I'm back with two subjects I can never get enough of.  The 56th FG and the Tamiya P-47, in this case the razorback version which I will back date to Robert S. Johnson's "Half Pint", which was a C model.  Some may be familiar with the incident of June 26th 1943 where Johnson, while escorting bombers in Half Pint, was badly shot up by an FW 190.  Engine on fire, he managed to pull out of a spin, stabilize the aircraft, then miraculously stay airborne.  His windscreen was covered in oil, canopy damaged and he couldn't eject, so he had no choice but to try to limp back to England.  Unfortunately JG2 Ace Egon Mayer stumbled upon Johnson's stricken Jug and decided to go for the easy kill. Mayer pumped all of his ammo into Half Pint but the fighter shrugged it off, essentially denying him his 69th kill.  All he could do was salute Johnson and fly away.  Ironically Mayer would succumb to the guns of a P-47 in March of 1944.

Here I pay homage to Johnson, the 56th FG and the other 8th Air Force Fighter Groups that protected the bombers over the skies of Europe.  This included my Grandfather, a B-17 ball turret gunner in the 390th BG.

The Tamiya P-47 needs no introduction.  Perhaps the best plastic kit ever made. Super Scale offers Half Pint on a sheet dedicated to Johnson.  I found it on ebay.  

I started with the cockpit. I made my own custom mix for Dull Dark Green by mixing XF-26 Deep Green and a touch of XF-8 Flat Blue.  Other than Eduard seatbelts, its out of the box.  Tamiya's pit is stunning with no need for resin.  Even the instrument panel decal is beautiful.  

 Soon I'll back date that cowl and start working on that R-2800.