P-47D Razorback – Tamiya 1/48th
This is my build of the Tamiya 1/48th P-47D Razorback. Tamiya's p-47s must be some of the best kits ever produced. No need for a lot of photo etch in the cockpit , which has excellent detail OOB. I did add a few small things, however. As usual, I attached spark plug wiring for the engine ignition harness made from fine solder wire, as well as Eduard photo-etch seat belts, and diamond tread tires from Ultracast (?). Antenna wire is EZ-line. Oh, I drilled out the blast tubes for the main guns, as I recall.
Markings are for the P-47D-23 “Okie” of Major Quince Brown 78th FG. I liberated the checks for the cowling from the Tamiya Bubble Top P-47D. The rest of the decals were assembled from Superscale's version of "Okie", slightly modified. Tom Cleaver has another build of Brown's aircraft on iModeler with a detailed story of this remarkable pilot (and more in his fascinating Osprey book on the 78th). I did my version of “Okie”some time ago before that, based on Internet materials. It may therefore not be 100% accurate. By the way, it appears Okie was kept in pretty good shape, paint-wise (see close up photos). I went with a somewhat later repaint scheme where the bombing missions seem to have been painted out (also Tom Cleaver's choice, I think) and there is a black rectangular surround for the kill markings (see image 24).
Painting was straightforward. Upper surface OD is Gunze H52 (my favorite shade of this) and under surfaces Neutral Gray from Tamiya. Weathered as always with oil wash over Tamiya Clear and matt coated with MM Acryl flat. As always, my pre-shading doesn't come out so well in photos but it does give panel shade variation in person.
I hope you like it. Comments welcome as always. Happy modeling.
- Colin
Nice job Colin. I love the P-47. Are those decals on the wheel covers? They look great.
Scott
Thanks, Scott. Yes, they are Superscale decals. I find them to be very good quality, even on older sheets like I used. They seem to age well.
Very nice. I miss not having Gunze readily available in Canada anymore
Thanks, George. As a fellow Canadian, I agree. I get all my Gunze on eBay now. Some Chinese sources have good prices. I try to get the older "Aqueous Hobby Color" rather than the newer Acrysion line. I find that the latter can get gummy in my airbrush. I thin with water. What do you use for thinner?
I've only got 6 bottles from a retailer in Japan and do 60/40 paint to distilled water. I checked a few days ago and the retailer no longer has the paint listed. When our dollar was at $0.80USD, it was cheaper to get it from Japan than "locally". I've got a few Canadian suppliers bookmarked but their shipping costs kill me. Having said that, "locally" for me is a four hour round trip drive
Good looking Jug Colin, as you mentioned Tamiya P-47 kits are quite nice.
Thanks, Tom. I have a couple more in my stash. So many more interesting schemes to do.
awesome
Thanks, Bob. I'm glad you like it.
Nicely built Jug, Colin. Excellent detailing and decalling!
All the best!
Thanks, Spiros. Thanks for your comment and especially for noticing the details.
Great looking Jug Colin. The Tamiya Thunderbolts are amongst the best kits ever in my humble opinion.
Thanks, Haslam. I appreciate your feedback.
Very nice looking kit Colin @coling. 'Liked'
Thanks, James. Glad you like it. Thanks for your "like" (and pardon my grammar).
Nice clean Jug! Looks great.
Thanks, Greg. Great to have your comment.
Great job! Nice to see the real thing in the photos.
Thanks, Robert. Yeah, sometimes a quick comparison helps to check if you got it "right".
Beautiful build with a perfect subtle weathering.
Bravo!
Thanks, Alex. I appreciate your comment on the weathering.
G'day Colin,
I have the same kit and the Superscale decals to build, although I intend to do it with the full scoreboard as per your second last photo.
Did you try the Superscale cowl checks to see if they fit the Tamia kit?
I was thinking of buying the bubble top Tamiya to use its checks too (I have plenty of buble top decal sets).
Your build looks great.
"Good Day, Eh" from Canada, Michael, and thanks for your comment. I'm glad you like the model. As for the checks, I believe that the particular decals that came in the Superscale sheet disintegrated on me from too much handling. I strongly recommend going with the Tamiya version for two reasons. First the Tamiya decals come in four sections, which makes them much easier to move around and get into position. Lining them up with each other is relatively easy. Second, Tamiya's decal material is thicker and more durable and can take a lot of sliding around without shattering. There is no issue with thick decals looking unrealistic when they cover the entire cowl. BTW, I painted, gloss coated and weathered the cowling with oil paints before applying the checks. Oil paints once dry do not present any negative issues for decals. I also found it important to buff the clear coated cowl surface to a high gloss to make it that much more slippery for decal adjustment. I buffed the Tamiya clear gloss coat with tiny amounts of Novus Plastic Polish and a soft cloth. I followed the same policy with my 1/32nd P-47 (here on iModeler), even though in that case I applied the checks one at a time. This may be more than you needed to know, since you are an experienced modeler, but it might be of interest to get my personal approach, anyway. Stay safe and happy modeling!
Hello from "oot and aboot" here in Oz. :~)
Thanks for the advice on the decals. I have some experience but much to learn still.
Michael