quangster

It was a general practice that the nose art shown originated from derelict airframes. The panel containing the pin-up was removed from the donor aircraft and replaced on the newer one. To remove the cowling paint (usually the squadron colour), some didn’t bother to closely follow the silhouette, but removed chunks of the background painting hence the bizarre shape surrounding the image. Red was the colour of the 395th FS. Incidentally that squadron had the most numerous girlie nose art in the 369th FG. Furthermore I spotted a few examples of 395th FS sporting red canopy frames. My two euro-cents: could it be that the art work and the canopy on D3-K originate from a former 395 FS plane? 🫣

Like you I think it’s red as well like the backdrop behind the pinup and the lower cowl flap. On the close-up photo, one can discern the thin darker (black?) outline of the extended leg on the slightly lighter background. Fascinating discussion. Obviously Thierry Dekker never disappoints.🫡

Thank you @stevehnz @72modeler @Tbolt for responding so quickly. Soo, it’s definitely a K . Strange how eye vision can vary depending on what one thinks one sees 🫣 How about the colour on the canopy frame and the pin up background? As these parts were obviously cannibalized from another plane, I’d rather see them black based on the photographs but… red? What do you think? In any case, my 3rd MiniArt jug is nearing completion and just waiting for the paint. Hopefully it will appear as a thread in ‘Work in Progress-Aircraft’. Again thank you all for your input. Cheers, Quang

Hi modeller friends, Currently onto my third (3rd) MiniArt jug, I’m considering the P-47D-30 of 397th FS/ 368th FG, flown by 1st Lt Clifford Price in 1945. According to my research in the web, the plane should look like this: well in accordance with the Superscale/Microscaledecals Then I found a rather colourful profile by noted artist Thierry Dekker Later on I found these two photos on the 368th Fighter Group site: Interestingly the fuselage code shows what appears to me like an X instead of the Bar K on the other versions although with the same serial. The placement and lay out of the nose art are in accordance with the Dekker profile albeit a bit tamer in my vision than the artist’s joyous version. Like a great man on this site said: don’t trust a profile without a photo. 😜 What do you jug experts think? Thank you for your comments, Cheers, Quang

@TAG knows. Hopefully he will chime in.

Indeed @dov What I mean is that when things go wrong, it’s NOT inevitably the fault of the kit. And even if it is, it also depends on how the modeller deals with it. It’s all what this hobby is about.😜

Now you’re talking!

I’ve built two Border’s 1/35 kits. You can find the WIP here: BORDER FW-190 A6 BORDER NAKAJIMA B5N2 KATE Both were enjoyable experiences especially the FW. As far as I feel, the design of the kits is ingenious and the fit spectacular, especially if one follows the instructions. However don’t expect to learn everything like colour callouts or differences between version by just reading the instructions. You’d have to make your own research. Having done that, you’d be delighted to find in the OOB kits numerous details you didn’t expect they were there. On another matter, I also built the MiniArt 1/48 P-47D-30 which I remember was not to your liking 😉. On the contrary I found the kit quite impressive and a joy to build. Maybe you’d feel the same about Border Models. Maybe not. Who knows? HTH Cheers, Quang

Like they say in Dune Part 2: Nothing fancy. Be simple, be direct. 😜 Good luck with your NMF! Cheers, Quang

Glad you like it Geoffry! You’d be curious to know that the NMF was rather straightforward as it was done with just one metallic paint, Mr Color #8 silver. Nothing fancy as you can see. The different tones between the panels come from the primary base underneath. Instead of using plain gloss black as usual, I picked up the different panels with greys (light / dark), varying the textures (gloss/flat) at the same time. I then applied the metallic paint in thin, diluted coats and let the transparency do the trick. HTH Quang

I heartily agree with you. I guess it’s the price to pay for the tiny (often non -discernible) details which MiniArt designers intended to include. Haul’in bottom is my 2nd MiniArt P-47D. I can assure you that my language was much less civil during the first build. The kit has its own idiosyncrasies but once you get past them, it’s all downhill.

This is my 2nd MiniArt Jug build. I admit I’ve pestered during the first build as MiniArt designers have some affinity for delicate, tiny (and in the end, almost invisible) parts and seemingly zero tolerance for the joins between them. But once you get past these idiosyncrasies, the build goes on uneventfully, yet not as quick as one thinks as there are A LOT of parts. The fit is very good providing you enlarge every locating slot. Zero putty was used during the build 😀 With these caveats in mind, you should have a fine time building the kit and appreciating the delicate and accurate details abound. Someday soon 😉 Cheers, Quang

At long last, here’s my rendition of 1st Lieutenant James McWhorter’s Haul’in bottom II as seen in Florennes (Belgium) in 1945. The kit is the recent MiniArt 1/48 P-47D-30. I hand-painted the nose art. The codes are sprayed using custom hand-cut masks. The wings are being completed and will be added on at a later date. Thank you all for your assistance in building up this model. Cheers, Quang

Indeed what would we do without you? 😝

Obviously Border listened to you! 😜