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Thundercal’s are releasing a new 1/48 P-47 Thunderbolt sheet covering the use by the BURMA BANSHEES 89th FS / 90th FS / 80th FG. I know they originally flew the P-40 and did switch to the P-47 however Ive never been able to find a photo showing any actual identifying markings that are Squadron/Group specific ? Does anyone have any info to verify what this sheet is displaying ? https://thundercals.com/1346-2/

P-40N | 1/72 | Hasegawa Burma Banshees, 88th FS, 80th FG, India 1944 Recent events led me to choose a "Shake and Bake" model so I didn't have to think too hard. I wanted a kit that was easy to put together, which I already had paint for, that I'd already done the research for, and that had a fairly straightforward paint scheme. This kit was the only one that met all the criteria. I realized later that the gesture on the side made this an appropriate 2020 build. Mostly out of box with some SBS wheels, Eduard steel seat belts and decals from Rising Decals' "The Burma Banshees, Pt. II". I scratch built some cockpit detail from styrene rod and thick styrene sheet using an unbuilt Special Hobby P-40L in the stash as a template. I usually don't work too hard on cockpit detail unless it is easy to see from the outside through the canopy. The P-40N fits that bill. I didn't do a wash because, while it makes a great picture for the build thread, I really can't tell the difference from the outside. As with my recent P-51B build, I used paint masks and a couple different greens and rust to "pre-tone" the paint. Pencils were used for the panel lines. I found 3 pictures of #27 and it showed it to be moderately worn, so I made the paint chipping match the picture as best I could. One picture was from a bit of a distance, but it looked like it had a centerline bomb. I found pictures of other banshees with centerline bombs, so I put the bomb underneath to do something different from the other P-40's on the shelf. No WIP for this build. Paints: Mr. Surfacer 1500 Black decanted > Mr. Color C54 Khaki Green for Cockpit > Mr. Color C12 Olive Drab / Mr. Color C319 Light Green / Model Master Rust for "Pre-toning" > Mr. Color C12 Olive Drab / Mr. Color C306 Neutral gray > Mr. Color C21 Middle stone for sun fading effects > Mr. Color GX113 dull coat Decals: Rising Decals' "The Burma Banshees, Pt. II" Here it is next to my previous Burma Banshee build from last year. I like the skull on #71 better, but #27's dark green scalloped camo came out much, much better. Probably because I did the dark green first on this build. Also, this shows how much more accurate the spinner and prop are on the Hasagawa than the Hobby Boss. Also, Hasegawa's windshield is at the right angle too. Here's how I masked the scalloped edges: Thanks for looking. Comments, questions and constructive criticism always welcome!

My next build is the Hobby Boss "Easy Assembly" P-40M, which will be a Burma Banshee. I'm waiting for my AK Interactive paint to cure on my F-80C so I thought I'd start something else. I need to whittle down the stash. I'm trying to achieve equilibrium (that is 1:1 build to buy ratio) so I wanted to start something that wouldn't take a long time. The kit is relatively straightforward, the paint scheme is basic, and I have all the paints on my bench -- so... Hat trick! Plus, I've had P-40s on the brain lately. I decided to do the Burma Banshees because the first model I finished by myself was this old snap tite gem: It's still at my parent's house and I have a warm spot in my heart for it, so I thought I'd make another one! I sourced these decals: I have a love/hate relationship with the Hobby Boss easy assembly line. The outer detail is usually pretty good, the inner detail can be really bad, the fit can be good or bad depending on the kit. But, in many cases, they do subjects that are not readily available from another kit maker. In this case, it was this kit or the Academy kit, and when I looked at the atrocious shape issues on the Academy kit, this was definitely the winner for me! Every HB easy assembly seems to have one major flaw and in this case, it is the insert that allows them to box either an "N" or "M" model with the same sprues. I thought I'd sand the bottom of it to drop it down, but luckily I dry-fit it and found that the canopy would hold it in place, so any sanding on the bottom would just make a bigger gap. So I had to sand down from the top. I cut off the antenna mast (to be reattached later) and sanded away. Once I had it roughly where I wanted it, I worked on the cockpit. A little paint, silver dry brushing and oil wash later: I had to mask the canopy, which took hours, because I couldn't find a way to attach it after the insert was in place, so it would need to be all attached in one piece. I put the piece in place and used a LOT of CA to fill in the gaps I sanded away, and then rescribed all the detail I wiped out. The wing assembly snapped very securely into place; I wouldn't be able to get it off, so thankfully I didn't try dry-fitting it beforehand. The gaps were pretty bad and took quite a bit of CA, and a little putty in places. When all was said and done, it was about 3 hours work after finishing the cockpit. I have some rescribing to do, but it will have to wait as I am out of town for the weekend. On the whole this really wasn't that much more work than the Hasagawa F-18 I built. It may not look like it, but those seams are very smooth.