Mike Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I reviewed this kit here and the Upgrade set here at the beginning of September, and thought that as this is my first P-47 kit of any manufacturer, I'd crack on with it. Life's been doing its best to stop me, but I've managed to get the cockpit and wheel bays almost ready, so thought I'd better start a thread. The kit has a Brassin resin cockpit. which is rather nice, and augmented by pre-painted and raw PE for the instrument panel and levers. It is pretty straight forward to paint and put together, but make sure you get the fore and aft bulkheads square to the floor, as it will make the side walls easier to get in once you're done painting. Pre-painted PE belts are included, and a little bit of the paint came off on some of the sharp folds, but that's a first for me, so perhaps there wasn't such good adhesion with my set. I've been experimenting with Gunze Sangyo Mr Color paints for this build, as I felt like a change, and had heard good things about them. Sure enough, they're very nice to spray, but I suffer from a lack of breadth of colours, which I'll have to rectify soon. The extra upgrade set includes a bunch of parts for the gear bays, which replace a lot of the moulded in detail, and those are quite easy to fit whilst the wings are separate from the fuselage, although you'll have to make sure you don't bend the skins when adding them to the fuselage later. So far I've managed to avoid it, but you never know with my clumsy mitts. I've just finished constructing the PE deck behind the pilot, which requires a little sanding of the fuselage top (indicated in red) before it will sit flat on the fuselage. The extra effort is worth it though, as the detail is much crisper once done. I also removed the moulded in exhaust flaps on the underside of the nose, which were replaced by a new set from the Upgrade set, and here I was cautious cutting away, as you can quite easily go to large and end up with a bit of repair to do. They do look much better hollow with scale thickness to the walls, so again very much worth the effort. The wings were a piece of cake to put together, needing very little in the way of anything before they were glued together. The forward cannon inserts were pretty poor though, so I aligned the top as well as I could, then glued thin strip into the gaps, using CA as filler and some coarse sanding sticks before I polished it to a nice shine. I chose to remove the short cannon stub moulded into the inserts, and decided to pick up some of the excellent Master barrels that are available for this (or any other) P-47 kit. I've drilled out all the holes for a snug fit, and will insert them once I'm ready. The detail and curved muzzles are worth the effort if you're going to the trouble of adding all that PE. Other than those I'm sticking to OOB... Promise! A bit more detail painting, then a coat of flat varnish, and I think I'll be in a position to close up the fuselage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Moon Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I've been trying to make my mind up about getting one of these and I think you have just done it for me. There is some fantastic detail in there and you are making a good job of it as always. Are you going for a NMF finish?? regards Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 That's interesting. I never realised the guns on the P-47 were staggered vertically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ilan Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 The Cockpit looks fantastic! Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Thanks guys That's interesting. I never realised the guns on the P-47 were staggered vertically. They're level in flight, countering the dihedral of the wing I've been trying to make my mind up about getting one of these and I think you have just done it for me. There is some fantastic detail in there and you are making a good job of it as always. Are you going for a NMF finish?? regards Howard Rather than doing an NMF, I'm going for the camo aircraft with white overpainting and D-Day stripes on the underside... Option C in the instructions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBranco Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Wow interesting! I'll be following this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonC Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Rather than doing an NMF, I'm going for the camo aircraft with white overpainting and D-Day stripes on the underside... Option C in the instructions Chicken! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Chicken! Have you seen the scheme in question? Busy doesn't begin to describe it! Red bits, stripes, green/grey camo and white upper surfaces that have a wavy demarcation, and odd stripes across the wing tops cutting through the white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank152 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Oh dear, I can see the Ole Cock colour scheme debate opening up again! Lovely work on that cockpit and photos to match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spikelhund Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Never built a Jug but I know I want to, your splendid start has me contemplating a purchase ..... Cheers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 24, 2013 Author Share Posted September 24, 2013 Oh dear, I can see the Ole Cock colour scheme debate opening up again! Lovely work on that cockpit and photos to match. Nah - no debate, I'm just gonna go with the scheme as laid down in the instructions, and those screen caps that I've managed to find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kahunaminor Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Great start Mike, Another to follow and take notes for when I eventually build a P-47. Regards, Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Jephcott Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Mike - just a little pointer for the future with regards to prepainted etch seatbelts, if you don't mind! I regularly encountered the same problem with the paint flaking and me getting frustrated. Now, before taking the belts off the etch sprue, I cover them in Klear. Hey presto, no flaking. I guess the Klear seals them in like decals?? Incidentally, I'm going for the same scheme when I do mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tank152 Posted September 25, 2013 Share Posted September 25, 2013 Hi Mike this might be worth a look, http://p47.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=131894&ord=&page=1 Some interesting pics and thoughts on your subject. Tim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Ah yes - was only ing this but yesterday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 The cockpit didn't fit very well, and I can't work out whether it's my fault or the size of the replacement resin job, so draw your own conclusions I've got the fuselage closed up and the seams dealt with now, which didn't take much work, with very few panel lines and rivets to reinstate. The wings were a cynch to install with a bit of CA, and a line of Vallejo putty wiped over the joint to normalise the panel line. The tail planes were the same, but with a bit more play between the parts. I also installed the cooling flaps on the fuselage sides, the replacement rear deck behind the pilot, and since the picture was taken, the windscreen has been masked with the provided masks and glued on. The masks weren't bad as it happens, and only needed a tiny bit of trimming here and there, which is good news. Here's a quick pic of her almost all together 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shar2 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 She's looking really good Mike. Shame about the problems you had with the pit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Cheers Dave Guns mounted in the wing leading edges, a replacement wingtip light made from clear acrylic (lost the original), and the canopy in situ: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Looking great so far what a fantastic aircraft as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 Thanks Val - I meant to check the photo before I posted it, as photos are rather good at showing up errors in alignment and such like. I think I could probably do with tweaking the inner gun on the port wing from looking at it. That'll be fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Looks great already Mike, those barrels are fab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 27, 2013 Author Share Posted September 27, 2013 They're lovely, and there's a 1:1 diagram to help you get them set at the right length, which was a great help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowbar Posted September 27, 2013 Share Posted September 27, 2013 Looking very good! I always neglected the 47 but its getting more and more interesting to see it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgeusa Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Mike, Just finished reading through this thread. Totally impressive build so far. Love the interior work. I am always amazed at your fine work. Always makes me a bit intimidated to post my own as it comes nothing close to yours. Can't wait for the next installment. She is a beauty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted September 28, 2013 Author Share Posted September 28, 2013 Thanks George The camera makes it look better than it is, honest never be afraid to post your own work - we're all learning, and there's always someone better than us, but we can pick up tips by looking at others' work, and asking for help with our own. I can think of plenty* better than I think I am * and I mean plenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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