rob Lyttle Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 I've got a long-term project gradually coming to some sort of completion here.... I'm talking about years here!.... And although most of the building is done and dusted, I think I ought to record the outcome for posterity Republic produced an absolute CORKER of a fighting flying machine with the P47. I mean, I'm supposed to be heading for the civil aviation side of things but it's planes like this that keep longing for maybe one more.... Johnny the Spadgent has just been finishing off the P47N, and gathering loads of information on the way. Motivated to take another run at my 2nd airframe, I'm pressing on to the finish line with it. I should say right now that it's been made possible by the kind and generous donation of crucial parts by the inestimable @Zack, who chimed in on @The Spadgents WIP with assistance for my build. The plane in question is the old Monogram P47D, which I picked up at a show, in the "remainders" type of trader's box for next to nothing. Growing up on Airfix 1.72, the big Monogram kits always seemed like an exotic and expensive US import well beyond my means. So I'd been tinkering with it as a kind of R&R, got it so far, and then hadn't looked at it for a good while. That's where I was up to. So it didn't take much more to get the main components assembled. I'll leave that one there for the moment, and paste in a quick reference to the 1st Jug. Now we're going back maybe 4 years or more. It's the Hobbyboss Easy build kit in 1.48. I've done a couple of their products in this category, and I have to say they are brilliant for getting an airframe together if you want to concentrate on the painting and finishing. The kit decor supplied was for the Big bottom Bird, hence the 4P I'd, but I wanted to try my hand at the red and white tail stripes as carried by the 86th FG as they made their way from Sicily up through Italy. So there was a bit of compromising going on when the decor was done, and some revision may be tried at some point. So there we are.... I'll post up a bit more on the progress of the ole Monogram job, and bring things up to date with where I'm at. Which is.... nearly done 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Nice! In order to make it the announced pair, could you put both in one photo for comparison? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Hi Rob, I hope you are well and staying safe. Looking good so far, I like some of the old Monogram kits. A few years ago I did their Texan as a Harvard and completed it as a New Zealand display aircraft and really enjoyed putting it together. I chiselled the panel lines off and described it but kept all the rivets. Very enjoyable R&R as you put it. Keep up the good work All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phildagreek Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Nice! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teuchter Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Good start. After years of Airfix and Frog, I splashed out on the P51b and the Bearcat and was just amazed at the detail, real wheel detail, not buttons! Managed to pick these up again at a show, must have been original moulds, they are quite sharp still after 50 years. Need motivated to start them though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 10 hours ago, exdraken said: the announced pair, could you put both in one photo for comparison? What about my composition and structure? My narrative thread.....?? OK... SPOILER ALERT... Well, here's the state of play as of now, Quite hard getting 2 of these beasties into a photo! The Monogram to the left, and the HBoss on the right. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 Any mention of Double Ds will be frowned on by the BM authorities 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markh-75 Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Love the title of this post! Reminds me of Rik Mayall and Arian Edmundson in "Bottom". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 Some of the mods and scratched parts that were missing from the Monogram kit are seen here.... The gun barrels come moulded on the l.e. of the wings. They were extricated from the plastic edges before the wing assembly, mostly to facilitate the foil application. I saved them but didn't use them in the end. Instead I fitted lengths of Ali tube at 1/16th OD and. 014" (it says here.... ) One inner gear bay door and one outer set of doors were cloned from the examples I did have, and the beginning of my scratch built 4 blade Hamilton prop is having a trial fit. https://flic.kr/p/2iLvK6k Right..... Either Google, or Flickr is playing up and getting on my nerves, so I'm going to leave it a while. "Turn something off and turn it on again " kinda thing. Later..... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 Well well! Yesterday I turned off the new "spook" function on the Feb Google update, the one that gathers user data when Google is "off " and reports back.... Next thing you know, the BM site is unsecure and Flickr can't share pics. Now I tick the box to allow data reporting "to improve advert experience" and we're all up and running again Not happy with their tactics OR strategies Anyway, above is the Hamilton prop from an F4U - 4 and my hub on a shaft and 2 blades. This was all quite an excellent adventure for me, as I had never freestyled a prop before. The P47D moved on to the collared style prop blades at some point. I have a feeling they are the Curtiss product? I'd Better go back and read again Well, I wanted the simpler blade shape for my first effort, and I have this... Here we go.... My jig is a block of 3x3 with a hole in it. Hiteck or WHAT...... Only those who have handmade such an item - such an ARTIFACT - will know the sense of epic achievement that is mine Thanks to the donation of parts by Zack, I now have the other style of prop too. And because I mount them on Ali tube shafts that run in bigger tube bearing in the engine, I can swap them around as I like. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markh-75 Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 38 minutes ago, rob Lyttle said: Some of the mods and scratched parts that were missing from the Monogram kit are seen here.... The gun barrels come moulded on the l.e. of the wings. They were extricated from the plastic edges before the wing assembly, mostly to facilitate the foil application. I saved them but didn't use them in the end. Instead I fitted lengths of Ali tube at 1/16th OD and. 014" (it says here.... ) One inner gear bay door and one outer set of doors were cloned from the examples I did have, and the beginning of my scratch built 4 blade Hamilton prop is having a trial fit. https://flic.kr/p/2iLvK6k Right..... Either Google, or Flickr is playing up and getting on my nerves, so I'm going to leave it a while. "Turn something off and turn it on again " kinda thing. Later..... been getting problems myself today, messages saying that the SSL certificate for the page has expired. I also had emails saying that my membership has been terminated and I am no longer untitled to reply to any further posts I the group. I also got a message that the clock time needs to be reset. I did and it appears that all is okay now. Weird. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 16 minutes ago, Markh-75 said: it appears that all is okay now. Weird More than wierd, Mark. I'm not one for conspiracy theories and I've got a fairly balanced World view I think, but these guys...... I don't like the cut of them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markh-75 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Goes to show Rob, that just because we're in lockdown, the others aren't! Our neighbours son is a policeman and he says the criminal element is still very much out there! If you're talking about the people in the place this virus came from; put it this way, i will never eat their take away again! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markh-75 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 On 25/04/2020 at 21:48, rob Lyttle said: I've got a long-term project gradually coming to some sort of completion here.... I'm talking about years here!.... And although most of the building is done and dusted, I think I ought to record the outcome for posterity Republic produced an absolute CORKER of a fighting flying machine with the P47. I mean, I'm supposed to be heading for the civil aviation side of things but it's planes like this that keep longing for maybe one more.... Johnny the Spadgent has just been finishing off the P47N, and gathering loads of information on the way. Motivated to take another run at my 2nd airframe, I'm pressing on to the finish line with it. I should say right now that it's been made possible by the kind and generous donation of crucial parts by the inestimable @Zack, who chimed in on @The Spadgents WIP with assistance for my build. The plane in question is the old Monogram P47D, which I picked up at a show, in the "remainders" type of trader's box for next to nothing. Growing up on Airfix 1.72, the big Monogram kits always seemed like an exotic and expensive US import well beyond my means. So I'd been tinkering with it as a kind of R&R, got it so far, and then hadn't looked at it for a good while. That's where I was up to. So it didn't take much more to get the main components assembled. I'll leave that one there for the moment, and paste in a quick reference to the 1st Jug. Now we're going back maybe 4 years or more. It's the Hobbyboss Easy build kit in 1.48. I've done a couple of their products in this category, and I have to say they are brilliant for getting an airframe together if you want to concentrate on the painting and finishing. The kit decor supplied was for the Big bottom Bird, hence the 4P I'd, but I wanted to try my hand at the red and white tail stripes as carried by the 86th FG as they made their way from Sicily up through Italy. So there was a bit of compromising going on when the decor was done, and some revision may be tried at some point. So there we are.... I'll post up a bit more on the progress of the ole Monogram job, and bring things up to date with where I'm at. Which is.... nearly done How do you get the foil so smooth? does it have to be rubbed? Wot with? I take it you glue it on and rub it while the glue is still pliable? Just wondering! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 This might give you a better idea of what I'm using and doing, @Markh-75. I've got a few other build threads on here and I can give you a steer if you want. But you can see here the material I'm using.... It's the sticky back self adhesive foil that builders use for insulation and all sorts of things. Plumbers too. It's much tougher than kitchen foil types and can take a fair bit of working and burnishing with very worn-out nail buffers and finishing and polishing abrasives. Metal polish too. I get on well with it, but I know it's not everyone's 1st choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markh-75 Posted April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 Ah! I think I might have some of that! Cheers! i used to install washing machines and dishwashers and I used to apply this above the dishwasher opening on the underside of the worktops. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 Gotta be worth a try, Mark. Try out on a junk kit that you should never have bought. We've all got one.. The inspiration for the decor is from the 3view drawing that appears in loads of ww2 book illustrations.... My First airframe could be described as "in the style of", and I achieved a fictitious nose art with a spare decal, a little hand painting and a bit of imagination.. Well, that was then. By the time it came to the Monogram plane, I had a few alternative options available to me, including a clear decal paper designed to take handmade artwork. I took my best shot... (a couple of times) on a rectangle the size of that side panel. First I painted the white disc background, and I did another on the cowling for some density. Both the same colour so a perfect match is not required.. A waterproof liner at 0.2 proved to be useful, and a red ballpoint pen for the lettering. So that was another First for me. Again, short of perfection and I expect there's sheets available with a perfect rendering of RABBIT for the avid shopper to buy, but I kinda liked doing that. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 27, 2020 Author Share Posted April 27, 2020 (edited) With the red stripes on the Tailplane, again I was in a slightly better position to tackle the process this time round. I previously had some decals laser printed in a High Street copy shop and with a fair bit of the A4 sheet being unused, I got them to print a big rectangular red panel on the remaining part. This has proved really useful for several projects. Cut strips, dip them and on they go! Same way the P47 tail. First a white painted background, a bit of careful measuring and deduction for the right width of strip, and one at a time. I'm going from memory now, but I think it worked out at 2.5mm for the horizontal plane and 2.5mm gaps, and 3mm on the vertical fin in 1.48 to get the count right. That's working from a profile drawing of course Edited April 27, 2020 by rob Lyttle Correction 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted April 28, 2020 Author Share Posted April 28, 2020 Going back to the nose art topic for a minute, I'm not sure if the design is duplicated on the starboard side. Anyone got any confirmation one way or the other?? The reason I'm hesitating is that I came across a fair bit of information on the USAAF habit.... or convention.... that the port side carried the artwork, score tally, girlfriend's name etc pertaining to the pilot, and the starboard side was used by the crew chief and the score tally relating to the airframe. There's often quite a difference between the scores The convention was carried on with the USAF in Korean theatre etc. So the thing is, does it apply to ww2 USAAF planes in Europe, and specifically these ones coming up through Italy, Corsica and South France.... Or did they have a different style? One other thing I managed to improvise on the Monogram kit was a set of rocket rails under the wings. I started sorting out a few rocket projectiles from spares and the F4U - 4, which is going to be a Reno Racer at some point soon. But included in the parts package from @Zack, is a full set of the correct rps, so they could well be used here. The real gem.... The Crown Jewel in Zack's present, is THIS.... I'd made a Balsa plug and had a go at making a canopy, but it was less than good These however, although designed for the Academy kit, are going to do the job. A little bit of building and reworking on the fuselage deck (which has a recess to accommodate the Monogram windscreen shape) Once that is sorted, my new Academy screen will fit and match the bubble-top. That's the plan 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted May 1, 2020 Author Share Posted May 1, 2020 I'm trying to get the transparencies settled on to the Monogram kit, and I think I'm making progress. I'm foiling the frames to keep the bare metal look going. This is the precious academy front screen. I find with an arched screen like this, assuming that the frame moulding is nice and clearly done, the easiest way is to cover the whole shape of the screen and then cut around the inside of the frame and remove the window shape. Once that bit is done, the rest of the frames can be done with strips. Here's the modified area on the top of the fuselage. Dry test fit.... I think I can sort the white strips out once the thing is fixed in place and blend the assembly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted May 1, 2020 Author Share Posted May 1, 2020 The bubble-top canopy is making progress too. Monogram provides a crossbar with a T-shaped extension that engages into the slot between the runner rails from behind the cockpit seat. This lets the canopy slide open and closed while holding it in place. I think I've got it fixed in the Academy canopy in the right position to allow it to work in the same way. I also made a couple of little guides to fit on the front corners of the canopy to help it keep position. I just need to make sure that it matches up with the front screen when it slides closed. My only snag now is that I need to fabricate an armour screen to fit on the back of the seat, and once that's fixed in position, I won't be able to remove the bubble-top from the slot in the fuselage. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spadgent Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Refreshing catch up Rob. There looking something special. Love the stripy tail and the nose art is great. My one only had art on one side but as you so well know I know pretty much nothing and learn along the way. Sorry I hadn’t seen this until now. The props were put together amazingly too. I think you’ve convinced me. I’ll do the front portion of my new demon with foil. must be mad. Just got to finish that box of jellies first. Johnny. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Great work Rob, the props are fantastic and aging your Foil work is really inspiring. I do have a project which I intend to Foil soon . I won't do a WIP though incase it all goes wrong. Great work as always. All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted May 2, 2020 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Looking very realistic!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob Lyttle Posted May 2, 2020 Author Share Posted May 2, 2020 For "Rabbit" I have this decal saved from a PT-17 build.... And I'm going to slice the 8s down the middle as penciled in. Then I can split them to get the stencil look. Experience tells me to do the application one side at a time! And a little bit of ppp filler around the screen assembly should take the edges off... She's getting there..... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now