Tamiya 1/48 P-47D Razorback
When I discovered Norris Graser and his Thundercals company had produced some decals for the Burma Banshees P-47's I couldn't resist getting a set. The sheet depicts P-47's flown by the 89th and 90th FS along with 80th FG. Of course I chose ButterBean III, flown by LTC Albert Evans Jr along with Col Sydney D. Grubbs Jr out of Myitkyina, Burma. Just couldn't resist that skull nose art to tell you the truth. May have to do another Banshee in the future as the set has markings for 5 planes.
The kit is the Tamiya P-47 Razorback which seems to be the gold standard for P-47 modelers. Much has been written about this kit so I won't bored the reader with a kit review. Needless to say the parts fit is good , no putty was used in the construction, and the cockpit detail is nice. I did use an Ultracast seat since I hate working with PE belts and decal belts just don't look right to me. The decal art shows a 75 gallon tank under ButterBean's belly, which is not included in the Tamiya offering. Therefore, I dug one out of yea old spares box to fill that gap. Other than that she's all OOB in construction.
Paint was Tamiya XF-26 Deep Green for the cockpit, Tamiya Fine Surface Primer from a rattle can, followed by Tamiya LP-70 Gloss Aluminum from an airbrush. Because of the gloss finish I didn't use any Future/Pledge on her before applying the decals nor to seal them afterwards. Top coat was Alcad II Lacquer Semi-Matt which was used to finish her off. Some Pitt-Pen work highlighted the panel lines and nylon thread was used for the antenna. Can't say enough about the decals as they performed well along with the Thundercal P-47 National Insignia and Data Decals. Fun build just took me longer than usual because of work as well as the holidays. Speaking of which I wish all you iModelers out there a very Happy and safe New Year.
Tom Bebout (@tom-bebout)
Magnificent work here Tom ! I definitely clicked on the "like" button. Your P-47's might accidentally overtake your P-40 collection if you're not careful . 😉
Take care and Happy New Year to you and your family.
What's not to like with a Tamiya P-47? As I once wrote, "It's like a Nathan's hot dog with sauerkraut and dill relish, with a made-in-Mexico Coke (original recipe). You know there won't be any problems and you're going to like it."
Super work Tom, and there's not enough good to be said in favor of Thundercals.
Great looking Thunderbolt , Tom @tom-bebout !
Nice work, Tom. I actually met Norris at a show up in Illinois last summer and purchased the very first set of those decals. Now to get building the Bolt……. FYI, he also sells modified 75 gallon tanks that were cut in half and expanded with new center sections welded in.
I hope mine turns out half as good your excellent model!
Another superb result, Tom!
Happy 2023!
Everything on this buid looks perfect, Tom @tom-bebout
It must have been impressive for the enemy to see this skull on the nose.
Happy New Year.
A Jug with a skull. Oh yeah! Great model.
Nice job, Tom! Inspiration to pull out a T'bolt in 2023.
Not seen this scheme built yet. Looks great, wonderful job!
Great P-47 and I love the decal artwork!
Classic build of a seemingly classic kit.
Models from those groups in Asia-Burma just aren’t seen often for sure. You have done a nice job on this.
Great job, Tom! Jugs forever!
Just for the skull insignia that decal sheet is worth it Tom! Very nice work
fabulous p-47! you really knocked this one out of the park- Happy New Year!
Looks great, Tom, I'm so used to seeing P-40 Burma Banshees, it's nice to see a P-47.
Very nice natural finish, interesting decals - great work Tom!
That is a beautiful T-bolt - love those markings and the overall finish is excellent.