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Jim Sullivan
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1/48th Tamiya P-47D 42-29173

August 23, 2021 · in Aviation · · 28 · 2.1K

I Just finished building this 1/48th P-47D in the markings (Rain-Dear) flown by Lt Clark Bresmeth of the 510th FS while stationed in France in the Autumn of 1944. That Tamiya kit was a dream to build and quite well engineered and with precise instructions. No problems whatsoever encountered during the build. Aftermarket parts included the instrument panel, machine gun barrels and the decals. Enamel paint was a custom mix of 85% Model Master aluminum and 15% MM chrome silver. In the final preparation for the model, all except the prop, bombs, wheels and anti-glare panel were airbrushed with Testors semi-gloss clear. I know this is a departure from the usual GSB Navy and Marine aircraft I frequently build but the ole JUG most certainly has it's charm and appeal. All comments or observations welcome.

Reader reactions:
15  Awesome

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28 responses

  1. Sweet looking jug. Really like the choice of markings.

  2. A great Jug, Jim!
    Nice use of aftermarket and a beautiful scheme, perfectly executed!

  3. Great result, Jim @bentwing
    The blue accents are wonderful for this bird.

  4. Welcome to the 21st century, Jim; πŸ™‚

    That Tamiya P-47 is indeed one of the best kits out there, and you certainly made the maximum from what was there.

    • Thanks Tom, indeed that was a fine kit. I thought the Tamiya Corsairs were nice but that Thunderbolt was several steps beyond that. Now, if they'd just produce a quality F4U-4 I'd be a happy camper.

  5. Jim, @bentwing
    You did a mighty fine job with your Thunderbolt... and you can say it is a little bit like a F4U or Hellcat... with that two thousand plus pound R-2800 up front.

    When I was a little boy, there was a P-47N on outside display not too far away from our home. On occasion, my Dad would open up the canopy, and sit me in the cockpit of a P-47N that was on outside display at the Museum of Speed in South Daytona. He would let me play for about 10-15 minutes or so it seemed. I would move the joystick around and watch the ailerons move. I was oblivious to what I was doing, but it was fun, and that was all that mattered. Afterwards, Dad would pick me up, lift me out of the cockpit, and then sit me back out on the wing. Then he would slide the canopy forward and close it all back up again... and off we would go.

    This all stopped one day, when I got stung by a wasp as I was playing in the cockpit... There was a huge wasp nest that had recently built up inside the cockpit after my last play visit. Dad didn't know it was there at the time when he sat me in the pilot's seat. Neither did I, but I soon found out !

    It also happened to be the very first airplane I ever sat in... and to this very day I still have a soft spot for these planes.

    I definitely pressed the liked button. It looks great...

  6. πŸ™‚ ... Greetings ... πŸ™‚ :
    Nice clean work Jim !

  7. Great looking Jug, love the colour scheme, definitely liked.

  8. @bentwing, That's a great looking 'Bolt Jim! πŸ™‚

  9. Very nice - interesting scheme with those cowl checkers and canopy frame highlights. Well done.

  10. Nicely done, Jim. The P-47 certainly lends itself well to nose art.

  11. Well done, Jim (@bentwing). Cockpit looks awesome.

  12. Jim. My first thought was to tease you about running out of blue paint, but I see by the cowl markings you managed to find a place for some.
    A really fine build you've done here, and I have to agree the Tamiya P-47s are a great kit, probably my favorite of all time. I always enjoy seeing one built up nicely like what you've done here.

    • Thanks for your comments Terry and I'm still in pretty good shape with the MM dark sea blue. I was really impressed with the engineering of that Tamiya Thunderbolt kit. Quite a contrast to the Revell EA-6A I have on the modeling table now.

  13. Excellent work Jim. Fond reminders of my Dad, who flew that aircraft. Great finish and decals. Both thumbs up.

  14. Thanks Clark and a hand salute for your Dad for his service with the USAAF.

  15. Jim, a Thunderbolt none the less, for a change you really went big. Nice job, she looks great and isn't that Tamiya kit both well detailed and also fun to build. Two thumbs up.

    • Thanks Tom, that Tamiya Thunderbolt kit looked really good so I decided to go ahead and build it. Sure glad I did as it was a most enjoyable, trouble free build. That was a welcome change from some of the issues and challenges with other kits I've built recently. I suggest that the value of a model is how the finished bird looks, not how you got there.

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