Thunderbolt GB 2016

Got quite a bit done to my build in the last week. So after finishing off the seams and other small bit, got it masked up ready for primer and paint.

After a coat of black primer, it was painted with my usally brand of Xtracolor, grey underside and OD on top. I got a bit carried away and started masking for the white tail stripes before takeing pics. Those nose was also masked for the green band.

For the white bands, i started out with a coat of Alclad clear gloss. I have had issues in the past with Alclad primer bubbling when applied on enamel paint, so better safe than sorry. This was followed with a coat of white primer and a coat of white Humbrol gloss enamel.

I made up my own mix for the green nose band.

Blurred pic alert, sorry about that.

Then my favorite bit, dcals. These are from LPS Hobby and were really nice to use. I didn't go to mad with the stencils.

And yes, i have just this moment spotted that i have missed a piece of the national insignia. Will fix that.

And i added the door for the ammo section of the gun bay before weathering.

I just have to finish off wiring the engine, then i can get that and the nose fitted and then start on the weathering.

So thats all for now.

Hey Rooster, count me in on this GB.  "Somebody" in another thread pointed me in this direction. 

I'll be building the Tamiya 1/48 P-47 Thunderbolt Bubbletop.  Frankly, I'm a little worried after looking at all the beautiful work I've seen in this thread, but willing to give it a go.  Still waiting for a couple of AM things to arrive in the mail.  Will probably post first WIP pics later this week.

Cheers, Mark

Thanks for the input guys. I have decided to play it safe and go with a pre d-day finish. As PJ mentioned, there could be any number of reasons for the poor finish of the stripes. One possability i have conclude is that with the unit being in transition to P-51's, the ground crews may have done a very quick job knowing they were soon be doing it again on new aircraft.

I guess we will never know. Thanks again for the feedback.

Bish I concur with BK. I tried to zoom in on your pic as much as possible. There does seem to be invasion stripes below the insignia. They look worn and ragged. Also it almost looks like part of the blue on the insignia is a different shade. From what I've read, especially the fighter bomber units, the crews were going 24/7 just keeping the planes in the air. They really didn't have time to deal with the stripes so they did the best they could do.

Bish, if you look at the total distance of those stripes they start just passed the wing root and end just shy of the vert stab. Here is another example of what I am describing. Your photo only has the belly, and it may be painted over on the bottom and not the side. But the length from front to back of all the stripes is the same. That's what lends me to conclude that they are indeed present. As far as the the wings, that's a bit more difficult.

BK

rooster513

Coming along nicely Bish!

So the silver paint/sharpie does a good job of revealing ghost seams? I'm fighting those right now on my current build. Would be nice to see them before hitting it with primer.

 

Ye, does it ever. One of the guys sent me a Testors one across the pond, works a treat.

Thanks Steve. Thats the conclusion on the 359th i came to as well.

I know what you mean about those stripes. I have seen images of the stripes going in front of the insignia but not behind it. I also can't see any evidance of white on the undercarrage doors.

I think i will go with the pre D-Day look, still got the white stripes to add on the tail anyway, so that wil give it some thing other than OD and grey.

The only thing I can find is on a memorial site that was memorizing a pilot who died on June 8 in his P-51B. It seems the 359th was deep in transition during D-day.

As far as the fuse stripes, those do look like invasion stripes under the insignia however the spacing dosn't look right. The 3 white and 2 black usually only spand the length of the bar on the star and bar. But with there being only one published picture of it, who knows. Pre-invasion may be thr way to go. 

Guys, i am after a bit of help here. I have finished painted the 47, i now need to decide what to do about the invasion stripes.

According to my decal instructions, at the time of portrayal, the stripes under the fuselage and wings were crudley over painted. But we know the order to remove stripes was not given until some time after D-day and this only applied to the upper surfaces.

The problem is that the 359th FG seems to have been in the process of converting to P-51's at the time of D-Day. I know the 368th and 370th FS had some P-51B's in June and the Group commander had a D in July. But i can't find anything on the 369th FS. I would imagine the switch over would be done in stages.

So, does anyone know when the 369th FS of the 359th FG switched to P-51's. And second, what do you make of this pic which is the only one i can find of the aircraft i am doing. I am starting to think that what you see under the fuselage star and bar is not the remains of invasions stripes but somthing else, and the makers of the decals have made an error.

I am thinking about not ading the invasions stripes at all, and just going with a before d-day look and just removing a few of the mission marks from the supplied decal.

Coming along nicely Bish!

So the silver paint/sharpie does a good job of revealing ghost seams? I'm fighting those right now on my current build. Would be nice to see them before hitting it with primer.

modelcrazy

Thanks BK, Rooster and Bish.

I’m done with Gabby’s T-bolt. This was a fun kit although not to Hase or Tamiya standards, but then again it was a fraction of the cost.

 

Well there it is, my second and final offering for this GB. Thank you Rooster for hosting it. It was a fun idea for a GB with many options.

 

That turned out great Steve! Not an easy scheme and you did very well with it. Thanks for joining!

I saw a couple of larger scales ones with gun bays open at a model show yesterday, looked really nice. So that has given me somthing to aim for.

Steve. Now that looks great.

Bish. Can't wait too see what you can do with those open gun bays

managed to get quite a bit done in the last week, going together pretty quick. After priming the pit, i used a mix of Zinc yellow and black, which is one of the possabilities suggested by IPMS Stockholm. Followed this with some dry brushing and flory wash.

And got some chopping done on the wings. Wheel wells removed and gun bays opened up.

And then time to get everything fitted. Went togetehr prtty wel. Had to doa lot of thinning on the wings. The Aires set tells to to chop some of the fuselage where the wing joins it so the resin wheel wels fit in. But you have to cut a lot more than it says.

As you can see from the silver paint, i have been working on the seams. Still got a bit to do on those and get to work on the engine useing lawdogs tut.

Thats all for now.

Thanks Bish, I'm looking forward to seeing yours.

That is really wel done Steve. Got to love that scheme.

Wow Steve, I can't put into words how COOL that scheme is and you've totally pulled it off. Great work.

BK

modelcrazy

Started the decals tonight. I'll let those dry and get the rest on.

 

Good to see the decals going on Steve, looking very nice.

Nice start on the decals Steve!

Started the decals tonight. I'll let those dry and get the rest on.

Ye, even in this scale you can see its a god size. Not like the cramped pit of a 109.

The T-Bolt has a huge pit. Room enough to play some football.

Time for me to get started, just a couple of pics for now as i only got to it last night.

First, the good old box shot.

For extras i am useing Aires resin sets for the pit, wheel bays and gun bays and True detail resin wheels. Markings are from LPS Hobby for an aircraft from the 396th FS, 359th FG, based at East Wretham in Norfolk. The decal sheet says june 44, but from the lack of invasion strips on the upper wings and the ragged lok of those under the fuselage, i would say somtime time later.

So far its been some resin clean up and puting a few pars together in the pit. The is a seat for the pit, i just forgot to put it in the picture.

And the wheels bays and gun bays. No assembely here just the usual clean up.

And thats it. they are no all in the shed having had a coat of primer, tomorrow i should be able to get them painted. Just need to do some research on the pit colour.

Nice job on the pit BK, thpose belts do look the part.

Got mine all laid out on the bench last night after the tradional post build clean up, so i am already to make a start tonight.

Really nice start BK!

Hi,

The cockpit looks great, and I agree, the seatbelts do really seem to add to it.

Pat

Why I attempt to power through the Kingfisher overhaul and pull my hair out with that I have been slowing clicking away with my Bubble top -N. I have the pit completed and I built it OOB except I added some PE belts that needed paint. They really made the pit look so much better. I am currently working on the seems for the fuselage but the wings are ready for install when that is done. I will install the pit once I have the seem work done. More to come later. Thanks for looking.

BK

You are really flying through that Jug, Steve. It looks super cool.

BK