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Jo-Han 1/72 P-47D Thunderbolt + ESCI "Decal Doubles" No.1 - Completed


Speedman

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I won these on eBay tonight from two different sellers within ten minutes of each other so the timing is perfect because I can do a Cuban F-47 :) The FAEC flew the F-47D-35-RA so I will have to make the dorsal* fin because the kit is an early bubble top without one, but apart from that it'll be OOB. I'm also going to build it wheels up, something I've not done for a long time so it should be a fun project.

***UPDATE*** Now they've been delivered I've updated the photos.

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* Corrected from ventral, thank you dogsbody for pointing it out :)

Edited by Speedman
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Looking forward to this as I have never seen a Jo Han kit built up. I believe at least some were 'inspired' by other manufacturers, like their 109. Is this a totally original, or can you spot someone else's DNA in there?

Those Esci sheets look interesting. I'm dubious about the blue on the Rhodesian roundels and the red(?) for the Irish Air Corps marking.

Trevor

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This poor kit has waited 30+ years for this, and It was really strange feeling cutting into the cellophane and opening the box for the first time :huh: It's like being the Indiana Jones of plastic kits! I knew from some builds I'd found online that it had recessed panel lines, I was expecting troughs but surprisingly they are slightly finer than those found on the majority of Matchbox kits. After giving it a thorough inspection there are no sink marks and the only fault I've found is a small, very thin section of plastic from a short shot on the wing.

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The kit decals have survived very well. I've got big plans for those "Zombie" decals and it's not an aircraft.

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Two things I wasn't expecting, the canopies are two piece and the pilot isn't a blob!

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Finally the ESCI decals. I'll be spraying the tail markings and printing everything else I need. It'll be my first attempt at making my own decals so it should be interesting.

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Made a start on this one tonight, the fuselage halves are together and the pilots seat is in. The four pegs for the seat needed a little fettling due to none of them lining up and the fuselage was very slightly warped but other than that it went together well. I've fitted all the wheel bay doors and strengthened the joints from behind with some scrap card. The short shot on the wing has been patched with a thin disc of cut sprue and some Mr. Surfacer, I've put some around the wheel well to seal and strengthen the edges as well.

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Yup! This is a wheels up bird and it's got to have it's pilot :) Just go to work out how I can model him with a cigar... Well he is Cuban :P

Stub of stretched sprue painted to suit and a wisp of cotton wool smoke at the end. Go for it ;)

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Engine built, painted and fitted. Once that was in I fitted the front cowl and got that sanded, filled, scribed, sanded, filled & scribed.... :P The kit guns were misaligned along the seam line and not worth trying to correct so I've made some new sets.

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This kit is the second P-47 that I ever built, way back in the mid 70's. The first was the Airfix kit. I still have one of these Jo-Han P-47's in the stash.

Chris

Edited by dogsbody
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Spent some time this morning fitting the stand I want to use, it's from an IXO 1/144 A-26 (now converted to a fire bomber) and is a really nice shape. There's a hollow part at the rear of the base, so I packed it out with Liquid Gravity to give it a bit more weight. I used a big blob of blu-tac to work out the display angle I wanted and give me a guide for the correct drilling angle. Once that was done I used some scrap card to make a surround for the base pin to lock into, looks a mess but it won't be seen inside the all black interior once it's painted. I did a dry fit test of the mount and I'm glad to say there's no chance of it tipping over :)

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I have never heard of Jo-Han kits before. I like what you have done with it. Perusing the builds in the GB is like having all the dim memories of modelling as a kid light up like a Christmas Tree with thoughts of "I remember building that one!!" When I left home at 19, my sister eliminated all of my models and comic book collections as they were just clutter and she thought I would never return anyway. This is a nice jaunt down memory lane.

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The wings are now on and filled ready for a good sanding session to eliminate the small step at the wing root. I've also started work on the dorsal* fin.

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* Corrected from ventral, thank you dogsbody for pointing it out :)

Edited by Speedman
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The wings are now on and filled ready for a good sanding session to eliminate the small step at the wing root. I've also started work on the ventral fin.

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That should be " dorsal " fin. Remember: dorsal up; ventral down.

Looking good so far.

Chris

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That should be " dorsal " fin. Remember: dorsal up; ventral down.

:doh::oops: I knew there was something wrong the second time I wrote it. I know what did it, I spent hours trying to find if the FAEC ever fitted ventral tanks and I'd typed it soooo many times it got stuck in my head! :P I'll go back and correct it, cheers for that.

Actually if it's the tail, shouldn't it be the caudal fin? :nerd:

OK, stop that right now! My brain hurts enough as it is... :lol:

Edited by Speedman
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Now that I've finished my Arado I can press on with the "Jug". I completed the main assembly last night with no real problems, just a little bit of filler for the tailplanes. After a few minutes of sanding to thin the tails down I put the two bombs together. I'm still looking for info on whether or not the Cuban P-47s used them, I've found a few photos showing the pylons but with nothing hanging from them. I've adapted the propeller, just a little fettling of the original shape and some masking tape wrapped around. I used superglue to harden them, gave them a quick sanding then used Mr. Surfacer to give a nice even coating. I let it harden overnight and this morning finished it with a rub down with 1200 grit wet & dry and a coat of Humbrol Clear.

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