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Here's my second build for the 453rd BG Museum in Old Buckenham, the mighty Jug, in the form of a P-47D Bubbletop named KOKOMO, belonging to the 551st FTS, 495th FTG and flown by Maj. Gen. William Kepner. The model is going to be delivered to the Museum this Saturday, so I completed it just in time! The kit is the Tamiya 1/48 offering, with the addition of the dedicated Eduard PE set for the cockpit and a few external parts. Apart from that, it was built mainly OOB, with some minor scratch building, such as: - the engine piping and wiring, from solder wire, and a resin bit that sits in between the magnetos, courtesy of @corsaircorp (along with a full resin engine for a future Corsair build Here's a pic from the WIP thread - the cowling flaps actuators, from plastic rod - the brake lines on the main struts, from copper wire - the antenna aerial, from some elastic wire I bought some time ago, whose brand I can't remember - great stuff, though - the underwing light glazing, with clear UV resin Paint wise, I used Lifecolor Medium Green and Vallejo Flat black for the cockpit, a mix of Tamiya Flat Yellow and Flat Black for the YZC areas, Tamiya Olive Drab mixed with a few drops of Tamiya Flat Yellow for the non reflective surface and Vallejo Air Metal Chrome over a Tamiya Gloss Black base for the NMF. The latter was polished with Dremel polishing discs to achieve variations and some degree of battering. Other minor bits were painted with various MM Metallizer hues (Burnt Metal for the gun barrels, Exhaust for the small side exhausts just aft of the engine cowling). National insignia were airbrushed using self designed masks, cut with my Silhouette Curio. The black and white stripes were also masked and sprayed, all the rest is kit decals. The weathering was done with black tempera wash, a dark brown pastel and some oil dotting on the engine cowling. The build thread is here: Thanks to everybody who followed along, encouraged, supported, gave tips and insights and even supplied parts!- a lovely bunch as always The first Museum model RFI is here: How about some (more) pics? Some details/close ups The underside Some interiors shot from the WIP thread One last pic of the whole aircraft in full sunlight All comments welcome! Ciao

Republic P-47B Thunderbolt (DW48051) 1:48 Dora Wings The Thunderbolt developed from a series of less-than-successful earlier designs that saw Seversky aviation change to Republic, and the project designation from P-35, to P-43 and P-44, each with its own aggressive sounding name. After a realisation that their work so far wasn't going to cut it in the skies over war-torn Europe, they went back to the drawing board and produced the P-47A that was larger, heavier and sported the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial that would also power the B-26 Marauder, P-61 Black Widow and F4U Corsair. With it they added eight .50cal Browning machine guns aligned along the axis of flight in the wing leading edge. The P-47A was still a smaller aircraft, and was initially ordered without military equipment to allow faster completion, but it was considered inferior to the competition then available, so an extensive re-design was ordered that resulted in the much large P-47B, firing up to 100 rounds per second from the eight .50cal wing guns, and with a maximum speed of over 400mph, leaving just the fuel load slightly short of requirements. It first flew mid-1941, and despite being a heavy-weight, its performance was still excellent, and the crash of the prototype didn’t affect the order for over 700 airframes, which were fitted with a more powerful version of the R-2800 and a sliding canopy that made ingress and egress more streamlined, particularly when bailing out of a doomed aircraft. Minor re-designs to early production airframes resulted in a change to the P-47C, which meant that fewer than 200 Bs were made, the C benefitting from improved radio, oxygen systems, and a metal rudder to prevent flutter that had been affecting control at certain points in the performance envelope. A quick way to spot a B is the forward raked aerial mast behind the cockpit, as this was changed to vertical on the C and beyond. The production from a new factory that had been opened to keep up with demand led to the use of the D suffix, although they were initially identical to the C, but the cowling flaps were amended later, making it easier to differentiate. Of course, the later bubble-canopy P-47s were far easier to tell apart from earlier marks, and constant improvement in reliability, performance and fuel load was added along the way. Its weight, firepower and seemingly unstoppable character led to the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, which was inevitably shortened to ‘Jug’ and led to many, many off-colour jokes during and after the war. Jokes that are still soldiering on to this day, despite being eligible for a pensioner’s bus pass. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from Dora Wings, following on from their P-43 Lancer that we reviewed here in 1:48, which bears more than a passing family resemblance. The kit arrives in a petite top-opening box, with an attractive painting of the subject on the front that has a gloss varnished finish over the aircraft itself and the Dora logo, adding an air of class to the package that is replicated within. Opening the box reveals a clear re-sealable bag that contains eight sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, decal sheet and vinyl canopy masks in a Ziploc bag, and the instruction booklet in portrait A5 with colour throughout. We have been reviewing Dora’s output for several years now, and every kit they release is an improvement over the last, with this one no exception, which is particularly impressive given the ongoing situation in Ukraine. The surface detail is excellent, with fine engraved panel lines, raised and engraved features, a full rendition of the massive power-plant, detailed cockpit and gear bays, and posable flying surfaces. Construction begins with the instrument panel, which has three decals applied to the front, and a pair of rudder pedals with separate actuators attached underneath it. The seat has a PE diagonal in the rear of the pan, and has PE four-point belts added to it, plus a mounting frame at the back, also creating a throttle quadrant with PE gate and levers ready for installation in the cockpit later. The cockpit floor is a flat part that is covered in ribbing and other details, adding PE and styrene levers before putting in the rear bulkhead on a keyed tab, then fitting the seat assembly and control column into the centre of the floor. The two sidewalls are detailed with styrene radio and document box, plus the throttle box and PE levers, with a detailed painting guide that continues throughout the build. The sidewalls trap the instrument panel and rudders near the front of the cockpit, with a semi-circular bulkhead closing off the view forward. Attention then shifts to the engine, starting with the reduction bell-housing, which has a horse-shoe wiring harness added to the rear, magnetos and other equipment added to the housing, then fitting a ring of push-rods behind it before fixing the two banks of cylinders behind, both with fine cooling vane detail engraved around the sides, and in order to reduce the thickness of the styrene the rear faces are hollow where they won’t be seen, which is eminently preferable to sink marks in the fine details. This is a trick they have been using for a while, including the Vultee Vengeance I built last year. The cowling is supplied in two halves, with amulti-part insert making up the ducting in the lower portion, locked in place by the one-part cowling lip with its distinctive horse-collar frontal profile. The fuselage is closed around the cockpit, adding a spar through the wing root mouldings, intake backing surfaces in the sides of the fuselage, and the detailed turbosupercharger insert under the tail. A tiny rib is also added to the front of the nose gear bay during closure. The rudder is made from two parts, adding thickness to the lower section, then the elevator fins are each assembled from two parts in preparation for installation in the tail. Before this, the wings are made, starting with the upper skin, which has the main gear bay roof detail moulded-in that is augmented by fitting the bay walls around the edges, and several ribs running aft, plus a retraction jack in the outer section. Before closing the wings, the four gun barrels are inserted into the leading edge as a single part on a backing plate that sits inside the wing on a groove to ensure they project the correct distance. The completed wings are slid over the spars and glued in place, adding the ailerons, posing them deflected if you wish, fitting the inserts around the guns, and a choice of deflectors over the outlets on the fuselage sides. Two small triangular PE webs are glued to the rear of the bays, a landing light is inserted into a hole in the lower wing, and two cowling flaps are fixed into position in front of the exhausts. The fairing over the turbosupercharger is then fitted, the detail remaining visible thanks to the outlet at the rear. More sub-assemblies are created next, starting with the four-bladed Curtiss Electric prop, which is cleverly made from two almost identical parts with half the boss moulded into each half. The two-part spinner and prop-shaft are slipped through the hole in the centre, and a PE spacer ring is glued to the rear before it is put aside, although it might be as well to paint it and apply the stencil decals to the blades at this stage. The cockpit coaming is vaguely triangular and has the gunsight with reflecting glass fixed to the slot in the rear along with a backup PE ring sight, then the wheels are built from tyres in two halves, plus two hubs, while the tail wheel is moulded in two halves with integral hub. The main gear legs are each single parts to which the two-part scissor-links are fitted, adding the lower captive bay door first, then the narrow upper section that has PE connectors, and a long strut joining the top. The tail wheel strut is in two halves with a separate yoke and two-part actuator that extends deep into the bay for insertion later. The engine is mated to the front of the fuselage via the blanking plate that has a raised centre portion to achieve the correct position so that it will be properly visible with the cowling that is placed over it. The elevator panels and cowling are installed, fitting the wingtip lights and a PE trim-tab to the rear of the starboard aileron, then installing the prop, the rudder that traps the single part elevators in position, the forward-raked mast behind the cockpit and the pitot in the port wingtip. The canopy is supplied in two parts, the windscreen a separate part that has a rear-view mirror fitted to the top, then is joined by the main canopy, which sadly can’t be posed open because it is moulded integrally to the fixed rear sections. Underneath, the main gear is added with its wheels and inner bay doors plus actuators, the tail wheel strut is inserted into its bay and has the wheel slipped over the axle, gluing bay doors to the sides with PE actuators. Markings There are four decal options on the sheet, all wearing the same olive drab over grey schemes with wavy demarcations, but with decals that help to individualise them. The first option also has darker green camouflage splotches around the leading and trailing edges of the flying surfaces to break up the outline a little. From the box you can build one of the following: P-47B-RE (41-6002), Colonel Hubert Zemke, 56th FG, Bridgeport, September 1942 P-47B-RE (41-5905), Wright Field, Ohio P-47B-RE (41-5901), ‘Lucky Seven!’, the Seventh Serial P-47 P-47B-RE (41-6037), 1st Mixed Instruction Group, Brazil, October 1944 Decals are by Decograph, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. There is a full painting table on the rear page that gives the colour names, plus Mr Hobby, Tamiya, AMMO, Hataka and LifeColor paint codes to assist you with painting your model. Conclusion Dora Wings make interesting and detailed models that are a little out of the ordinary, and while the P-47 is hardly unusual, this variant was very short-lived, so has its own rarity value. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Available in the UK in all good model shops via their importers:

Hi guys, here's my lattest! On 7th november 1943, Lt William Roach from 355th FG/358th FS is on an escort mission for 9th AF B -26s targeting Montdidier and Melun, and he flies his P-47D-2-RA serial 42-22490 coded YF*U « Beetle ». When times come for 352nd FG to step in as escort in place of 355th, they're late and 355th keep on keeping on... At last they're relieved and next they're on their way to UK. But the thing is, they've a 90 to 100 Kt upwind, and a low layer of clouds that hide the ground. Some time latter, still with his leader Walter Kossack, but low on fuel and believing that they're on the other side of the Channel, they've to get down under the cloud layer. They succeed, and it appears that if Cossack made a wheels-up landing in a field, Roach gives the German their first flyable (not too sure about that) P-47 . They're still in France, near Caen First thing ; the US stars & bars are masqued with patches of RLM74, with German crosses applied on top. The aircraft is then delivered to 2./ Versuchsverband, best known as Zirkus Rosarius, after an overhaul, and complete paint job. He's given a code, T9+FK. He'll be found at the end of the war on an airfield in Germany, in quite bad shape, but in one piece. I'd build both this and Hasegawa 's kit together, and even if I like very much the lattest, Tamiya kit wins on every aspect. You'll need 0 aftermarket, or maybe just a set of masks, and that's about all ! Even the gun barrels are hollowed ! Pit is very nice, wings are mounted on a spar (and yes, you can assemble them at the very end!), you've got choices of tanks, bombs or propeller. Well, whatever, this is a really enjoyable build. About my own kit, ir's not 100% accurate, not even 80%. I did a few errors, and broke a few parts here and there 'cause I was in a hurry to finish it. So, I'm not really happy with my results, but I AM to have finished it. I'll do better with the next one... at least I hope !

It's been a fair few months since I started a kit. So as winter approaches I thought I'd have a go at one of my favourite aircraft The Thunderbolt. I bought this kit from Trumpeter back in early Summer and decided it was the next project to start. The last build I did was a Tempest V as a tribute build. I've not made a Trumpeter kit before but I'm quite impressed with the quality. Rubber tyres, fair to good mouldings, PE parts all included. I've never done any PE work before so this is going to be a nice learning process. The kit has a lot of internal supercharger parts which are totally hidden. I've made these up but I won't paint them. For this model I want to concentrate on the visible side. Photos to follow very soon! Regards, Andy Anyway here's some photos of my progress so far. Not sure why they decided to model all this hidden detail? Nice to know it's there I guess! The instructions for the engine were a little confusing. But I decided to paint it after a fashion anyway. my first attempt at PE seat belts. I think they look pretty ok and I enjoyed doing them! The front end will have to have a lot of fettling to sit nicely and allow the fuselage halves to come together within tolerance. Its not a Tamiya kit of course but I'm still impressed with the quality of the mouldings . Not that much flash. If I was designing the kit I think I'd have done some things differently. One thing is the clear plastic cowling. Nice to have I guess if you'd like to display the engine detail but I think it is going to be a bit brittle and difficult to paint. Might have to very gently key the glossy surface first. I do like the rubber tyres. It's always hard to get a really nice delineation between the metal of wheel rims Andre the rubber. Hopefully this approach with the tyres slipped on will look very precise!

Hello all! I got impatient waiting for bits & pieces for my ongoing Whirlwind build, so what better solution than to spank out a lovely Jug! I used Tamiya's excellent kit as a base, but the aircraft were both US options and I really wanted to complete a SEAC aircraft. I therefore got myself a set of Xtradecals' excellent Yanks in Roundels Pt 4. The model was completed as the aircraft shown - RS*B of 30 Sqn RAF based at Chittagong, India, March 1945. Here's a cracking shot of the actual aircraft (copyright IWM): Anyway, here she is: Here's a final one shown with a Mustang just to show what a brute this aircraft was: Painted in a mixture of AK Interactive (MSG & DE) and Tamiya (DG) acrylics. The kit was the usual Tamiya fall together, blah blah, with Eduard PE for the cockpit. Now - where's that Crikey?! Thanks for looking, Roger

The Mighty "JUG" P-47 Thunderbolt by Academy 1/48 Hello and welcome to a build I have always wanted to build. I have loved the P-47 ever since I played this. back in the day at the arcade in Cradely heath. ( part of the royal cinema )😀 I have never had a P-47 in the stash or known much about it but I picked up a dank old kit last time I visited "Parabellum" in Birmingham's Jewelry quarter. the box looked a bit war torn but the picture on the cover had me smitten. 🥰 what a picture!!!!!!. 😇 I have been gathering info all day and have started some work that I will post up later as I gotta walk the hound right now. I do hope that you will join me on a Jugtastic adventure that will definitely involve some photo etch, some scratch building and a whole lotta fun. 🤩 Take care and See ya'll later on for some update action. All the best and as always. Happy modeling. Johnny