Ace - Absolutely Gorgeous Jug!! You did a superb job, especially with the Alclad finish.

Geof - Looking forward to your build.

 Well. I simply had to up and take a hard step in order to get everything corrected. Called Tamiya to order a new decal set in order get the stencils. They were unfortunately out of stock of both decal sets and kits that they could get a set out of. 8-12 week minimum wait to get new stock from Japan. Thus after searching around through outlets and other spots I purchased a whole new kit off ebay for $34.00. When Tamiya gets a new stock in I'll get a replacement decal set for this kit. God knows I have a slew of AM decals for for another P-47. So. in the meanwhile I'll get the fuselage all repainted then redecaled and hopefully finish by the end of the month.

Brian, looks great! Nice, subtle but very effective weathering! Thanks for heads up on the Gabreski kit. Looks like some foul weather this weekend so, can't think of a better time to break the box!

Not sure why these other pics didn't post but here we go again. . .

Overall this was a pretty enjoyable build.  I have definitely learned a lot along the way on this one with it being my first time using Alcad.

Geof:  I'll give you a heads up if you haven't built one of the Gabreski kits before.  Really dry fit the gun fairings and the wings.  The fit of both was so poor that I ended up having to re-scribe them. 

Thanks to Doogs for hosting this one and letting me join in!

As always, comments and criticisms are always welcome!

Hey all.  Sorry it's been awhile since I posted anything.  Been busier than expected with work and the family and although I've been faithfully plugging away, I haven't been taking in pictures. 

I'm gonna call this one done.  In the process of finishing, I had forgotten to add the invasion stripes along the fuselage.  Of course I didn't remember to paint them until after I had applied the decals.  For the sake of my own sanity, I added the decals from the Gabreski kit and will replace them with the appropriate ones at a later date. 

Here she is. 

After a long 10 months working on my dual build/dio 109 GB project, I finally get to move on to my p-47d gabreski kit!! I've only got a few months so this on is going to be straight out of the box. The paint job is going to be the make or break of this this one... Updates soon!

B17: Really nice job wiring the mill there! Nice work!

B17 - Right nice work there. Your engine looks excellent. Indeed, it may be tedious and frustrating to wire a radial but the results are worth it in my opinion. Joe

Well a crazy idea got in my head to wire the engine, so I did.  Definitely won't be doing this anytime soon!

Before:

After:

Guess I got the idea while waiting for this to finish drying:

But in the end, this helped dramatically with the correct dihedral and gap filling.  Just proves that you need to dry fit to find things like this before glue.

In the end it came out really good:

Sorry to hear that Joe, when I get problems like that I tend to box the thing and start something new. Guess that's one reason I have about thirty half-built stalled-out models lying around...

Good luck!

Go for it Joe. Sucks having to undo all of that work but its for the greater good. It's going to turn out great with that kind of determination.

Well Gents after repeated distisfaction with trying to repair my mistake I've decided to just bite the bullet and get real with this. I ordered a new set of decals and will strip the old decals off the fuselage and repaint the whole thing, fuslelage that is, and then redecal. It's the only way I'm going to get this right. Indeed it is a PIA but in the end I will be happier with the results. So, until the mail arrives I'll keep working on my Tiger I for the Steel Cats GB.

G-J - First, Welcome back to the hobby!! From all appearances you still have a knack for it. Really nice work on the office there.

Joe - Simply Masterful P-47 you have turned out. Your work really is exquisite. No doubt about the quality of the Tamiya P-47s and Ultracast wheels.

                                        Joe

Joe: What can I say- WOW! 

Great job on he fighter and the base and figure don't look too shabby either! 

Between you and Nervous Energy you guys are setting the bar so high I'm almost afraid to post my P-47 

Absolutely sweet build!

I like the panel lines over the nose art.

Very nice.

Finished!  Here she is in 4th fighter group markings, specifically Don Gentile's "Donny Boy" 336th FS mount from March of 1944.  I do love the early razorback Thunderbolts and what a euphoric experience the Tamiya Jug has been.  The kit is completely out of the box, except for Eduard seat belts and I did go with the Ultracast wheels.  This is my first experience with Ultracast wheels and must say they are nice.  They cost a few bucks more than the True Details version but since these come pre-drilled, this alone is worth it to me.  Just paint then super glue them to the leg and your done.  No finicky drilling.  I find Olive Drab over Neutral Grey schemes somewhat boring, so I used my trusty streaking technique to liven it up.  For those not familiar with it, I paint the plane with a 60/40 mix of Tamiya OD and Khaki. This looks right to my eye since I prefer a brownish OD hue.  I then light this with Tamiya Buff and streak across the chord of the wings very fast at low pressure, about 10 psi or so.  To my eye, it looks more realistic than the norm of fading the center of wing panels. I go a little overboard on application because the effect tends to diminish once its been clear coated, decaled and panel line washed. 

Thank you for letting me participate in this fabulous group build and enjoy the pics.  Comments are always welcome. 

Joe

G-J: The photos kinda small for my weak old eyes but what I see looks good! 

[I don't know why the picture didn't post in the above post]

[I inadvertently posted in the wrong thread.]

Here are some of the sub-assemblies, now that I've finally gotten moving on this.  First model in over 30 years, and I'm having a blast.  I'm still waiting for some paints to come in in order to pick out some detail in the cockpit.  And I had forgotten about decaling.

NE: WOW!!! Dunno what to say, just great job all around!

Nervous - Absolutely Gorgeous!!! Not only is your overall build simply excellent but Kudos especially to your application of the Alclad and to your masking abilities. You should indee be proud of the work you've done there. Also, Thank You for sharing your process. I too was over all pleased with my Kit World dacals. Althuogh the nose art decal had a tendency to lift on me. At least it didn't tear and I got it to lay down with some heavy overcoat. My attempts to correct my damaged Alclad still are not going to satisfaction although I am still working on it. It may end up that I simply will have to bite the bullet and remask along th fuselage panel lines around the affected area and live with off shade panels.

                                                             Joe

Excellent work Nervous Energy, and thanks for the build report. I agree that the finish is outstanding.

There really is some great stuff going on in this GB, Joe, your T-Bolt has a unique and interesting finish too. I'm going to try that one soon.

Cheers

Tony

I'm very happy with the performance of Alclad in this first test of it.  Prep was long, but seemed to have paid off.  Everyone that's seen it in person has commented on how real the aircraft aluminum looks.

Painting steps: 

1.  Standard seam sanding and such, but I didn't do any specific prep to the bare plastic other than fill and sand like for any other paint surface.

2.  Prime with Mr Surfacer 1200 thinned with Mr Leveling Thinner.  Laid it on fairly thick in several coats.  Sanded this one for quite a while.  Started with 1000 grit and then 2000 grit paper from Wal-mart (dirt cheap and effective), then on through 8000 in micro-mesh.  Got very, very smooth.

3.  Sprayed on the Alclad gloss black base.  I stirred the heck out of it with the badger electric, but it still went on fairly tacky after 24 hours.  Did a lot of research on it, and several top car modelers wouldn't spray on anything but a tacky black base due to adhesion issues if it was fully dry, so I gave it a shot... and the alclad went down perfect and very tough.  The alclad site itself says not to mask over the high-shines, but I masked the heck out of it repeatedly and only had paint pullup in two small spots.

4.  AA aluminum, followed by standard aluminum on the outer gun panels, and white aluminum on the inner.  White was also sprayed on the control surfaces, and dark on the flat tank.  Mr Color OD is the stripe, with Tamiya red, yellow, and black for the other colors, all thinned with MLT.

This kit fights you in countless small ways, but only small ones.  The 'big' things... wing roots, fuselage joints, dihedral, front canopy fit, etc., were all flawless.  I can put up wth a lot of fiddly issues if the big things go down well.

The Kitsworld decals for the plane spec markings were the best I've ever used.  Period.  The Eagle Cal decals I bought for insignia replacement looked great but simply wouldn't stick.  The kit decals I went back to for insignia stuck fine. 

I should have gotten a bit more aluminum on the brass barrels, but it's only apparent if you look at the bottom of them very closely.  I made a tactical error in assembly... it looked like the small piece with gun port holes was going to fit well in testing, so I left it and barrels off completely so I wouldn't risk damage during main construction.  They didn't fit so cleanly once the wing was together, with a noticable gap, and also sliding the barrels through scraped the paint off.  Waste of time.  I recommend fitting the barrels, fitting the gun port plate, correcting the seam, and just be careful with the barrels sticking out.

Fitting the cowling is a disaster if you try to leave the rear ring on the engine. 

Last thing you might notice from the pictures is a missing starboard wingtip light.  It just vanished.  :(  I'll likely order the Trumpeter P-47N in the not too distant future and will be able to salvage a new light from that kit (D and N lights are both on the same clear sprue), since I know all the foibles in the kit and can make a better run at a show-quality build.  If anyone builds the N in the near future, however, I'd pay a nice fee for a tiny piece of clear plastic you're not going to use anyway. 

In closing, I'm not sure I'd use regular aluminum for an airframe after seeing it in action no matter how beat up the plane is supposed to be.  It just doesn't look real like airframe aluminum does.  It's great for a few individual panels, but even the beat-up planes of the Pacific theater had a fairly metalic look to them in NMF... they may have been through the wringer with the elements, but there was still a luster under the patina and the grime.  I'll have to think on how to approach the N when I build it, as they were all pacific birds IIRC.

Fun build, but very long.  Thanks to Doogs for all the tips and starting the Group!

And it's done.  Mostly.  Still lots of small errors, but I'm happier with this build than any I've yet done.

The slight side tilt of the port bomb was fixed after the photos... didn't even notice it till I saw the last head-on shot.  I need to set up on a white surface and take some better shots.

Joe - Oh Man, that is turning out fantastic. The streaking effect is definitely working for you. Nice job on the landing gear also. No doubt, you can't go wrong with a set of Ultracast wheels 

B17 - Excellent!! Nice job on picking out the detail, especially on the seatbelts.

After things are settling down from my move, I have pulled out my model bench (card table) again after more than a month of not working on anything.

Looks like I started on my -D before the big move.  I have the cockpit tub put together and the fuseladge and wings together.  I like it when you can slip the tub from below, helps a lot with seam control.  This is my second Jug, the first was a pro modeller kit, and I am liking the fit of this one better, thus far.

The cockpit with an Ultracast seat: (I noticed after pulling it back out that the rudder petals where missing, I have corrected that since the pics where taken)

It's looking great, Joe! Really dig the OD mix you worked up and I agree, Tamiya's OD is way too green and dark. My favorite these days is Gunze's Olive Drab. Looks just right, IMO.

As far as lacquer thinner - you should try to pick up some Gunze Mr. Color or Mr. Leveling Thinner. Works just as well (maybe better) than Tamiya's lacquer thinner, and it's a bit pricier, but you get a lot more in the bottle (they're sold in 400ml size), so the per ounce price is probably less. Agreed though - after using lacuer thinner with Tamiya, there's no going back for me. It's like painting with silk.

Looks great to me Joe! I've had the same problem with the tires, just pass it off as them being worn 

Hello all, I'm dropping in with a little update.  I got her clear coated and decaled.  There were no problems to speak of and the decals worked fine with Micro Sol..  I also finished up the landing gear.  I did run fine fuse wire for brake lines.  I'm not too crazy about the wheels.  I unfortunately removed most of the tread detail sanding the mold separation seams....bummer.  I'll probably replace these with True Details or Ultracast wheels. 

Joe

Joe: I've been there before, wish I had some good advice for you.

LD114: Looks great! I did some mild streaking on a P-40 painted the same green over grey and guess I didn't do it boldly enough since you can't really see it. I like the results you and Doogs got with the aggressive streaks and am going to have to push things a little farther too!  

Hello, I thought I would drop in for an update.  This kit has been a dream so far.  Best ever?...has to be a candidate.  I preshaded the panel lines with Tamiya NATO Black then sprayed the Cowl and Tail ID bands Tamiya white.  I read that in the infancy of 8th AF Bomber escort over Europe, the gunners were mistaking the P-47s for Fw 190s so they started painting the white cowl and tail stripes white......interesting.  How does a P-47 look like an Fw-190.  Radial engine machines at 400 mph I suppose.  Anyways, I used the kit instructions as reference and taped these off.  I then rolled up "blue tack" (poster putty) to separate the demarcation line for the Olive Drab over Neutral Gray.  I prefer a browner Olive Drab so I made a custom mix of Tamiya OD and Khaki until it looked right to my eye....about 60 OD to 40 Khaki.  I then added additional Khaki and a little white which is then streaked on the upper wing surfaces.  As I've said before, I tend to over do it because the effect tones down considerably after clear coat, decals, wash and dull cote.  I sprayed the control surfaces a different shade to add interest then post shaded some panel lines (mostly around the engine), vents, cracks and crevices with a "very" thinned mix of Tamiya NATO black and Red Brown. 

This is the second time I have used Tamiya's lacquer thinner.  The more I get used to it the more I love it.  The paint goes down nice and smooth with no "pebbles" at the wing roots. (common problem with using 91 Isoprophyl because it dries too fast).  Too bad its 9 dollars a bottle.   It shoudn't be long now. 

Joe