Trumpeter P-47 D (bubbletop) - how to make belly tank plumbing accurate(-ish)?

[nmayhew]

Good evening,

 

I am building the Trumpeter P-47 D (bubbletop) and will be installing the flat belly drop tank

The instructions offer no plumbing information as you might expect...

Any idea how to make the 150 gal belly tank plumbing accurate(-ish)?

I think the fuel line runs from the rear of the tank, but that's about as far as I have got

Googling doesn't really help so I need someone who 'knows' Jugs 

 

This is the tank I am talking about:

 

 

Initially I had set out to build 'Jeannie' of the 36FG but realised the scheme didn't really 'do anything' for me, so am now making this 406FG 514FS plane, which is pictured at Ashford in June (or early July - before they moved to France) 1944, which is not far from me.

 

I take it the belly tank I am describing would be appropriate?

 

 

 

 

I think the blue in the profile above is rather too light, but from later colour pics the cowl may actually be black rather than blue.

The pics below shows an aircraft (Skirt Bert III) with what may be the same codes where the cowl is black, but I am not sure if it is the same airframe.

I also don't know if the 514FS change their cowl colours etc. so if there are any 406FG experts out there, I am happy to be educated.

 

Thanks in advance,

Nick

 

 

 

 

[Sepp]

514 FS assigned ID colour was blue... can't see why they'd use black cowls.

 

In the top pic, the blue parts of the star and bar and cowl look the same shade of grey, and they are distinctly different from the black QIM stripe - make of that what you will!

 

In the pics that appear , I will grant you, to show a black cowl, the bits of the star and bar that are visible and the green anti-dazzle panel look distinctly black, too,  so possibly an artifact of the film stock used. It's obviously a sunny day (hence the shadows) but the pics generally look stopped down, and the grass is amost completely washed out, so colours must be suspect. 

 

Me, I'd go for a blue cowl - but maybe not so bright as the profile would suggest, same as or close to the national markings colour.

 

I'm no expert, just my 2¢/p.

Edited August 17, 2020 by Sepp

[nmayhew]

Thank you Sepp that’s super helpful.

 

now I just hope someone can help with my plumbing! 

[Sepp]

My pleasure

 

You might have some joy speaking with these people: https://aircorpslibrary.com/ - they might be able to point you in the right direction. 

[nmayhew]

'whilst you are here' (sort of) what prop do you think O7-Q has in the presentation photo (not the subsequent ones)?

 

I had assumed it would be a Curtis Electric, but am not sure if I am seeing the chunkier boss of the Hamilton type?

 

What do you think?

[Juggernut]

O7*Q has a Hamilton-Standard prop in that photo.  I'd make the plumbing out of the appropriate thickness solder wire and/or copper wire with the shielding stripped off at the ends (leaving the center section of sufficient length to represent the rubber tubing connection between the fuel/vent lines and the tank).

Edited August 18, 2020 by Juggernut

[Joe Hegedus]

15 hours ago, Sepp said:

514 FS assigned ID colour was blue... can't see why they'd use black cowls.

 

 

The standard theater recognition markings for the P-47 were bands on the fin and stabilizers, and the forward section of the cowl.  On OD/gray airplanes the bands and cowl were supposed to be white, and on NMF airplanes they were to be black.  When airplanes were delivered to the theater, they went through a central depot (Burtonwood?) that painted the recognition markings on before sending the airplanes on to the receiving units.  The depot would also apply the invasion stripes per the current directive on new airplanes coming through after D-Day.

 

So it is entirely possible that the image above shows O7-Q with the standard recognition markings, before squadron colors (if any) were applied.

[nmayhew]

 

2 hours ago, Juggernut said:

O7*Q has a Hamilton-Standard prop in that photo.  I'd make the plumbing out of the appropriate thickness solder wire and/or copper wire with the shielding stripped off at the ends (leaving the center section of sufficient length to represent the rubber tubing connection between the fuel/vent lines and the tank).

 

Thank you Juggernut - off to aftermarket land I go then!

(I have the Quickboost Curtis one for Jeannie - that will teach me to change subjects half way through I guess )

Do you have a picture of exactly (or even somewhat roughly!) of where the two tubes (because it is two tubes right??) go into the fuselage?

I have subscribed to the aircorps library website but there is almost too much information in there - I feel like I could almost construct a P-47 from scratch, and yet all I want is a single pic showing where these stupid tubes went in!

 

1 hour ago, Joe Hegedus said:

The standard theater recognition markings for the P-47 were bands on the fin and stabilizers, and the forward section of the cowl.  On OD/gray airplanes the bands and cowl were supposed to be white, and on NMF airplanes they were to be black.  When airplanes were delivered to the theater, they went through a central depot (Burtonwood?) that painted the recognition markings on before sending the airplanes on to the receiving units.  The depot would also apply the invasion stripes per the current directive on new airplanes coming through after D-Day.

 

So it is entirely possible that the image above shows O7-Q with the standard recognition markings, before squadron colors (if any) were applied.

 

Hi Joe,

To clarify, the pictures are in rough date order: the award ceremony is definitely England - I recognise the landscape - and is therefore before the other two which are in either France or beyond. 

I think I will go with a dark blue cowl; if I find definitive evidence of it being black, I can always repaint i suppose.

 

Thanks again to all who have chipped in.

 

Kind regards,

Nick

[Sepp]

1 hour ago, Joe Hegedus said:

The standard theater recognition markings for the P-47 were bands on the fin and stabilizers, and the forward section of the cowl. 

...

So it is entirely possible that the image above shows O7-Q with the standard recognition markings, before squadron colors (if any) were applied.

 

You are quite correct - I had forgotten that the QIMs included the cowl; please consider my comment modified accordingly.

 

Although, I still reckon that it was probably blue.

[Juggernut]

Does this help at all?  It's not the pancake tank but it does show the connection for it at the points J.  The fuel and vent lines would protrude through the aircraft skin and the connections to the tank would be made via rubber hose to the lines on the fuel tank.

 

Edited August 19, 2020 by Juggernut

[nmayhew]

Thank you - ironically I screen grabbed that very image earlier this morning:)

 

I think from looking at technical drawings one tube goes into the fuselage roughly in line with the vertical canopy frame, but I don’t have a lateral reference.

 

i think it is off the centre line, and towards the port side, but by how much I’m not sure.

 

i have pawed through every P-47 image I have and clearly this wasn’t a particularly sexy part of the Jug’s anatomy!

 

I’m still fiddling around with bomb racks and the like so I’ve got some time yet for the mystery to be unshrouded ...