This started out as an Arri/Otaki Jug, with a few (err!) parts added...
Brief Rundown...

1/48th Arii/Otaki
Superscale decals
Squadron sliding portion of canopy
True details tires (Unflattened!)
*Academey P-47D Cockpit
*True Details seat and Gunsite
*Monogram Prop and Tailwheel
*Monogram Drop tanks w/ plumbing and anti-kickback bar added from sprue
Nav lights, car type mirror, and brass blast tubes added...

A really tremendous job Stan. Only a few things stick out to me. The blast tubes on the port wing look a little crooked, especially gun 4 (outboard). I have never seen pancake drop tanks on the wings (not that they weren't carried there), where did you find a photo, I would love to have it for my files.

Good catch with the antenna wire, the 56th FG removed them in 1943. But when they went to the newer radios, they had to add a small whip antenna. It is on the underside of the port wing, just aft and inboard of the L/T light.

A little "dirtying up" of the wheel wells would make them look a little less "factory fresh"

Overall a GREAT effort on a not so great kit!

First, that is an outstanding job DC!!!! Really nice. I really like the base you made with grass too!
I'm by no means an expert with modeling or with P-47's, but I noticed a couple very MINOR things. The prop looks like it was just installed and, unless thats what you wanted it to look like, I would "nick" and dirty it up a little. Also the base concrete could use a little "dirtying" up as well.
Again..GREAT JOB!

STM and Ghost, thanks for the comments....

Freeman has several pics of the 63FS taxiing for takeoff with the pancake tanks slung under the wings...

I chose them just to generate such discussion, plus they are UUUUGLY! (aka interesting)

I would imagine it was for max effort strikes, such as deep ramrods escorting the bombers..

As to your comments, Yup, the wheel well is too factory fresh and the prop also. ( I finished the model only a few hours before the club meeting where the photos were taken.)

Some more work will be done in the future.

As for the guns, I looked at the pic, and then had to go pull out the model.

The one pic makes the port guns appear to point outboard...Thats just an illusion of the photo plus maybe the dihedral. I placed the model on graph paper that I used to do the line up and all point straight with a tiny inboard cant for the pattern synch.

But the little number 4 tube! Damnit, it is a tiny bit canted outboard...

Put a toothpic in the end and wiggled the CYA loose and repositioned that one!

Damn good eye there, it was darn hard to see looking straight down on the model.

Again, thanks for the comments...

Stan, that's simply outstanding! I'll back you up about the droptanks. I too have those photos.
Again........very clean build on a not so great kit!

John

WOOOWWWW !
Amazing job. Incredible, I like it all. Great photos too.
I love Arii -Otaki kits, they are very cheap and have good detail. I´ve done an Arii - Otaki P51 and enjoy it a lot.
Congratulations, very nice job.

Pancake tank pic....

Stan
I too noticed that there was something wierd about the #3 and 4 tubes.At the angle the first picture was taken it seams like you can see daylight coming form the the wheel well throught the gunbay.But it sounds like you have fixed that.
The only other thing I saw was a mold seam on top of the oleo strut on the port side gear.Other than that a BZ job.

Jim

Yup, what you see is actually a tiny drop of silver paint from painting the blast tubes...looks like daylight.

I got the hole slightly large on those 2 outboard guns, I think that on the others the CA glue kinda filled in the gap.

In truth, the tube protruding though a bigger hole is actually correct, but I didn't try to pull that off in 1/48th scale.

I had to run a tiny bit of CA glue in the gap to fill it in and covered with paint. Not exactly scale, but it now matches the other guns...

Yup, that is a seam on that torque link...one more thing to fix, but at least its easy!

Thanks for the comments...

Stan