P-47D Thunderbolt colors and pilot figure questions

[ChuckD]

Good morning, everyone.   Hopefully this is the right forum for this. I've pulled the Hasegawa P-47D of the shelf of doom and have decided to do this paint scheme:

 

Something about OD is more striking to me than NMF.  

 

According to this as well as a few other sources, this aircraft was flown by Capt. Arthur Bux (presumably the gentleman in the photograph) in the 61st FS/56th FG.  I am making the following assumptions and would love to hear some feedback on it.

 

• Overall OD green for all upper and side surfaces including vertical stab, horizontal stab, and elevators
• Overall neutral gray on all lower surfaces
• Cowl ring and rudder red
• Cowl between ring and cowl flaps a darker shade of OD
• Canopy frame NMF
• Wheel wells Zinc Chromate
• Landing gear neutral gray or natural metal, same for wheel hubs
• Blue surround for national insignia
• No antenna wire from vertical stab to dorsal antenna

 

Also, I'm wondering if anyone has seen a figure posed similarly to what is shown in the photo.  I'd like to  do a small base for this with the figure because it helps show off the massive size of the Jug.  I'm not opposed to sculpting a bit to get a figure to fit, so it would just need to be close.  Most figures I'm aware of are in full flight gear.  

 

Edit to add: I think I might be able to adapt the standing figure from the Tamiya P-51D kit.  It'll take a little sculpting, but I think I can make a go of it, unless anyone has any better suggestions.  Reedoak, Black Dog, Wings, and all the other big names in 1/32 figures mostly feature figures in full flight gear.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2020 by ChuckD

[Juggernut]

Without knowing exactly when this picture was taken, the aircraft looks like it may be painted like the 61st squadron's P-47M's but with a noted omission.  The M's were flat black (or very dark blue - last I knew, it wasn't definitively determined which is correct but consensus is a matt to satin black color) on the top and natural metal underneath.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of contrast between the black of the invasion stripes and the top color on the aircraft.  The rudder, squadron codes (with natural metal surround), nose (24") were red.  It appears that the canopy frame and windscreen on this machine may also be red.  The squadron codes on this machine are most definitely NOT red and are most likely white.  The omission is that the leading edges of the wings and horizontal stabilizers were natural metal on the groups P-47M's but this aircraft does not have that feature.

 

If it's not painted like the squadron's M jugs, I would think that it would've been painted in RAF dark green on the top with natural metal undersides (as referenced by the distinctly metal appearance of the left gear cover). Canopy frame and windscreen appear to be red.  This scheme doesn't appear to be consistent with what I know of the camouflage schemes of the 56th's P-47D's around the time Gabreski was still with the group but that doesn't mean anything as this photo appears to be very late 1944 to early 1945 and Gabreski was in a POW camp at that time.

 

The best thing about doing this is that without supporting information - there's no way on God's semi-green Earth that anyone can prove you wrong, no matter which way you choose to go.... Well, if you paint it pink, I'm sure they'd pretty much be able to refute that. 

Edited December 16, 2020 by Juggernut

[ChuckD]

Thanks, Juggernut.  I've been looking at this single photo for the last three days and am still at a loss for a definitive answer.  I found another post on Aeroscale where they suppose it's OD over neutral gray.  I ended up going with a dark OD that I tinted with Tamiya NATO black that brings it closer to an RAF dark green.  The canopy seems to be roughly the same shade of gray as the cowl ring and tail, so I went with a red canopy frame too.  As you pointed out - we'll likely never know with certainty what the colors really were.  

 

I just finished masking all the insignias and markings yesterday, so today, it's on to decaling.  Masking around those damned intercooler doors on the fuselage was a colossal PITA, so if I ever build another P-47, I'm posing them closed.  Ugh.  

[Kagemusha]

There's a couple of photos of Bostwick's M here, the middle cowl looks the same, the most appropriate figures I can think of are these

 

 

 

and this one.

[Pete G.]

I have a 56th book with this photo.  I recall, as mentioned, that it is a P-47M and that the color was a dark blue, almost black, remaining natural metal underneath.  I'll have to see if I can dig up the reference.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Pete G.
Added info

[Juggernut]

It's not a P-47M, the serial number is applicable to a P-47D-28.