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Revell P-47M Thunderbolt Paint


Shrimper Spitfire

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I have the Revell kit of a P-47M Thunderbolt 1:72 (03984)

The options are for two aircraft both from the 56th Fighter Group.

There is a Blue one from 63rd Fighter Squadron and a Grey/Olive one from the 62nd Fighter Squadron. I haven't decided which one to go with yet but I am unsure what paints to go for if I was to go for the Blue version, I usually use Humbrol or Revell paints. I think I know which paint to go for the Grey and Olive version.

Has anybody come across this kit? Would anybody know what paints to use?

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The P-47M's camo is a much discussed subject. No-one really knows for sure!

http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/thread/1281310124/P-47M+required+colors-

Pip is a member here as Seawinder

The cockpit was Dull Dark Green. You can get close to that with 34092 Euro Green (Model Master has it in enamel; I'm not sure about acryl), maybe adding a small amount of blue.

Wheel wells and other internal areas were generally yellow zinc chromate. I personally like the Testors enamel version in the small square bottle, but they have it in the acryl line as well.

Consensus seems to be that the interior of the cowling was unpainted and that the landing gear struts were usually aluminum lacquer.

As for camouflage colors (although you didn't ask), that's a bit more of a can of worms. As you probably know, only the 56th FG flew the -M in combat. The three squadrons, 61, 62 and 63, had their own unique paint schemes:

61st: Probably "Midnight Blue" (although sometimes called out as black) over natural metal; Midnight blue seems to have been the same color as one popular for tuxedos at the time -- a very dark blue, or a black lightened slightly with blue

62nd: British Medium Sea Gray and Dark Green over natural metal.

63rd: A specially mixed dark blue/light blue over natural metal. There are a lot of threads about the blues here at Plane Talking that you can easily search out.

note the RAF colour 'Night' is a blue tinged black, and is the best bet for the 'midnight blue' mentioned.

There are colour photos of the blue planes from the 63rd

http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/thread/1285643969/Two+tone+blue+P-47m%27s++I+nedd+help+for+my+TMMI+article+%21%21%21

and

http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/thread/1353884123/Blue+used+on+P-47M+Bolts-

Have a scroll through the images at Little Friends

http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery.php?Group=56

for 62nd

http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery.php?Group=56&Style=item&origStyle=list&Item=247&Temp=2243&searchString=

I'd say RAF Dark green and Medium Sea Grey are a good bet.

lm-j.jpg

63rd

http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/gallery.php?Group=56&Style=item&origStyle=list&Item=512&Temp=2509&searchString=

un-z2.jpg

there is a suggestion in one of the links http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/thread/1353884123/Blue+used+on+P-47M+Bolts-

that that 63rd again used RAF paint, in this case Roundel blue and PRU blue



The best theory I've heard November 25 2012, 7:12 PM
is RAF Roundel Blue wih RAF PRU Blue. From the pix I've seen, I'd opine that white was added to the PRU Blue. considering that US paints were in very short suppli, this does make sense. If and when I do a 63rd FS Jug (They're the ones that used the 2 tone blue over NMF scheme) with red nose ring and True Blue rudders. Hal Sr

and

I attended a Western P-47 Pilots Assoc. reunion at Chino airport. One of the Jug jocks I met there had flown with the 63rd, and he had some black and white photos of his P-47M (no color photos unfortunately). I asked him about the two shades of blue, and he said that he had no idea if the lighter blue was mixed or if it was stock. He did say that when it came time to apply the darker shade of blue that the paint was getting low. In order to have enough to finish his plane other paints of different colors was added to the dark blue have a sufficient quantity. The result was that the "dark blue" on his plane had a purplish/brownish cast to it.

Jim

I hope this helps, rather than confuses!

If you like the suggestions then you can ask or look up Humbrol or Revell colours.

HTH

T

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  • 5 months later...

Well I had a go at the 63rd FS scheme used Revell 56 for the darker of the blues mixed it with Revell 5 for the blue rudder and mixed Humbrol 230 with Revell 5 for the lighter blue. Underneath and wing edges were Humbrol 56.

It's a nice model, but to my eye the dark blue is too light and too blue. When I did my 63rd FS M, I used Model Master Insignia Blue (probably available in other lines as Roundel Blue) mixed with a small amount of white for the dark blue (which appears just a tad lighter than the national insignia in B/W photos), and the same colour mixed with more white for the light blue. I probably could have/should have lightened the light blue even more, but I still think it's in the ballpark. Actually, the hardest colour to achieve was the blue on the rudder (as well as the serials). Attempting to match the colour of the decals I was using, I started with Model Master Bright Blue (quite close to US Navy True Blue) and tweaked it with bits of Insignia Blue, black and white. I ended up brushpainting over the decals because I couldn't get the match close enough for my satisfaction.

BernyceLeftFront.jpg

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