Despite today's date (Friday the 13th), I was able to put the finishing touches on my Thunderbolt this morning.

In case you haven't seen the previous pics (they're here: http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com/tboltbuild.htm). this is Hasegawa's 1/48 P-47D-25, built using Teknics resin and photoetched cockpit. I also added plumbing to the wheel wells and gear legs with fine wire and solder. The finish is various shades of Alcad II, and the AeroMaster decals came with the kit. The nose was masked and painted yellow, using templates provided on the AeroMaster decal placement guide.

These markings really make the "Jug" look sleek to me. Hope you enjoy it as well !












Thanks for allowing me to share the build with you !

Wow!
Beautiful work there Bill.
I got that same kit from Santa this year. I'm not sure what is better, the anticipation of building mine or looking at yours.
Very, very nice.

Hermon

Fantastic 'Jug' Bill!!! I am truly envious! From the finish to the extra work, it's a show winner.

You have to give me some pointers, I have tried to use alclad paints with minimal success in the past, luckly most of the work is hidden as it is on the bottom of my Japanese planes! I tend to get microscopic alligator cracks throughout. What do you use for your primer (if any)? what pressure do you run?, how many coats of alclad? which alclad paint?

If you plan on building any more 'Jugs' look out for the fantastic decal sheeets available from Sky Models out of Italy, these Cartograph decals are by far, some of the finnest decals on the market.

thanks for sharing,
Frank

Bill

Beautiful! Nough said.




ps: These pics, (and any more you might have), would make a great Models on Display feature for the Armorama home page. If you are interested, please drop me an email.

Steve
Armorama Content Scout

Hi Bill

Another great model - and proof the Tamiya kit isn't the only beautiful P-47 in town! I particularly like the colour you've used for the cockpit - it looks spot on comnpared with photos. What brand paint did you use?

As Steve says, it'd be great to Feature your models on Armorama now you've got your site sorted out.

All the best

Rowan

Thank you Hermon, Frank, Steve, and Rowan !

Hermon - it's a VERY nice kit, but the cockpit is a bit sparce. I used a Teknics resin & photoetched one on mine, but I don't know if they're still available (I'll have to check Cutting Edge's site). I only needed filler on the lower wing/fuselage joint. I did this with Zap-A-Gap CA.

Frank - I ran into troubles using Alcad's gray and gloss black primers. The gray gave me a rough surface, and the gloss black never seemed to dry. I don't use them anymore. I now use Future. It has worked every time. On this build, I used Alcad's Steel for the engine; Magnesium for the gear legs, panels above & below the guns, and darker fuselage panels; White Aluminum for the ammo doors, gear doors, cowl, and fuselage below the cockpit; Duraluminum for the triangular wing panels; and Aluminum everywhere else. I also glosscoated the airframe with Future. I spray Alcad at about 20 psi, about 1 inch from the surface, using minimal paint flow. I go slowly, sometimes going panel-by-panel. I just add coats until the finish is even, so I never count them. It's different every time, anyway.

Steve - I have more stuff on my website, if you're interested. You're welcome to use any of the pics there. They're larger (1024 x 768, about 150 kB). Here's a link: http://www.pix.prettyneatinc.com

Rowan - the Tamiya kit costs 2 to 3 times as much as what I can pay for a Hasegawa kit. I don't like Tamiya anyway, so all my T.Bolts will be Hasegawa. Why pay more?

I have since noticed that I reversed the inner gear doors. Guess that's what happens when you don't use the directions (the what???), and reference pics are only for the "important" details like plumbing. It was an easy fix, and they're corrected now.

Thanks again !

Hi Bill.
Your P-47 looks fantastic- Great, great build and paint job. I like it very much !
Congratulations.

Congratulations.
That P47 looks fabulous.I love the paint job.Very nicely finished.
Did I understand your last post correctly?
Your using Future/Klear as primer??

Hi Bill

I quite agree - while the difference isn't quite so extreme here, the P-47 costs about half as much again as the Hasegawa kit. The bizarre thing is that in Japan, Hasegawa kits seem to be marginally more expensive than Tamiya - so I guess it must be down to the importers that the situation is reversed elsewhere.

Regardless of that, like you, I generally prefer Hasegawa aircraft kits; Tamiya kits are beautifully engineered but, somehow, Hasegawa's usually seem to be created with a "finer" touch and more delicate scribing.

But, as in everything in our hobby, it's all down to personal choice - and we are very lucky that there's such a wide range of superb kits to choose from nowadays!

All the best and keep 'em coming.

Rowan

Thunderbolts rock. That's a winner. Looks like a candidate for Airplane MOM

pix i have commented before on this but wow. absolutely beautiful work. you really set the standard high.



joe

superb, as usual Bill, a loverly looking Jug. Thanks for sharing
Mal

Very nice, that is one excellent build.
Andy (++)

hi bill! nice job on that jug, i've just spent the last 15 minutes looking at the pics and drooling onto my keyboard! i've used alclads a little myself, in particular on a die cast restoration that was mainly gloss white with aluminium detailing, i found that the alclad went on over the gloss white really well, so much so i thought if i ever did an nmf build i'd try spraying it gloss white as an undercoat

Thank you Carlos, Nigel, Rowan, Alan, Joe, Mal, Andy, and Phil !

Nigel - yes, I use Future as a primer for Alcad. It protects the plastic from the Alcad (it's a lacquer), and leaves a smooth, glossy surface. It's more difficult to see on smaller parts (like gear legs), so I apply it with a brush in those cases. Try it, it works well !

Rowan - Hasegawa kits seem to be molded with more finesse, and Tamiya's seem to be heavy. I believe that Tamiya does this in order to appeal to a wider range of builders, since beginners can get a "confidence boost" by building one. They mold detail onto fuselage sides and bulkheads (cuts down # of parts), and they don't include tiny parts (like Eduard kits) that can be broken by inexperienced hands. Their panel lines (I call them "Tamiya Trenches") are made so that it's easy to apply a wash, but they would be HUGE if scaled up to full size. The compromises they make to appeal to a wider customer base leave me wanting a LOT more from a kit, especially when they're so expensive.
I forgot to mention that I used Model Master enamel Euro Dark Green in the cockpit. It's a near-perfect match for Dark Dull Green.

Phil - spraying gloss white can be one of the most difficult colors to paint. It builds up slowly, and runs easily, unless you have some "tooth" to the plastic surface. Future just works better than anything else I've ever tried. Alcad's gray primer can leave a rough surface, and their gloss black (although smooth and VERY glossy) seems to take weeks to dry. For me, Future is the answer. Of course, other people's preferences may vary.

Thanks again !

It sure is pretty. Right after I'm done looking at this, I'm going to jump into my flight sim, turn on some Rolling Stones and take one out for a ride. What blows me away is the planes size.

That is one nice looking plane!

Looks good Bill.
I really see no carrier film with the decals over the NMF. Do you trim it or hide it in some other way? Thanks,
Leon