Hasegawa P-47N?

[Cicchino]

Guys,

 

 

I typically have three models on the workbench at any given time, so thanks for indulging me in a second WIP thread. We are picking up this one already in progress; this first post will provide the “how we got here” background.

 

The P-47 is without a doubt my favorite airplane, and building a checker tail Jug from the 414th FG on Iwo Jima was always something I thought would be really cool. I purchased the Trumpeter P-47N as soon as it came out, but I had a Hasegawa P-47 in the stash as well and despite the fairly well known tedious cowling fit and alignment issue, to my eye I like the lines of the Hasegawa fuselage better than the Trumpeter one. Looking the two kits, I started wondering if the Trumpeter N wings could maybe be mated to the Hasegawa D fuselage. After a little bit of fettling, I found that they did in fact mate up decently enough to proceed with a conversion.

 

  

 

 

The fuselage is build pretty much straight from the Hasegawa box with some Quinta cockpit updates we’ll see once the spare canopy is removed after painting. The distinctive N style fillet was cut from the Trumpeter kit and when thinned from the inside fit the Hasegawa fuselage just as well as the late D/M style fillet that comes in the Hasegawa kit does. Resin horizontal tail planes will be used to facilitate the characteristic elevator droop seen on parked P-47s. The engine mount was sawed off and lowered about 2mm to correct the Hasegawa kit’s built in misalignment. There are homemade vacuformed ducts behind the oil cooler waste gates that I’m not sure add anything to the build.

 

 

 

The wings and landing gear are from the Trumpeter kit and include Eduard PE to dress up the wheel wells; the inner gear wall was modified by glueing it plastic card with a hole cut out to enable me to create the depression needed for the retracted wheel to fit. The Trumpeter gear legs were updated with brake lines and hollowed out oleo scissors. 8 spoke resin wheels will be used. My plan is to load the plane out fully with 10 HVARs, two big 175 gallon crop tanks and maybe a bomb on the center line rack to draw attention away from the lower wing to fuselage join. There is actually a wartime picture with this impressive load out.

 

 

The idea for this conversion started at least 10 years ago and somewhere along the way I had misplaced the IFF lights. Sifting through some spare parts for another project  I found a little baggie containing the lights, already painted and ready to be added to the wing. They were added and faired in with black superglue; one thing you can’t unsee once you are aware is that P-47 landing lights had black electrical tape wrapped around their edges.

 

  

 

 

 

The next few updates will focus on painting the tail checks, painting the nose art and adding the gun fairings and blast tubes. That will bring you up today with where I am in the build at the start of the NMF.

 

Thanks for dropping by!

[MikeMaben]

[PEYSSON Gilles]

11 hours ago, MikeMaben said:

 

Hello John

 

Idem than mike  ...

 

Gilles

 

 

[Cicchino]

Guys,

 

Continuing on with the P-47N conversion with a bit of a long post.  The primary reason for even attempting it was to replicate the dramatic checkered tails of the 437th FS, 414th FG on Iwo Jima. I was targeting the striking “Baby Dumpling” as seen on the back cover of the Squadron In Action book as the reference.

 

 

Artwork for the 437th is not uncommon, but unfortunately, none of it seems to agree on the size and pattern the checks, so the project went on hold for a while. However, I happened upon the Rosetta Stone of 437th FS pictures on the sunsettersww2.com website: a close up starboard rear quarter photo of Capt. Jim Butler’s P-47 number 710 “Baby Dumpling”, S/N 488366. The picture brought a treasure trove of information including not only the correct check pattern and spacing and where to locate horizontal and vertical datum lines, but also two other important details: the antenna insulator located on the dorsal spine, and the presence of an IFF antenna on the tail.

 

 

Most aircraft checks are usually dimensionally consistent on one axis and variable on the 2nd with the longitudinal axis typically being the dimensionally consistent one, just as it was in this case. This picture enabled me to establish the vertical and horizontal datum lines from which I could plot the check pattern; it also clearly showed the transition of the pattern onto the horizontal tail surfaces. Gold mine!

 

With this great information work could theoretically begin on patterning the checks; however, one mystery still remained: how were the checks painted on the port side? Were they mirrored  or did the pattern appear in inverse?. Work stalled again.  Paging through the Squadron P-47 Pacific book, I was looking at a non-checked 414th P-47, but what was that in the background? Looking closer I had stumbled across my holy grail - a port side picture of 488366.  Show time!

 

  

 

Before starting the checks, I added a photo etch IFF antenna mount from a Tamiya P-51. Alclad aluminum was sprayed on the vertical stabilizer and the location for the serial number was plotted using combination of specs in the Aircorp library and interpretation of the photo in relation to the check pattern. I cut masks for the serial numbers using silhouette cutter and painted them black.  Once completed, the natural metal serial block was masked off.

 

I find painting checks to be soothing and therapeutic. The key for me is finding a reliable reference to establish suitable datum lines which I now had, and using dimensionally consistent masking tape strips to form the check pattern. I use an Infini cutting board to cut dimensionally consistent strips of tape. 

 

I’ve found success in painting checks via a 2 part process. The first set of checks were created by carefully laying out vertical strips of tape side by side, checking repeatedly with the photo for alignment; once I had the strips located properly, I removed every other strip ensuring that the check at the corner of the datum lines was exposed. I then started adding the horizontal strips, starting off of the horizontal datum line and working upward as these strips were dimensionally consistent. Working toward the lower fuselage I used overlapping thinner strips to account for the vertical variation in the checks, constantly checking my alignment against the photo. The process continued onto the horizontal stabilizers. 

 

Below are snippets from a 15 minute video I threw together to demonstrate the process I used on the and just how relatively easy checks are to paint, just the pure minimum of effort for demo purposes on an old paint mule. I was a bit more meticulous laying out the masks on the P-47. 

 

    

 

    

 

  

 

This is where the 2nd photo was critical; it revealed that the check pattern on the port side was painted in the inverse of the starboard. It also confirmed that the checks extended to the undersides the horizontal stabilizers as well. Once everything was masked, black (night) was sprayed over the whole tail assembly to establish the first pattern of checks.

 

    

 

After the first coat had dried the process was repeated, only this time laying crisscrossing strips of tape over ‘lines’ established by the first  pattern of checks. Once these strips were in place, the second coat of black was sprayed and the pattern was complete. Removing masks is once of the most satisfying events in modeling, and checkerboard patterns are even more so.  While there are still the inevitable touch ups required, and I had to relocate the IFF mount to a more correct location, I was really pleased with the outcome. It will hopefully result in a dramatic, eye catching model once it’s finished .

 

    

 

 

This process works on both flat and curved surfaces as long as the horizontal and vertical datum lines are correctly identified.

 

Wings and gun inserts next.

 

Thanks for dropping in.

[Cicchino]

Guys,

 

 

The P-47N is moving along the production line with the spraying of the natural metal finish.

 

For the base coat I was out of Alclad Aluminum I routinely use as a base coast, so I substituted SMS Aluminum and I was really pleased with the finish. After the first coat I was having my doubts, but spraying on a wet second coat really produced a fantastic finish for the mottling coats that followed.

 

 

 

 

MRP dark aluminum, duraluminum, white aluminum, silver and anodized aluminum, all thinned with Mr Color Thinner were sprayed in random patterns through airbrush masks. A blend coat of SMS was used to tone down any harsh contrasts.

 

  

 

Once the base coast had hardened after a few days, Vallejo Metal Colorr silver was dabbed in high traffic areas especially the wing fillets and around the ammo doors and blended in much like oils; thinned Metal Color Silver and Dark Aluminum was sponged on and dabbed to add tiny variations into the sheen.

 

      

 

Next up I’ll start adding the markings which always brings life to the model.

 

 

Thanks for dropping by

 

 

John

[Cicchino]

Guys,

 

The P-47N is moving along quickly right now. All of the markings have been sprayed on using masks cut with a Silhouette Cameo. I scanned the nose art from the Squadron book and spent some time adjusting the points to it as accurate as I could. I try and do a test print right from Silhouette anytime I cut a stencil to see how it will look and get sizing and location finalized.

 

     

 

Mask but, weeded and located:

 

     '

 

Quick spray with MRP Insignia Red and a nice result.

 

   

 

National insignia masked and sprayed with home made masks.

 

   

 

 

 

Cowling and horizontal stabilizers just placed for now. I like how the markings have come out; the inevitable touch ups will occur over next few days. everything you see here has been masked and sprayed, no decals at all. 

 

 

I did have HCW stencil decals all ready to start; however Sven at 1ManArmy just announced a P-47 stencil set, and for me it’s a no brainer to pivot and use those as soon as I can get my hands on them. Sprue Brothers received the Defiant stencils very quickly after they were announced and I’m hoping the P-47 ones arrive in the US just as fast. In the meantime Im going to switch production over to the HVAR rockets, with 10 to be assembled using the incredibly detailed set from Mk.1 Design. Looking at the instructions, these are going to take some time, but hopefully will produce a nice result.

 

Thanks for dropping by

 

John

[Reuben L. Hernandez]

Pretty cool conversion.

[LSP_Kevin]

Impressive work, John!

 

Kev

[allthumbs]

Great project, love the markings choice!