get down to business and actually work on the damned things!  I've been putzing around on one A6-E since last summer because I never work on the thing!  You are a very disciplined builder. 

Hey, I just thought of something.  You ever do any jets?  I'd sure love to see you give one the ol' Lawdog treatment.  How about it?   Maybe an early MiG, or a Hawker Hunter?  Why doncha crank one out for us mere mortals?

Gary

sanderson_91

Another beauty Joe!  

Took the words right outta my mouth.  =]  It's in the little things you do well that really allow something to come to life.

You ever consider trying the super-detailing route? =D

That's just real nice!

Thanks guys...your way too kind.  Tex, I have been known to build jets, but I prefer the gun fighters.  Surprisingly, one of my first builds when I got back into this hobby was the Monogram A-10 which my mother-in-law bought for me for Christmas.  It was a pig but taught me alot.  It also happens to be my favorite "modern" jet so I may have another run at that kit.  I built O'Connell's F-86 Sabre out of the Academy kit about 5 years ago and I built Monograms A-6 about 8 years ago on commission.  I think my next jet will be the 262 should I get my hands on one.  I still have the F-86 so I may post some pictures.  It got a Legends cockpit and I painted on the stripes.  

Bvallot, about the only super detailing I do is radial engines.  I prefer my models closed up, as if they just returned from or are ready for combat.  I do like the canopy open though.  Even the Eduard 190s I built, which cried for super detailing, got closed up.  

Joe    

I'm with Texgunner... you probably build some of the nicest models I've ever seen, and since I'm a jet person, I've been waiting for you to do one. Particularly for the cockpit, as your's are always perfectly painted, and I'd be eager to see how you would go about the cold colors of a modern jet compared to the warmer prop's. Basically I'd like to see you paint a cockpit up step by step with plenty of pictures in between so I can figure out all your secrets 

One more thing- I think a while back I read on your cockpit tutorial that you sometimes brush paint Tamiya acrylics. I have tried brush painting with them before and I had a hard time trying to get them to cover well, they just wanted to pool up and not spread over the surface. Do you have a solution to this?

Joe- yet another gorgeous model! The paint is perfect, just love everything!

Excellent, I really enjoyed seeing it built, thanks for all the post's and pointers.

Patrick

Thanks for all of the compliments.  Perhaps I'll consider a jet in the near future.  I wouldn't mind adding an F-8 Crusader or even another F-86 to my collection.  I have the Hasegawa F-14 A with an Aries pit in the stash which was supposed to be a commission build, but the customer bail out (no pun intended).  Perhaps I'll build up the courage to try it, maybe in VF-84 markings.  

Derek, nicest you've ever seen?.....surely you jest....ha ha, but thanks for the kindness.  Maybe I'll do a step-by-step turorial on my cockpit painting.  It was just a matter of finding a method that works for me.  I only hand paint the small boxes and such, the main large colors are airbrushed.  I use Tamiya paint and dip the paintbrush into 91% Isoprophyl Alcohol.  I have no trouble with this method, but I don't hand paint large areas.  The alcohol helps thin it and it dried real quick which leaves a smooth surface.  Give it a try...

Joe

Fantastic work!  Love the wiring on the engine!  Thanks for sharing your technique.

YES!! I mean if you have an F-14 or F-8 in the stash..... might as well build it  The tutorial you have already done on your cockpits is great, the only reason I would push for a step-by-step tutorial with pictures at every step is because with some of your techniques, it's hard to tell exactly what has been done just by looking at the completed effect. For example, when spraying the primary color over the black base, it would be extremely helpful if you explained what areas you hit the most or what angle you spray at...etc. Nonetheless your tutorial has already been extremely helpful to me personally, and I know how cumbersome it can be to stop to take pictures every single step. I'm just always interested to learn more

Dude, that is one sweet build!