Monogram 1/48 P-47D The Turtle No. 10
I have always liked and still do like Monogram 1/48 scale kits, raised panel lines notwithstanding. They have the look, low parts count and build into a nice model. I first built this kit back in the late '80's when my son received it as part of a monthly model builders club kit. He liked the Turtle and the colors. I recently picked the kit up off one of the on line auctions. I wanted this particular kit for the decals as there are no aftermarket decals for this particular aircraft, that I know of. To start, I added copper wires to the engine to add a little interest in that area, added copper wire brake lines to the main gear, brass tubes for the guns and pitot tube. All was going well. I used AIZU tape painted neutral grey for the seat belts. I wanted this to be pretty much OOB so caveman modeling techniques were employed throughout. Things were going well until time to paint. My 42 year old Pasche' airbrush decided to not cooperate and the paint finish is less than what I was hoping for. The invasion stripes went on alright as did the squadron markings on the tail surfaces, but the kit decals didn't want to lie down and the national markings are thin and the invasion stripes show through somewhat. I used Solvaset on them and that almost ruined them. For the national insignia I had a sheet of microscale insignia but those shattered upon trying to slide them off the backing so back to the kit decals.
Overall a bit of a disappointment as I was hoping and striving for a better outcome. I have since gotten a new airbrush and am experimenting with that. I do have a sheet of The Turtle No. 9 for the Razor back and am going to give that a go using the Monogram Razor back kit once I get my airbrush chops back.
The model is less than stellar but I still like it and it was a pleasant build down memory lane.
Nicely done Mark, gotta love those old Monogram kits. Can't say I've ever seen that nose art before. Would be nice if somebody would reproduce it .
Thanks Tom: I can't recall ever seeing it available for the Bubble Back. I have an aftermarket sheet for the razor back I am going to use when I get to it. Yup, gotta love these old Monogram kits, they hold up well and aren't fidgety, perfect for us "Boomers" at this stage of our lives.
I wouldn’t call your P-47 as less than stellar, in fact if you remove the wing decal insignia from the equation, the model is just about perfect to my eye. And I agree with you about the markings, they are quite attractive indeed. Thumbs up for getting a 30 year old model looking this good
Thank you Pedro for looking in and your compliments. I never understood why the aftermarket didn't do this sheet. It's a unique scheme for the Bubble Back.
awesome livery...first one i've seen and i owned the kit about 1990
Thanks Bob: I would suspect we haven't seen any is due to Monograms bad kit decals from that time.
Well done Mark ! @mkrumrey
I have never seen this kit before, in fact I didn't know it existed. You did a remarkable job with all of the added little details... I wouldn't call it caveman work at all. The choice of markings is very cool...
I have built the 1/48 scale Monogram razor back T-bolt and had a lot of fun with it. Like you, I really enjoy these Monogram kits. They got it right more often than not. The amazing thing about that is most of these Monogram kits were designed before computers were used as is the case today. Good old fashioned pencil and paper...
Your P-47 looks great my friend.
"liked"
Thank you Louis for looking in and your kind words. My approach to these old kits is to add things to them without the use of resin cockpits, white metal "detail" parts, or Photo Etch. I will use these when all else fails or as on the B-24 the ignition harness. It's fun to see what I can pull out of the "Spares Box" to enhance the kit. These markings were included in the "Young Modelers" release and it was a production release in the late '80s for a brief period. I always liked the markings.
Very nice P-47, I really like the finish on this.
I have read the secret to Monogram decals is to use slightly less tha really hot water and a soft cloth to press the excess off after placing.
Great job on my second favorite Monogram kit ( their P-51B is my favorite).
Brian Riedel
Nice work. That kit was first released in 1967 and still stands up well.
This is the first time I've ever seen anyone defeat those decals to get a nice result like this. You are to be commended for that. Monogram decals from that period are the definition of @#%$#!@!
Nice result for all that work.
@ Dale: Thanks for looking in and leaving your comments regarding the finish of the model. It was an experiment and it turned out well.
@ Brian: My mistake was using Solvaset. Not recommended, I found out later, on older Monogram decals.
@ John: Thanks too for your comment and scoping it out.
@Tom: Thanks again for checking out the build and your kind comments, duly appreciated.
Looks great to me! The only issue I see is the national insignia decals on the wings and fuselage. Otherwise, outstanding!
Ended up with a good looking Jug! Well done.
Nothing to be disappointed here! Your detailing work sure paid off, and I like the weary look of the finish. Always nice to ser this kit built.
Thank you Stephen, Greg and Thiago for looking in and taking the time post your compliments and comments. All duly appreciated.