Little Bunny - Italian Front Thunderbolt

[scvrobeson]

Great work with the weathering and the faded olive drab.  Really like it!

 

 

Matt 

[John1]

Thanks Matt!

 

A bit more progress to share - Got the inner wheel well covers installed, along with their hydraulic retraction cylinders.   Opted to paint the cylinders GZC just for a change of pace.   Is it accurate?  Maybe!!  Still need to add hydraulic hoses and a wash to tone them done.   Here is what the real thing looks like (just note - this is a restored P-47 so some of the colors and fittings are not authentic):

 

One thing I noted on WW2 vintage P-47's was heavy exhaust staining on the inner LG doors.    In some instances, the paint was actually baked off.  You don't see this replicated on every P-47 model but to me, it's a notable feature of the real thing.  If I could again use Thomaz's excellent picture, it shows this quite clearly.  

Again, note how filthy the undercarriage and wheels are.   Also note how flattened the wheels are from all the weight.   

 

Here is where I'm at with this area of the model:

Inner gear doors were first hit with a couple of colors of Flory washes (did I mention that I love this stuff?).  I then exposed some of the metal on the front area using the "hairspray technique" and used a silver artist's pencil (a very handy thing that every modeler should have) to add some wear to the edges and exposed rivets.   I then added the exhaust stains. 

 

 

I've also added the flaps.   Only mods were to thin the moveable covers on the inner flap linkages (in looking at my pics, it appears I neglected to thin the sides, I only did the aft edge, I'll get this addressed).   The Hase covers scale out to about 2" thick armor plate!   I also painted the upper interior surfaces with a darker shade of OD, figuring that most times, the flaps would be retracted and this area wouldn't be faded as much as the rest of the exterior.  Also added some stains, etc. 

 

 

Added a wash to the inner wing section that is exposed when the flaps are extended.   Figured this area would get pretty grimy. 

 

I also started a bit of weathering.   Aside from the under fuselage exhaust stains, added a few other stain and highlighted some of the panel lines.   I don't believe in hitting every single panel line with a wash but for panels that were removed routinely or for gaps on control surfaces, trim tabs, etc, I do try to highlight them to show some "gunk" accumulation or add a bit of depth (especially since, unlike the Tamiya kits I'm used to, Hase does not provide separate control surfaces).   On the Jug, this would include the MG and ammo bay doors and their fasteners.   

 

 

 

Added staining and some rust on the cover over the supercharger exhaust.   This area got incredibly hot in RL.   Disregard the crappy stains on the fuselage forward of that section and the blob of lighter colored paint under the wing, still have much work to do.  

 

And lastly, just a check to see how much of that awesome MDC cockpit will be visible when this is completed.   Hmmm....

 

So anyway, one note - if you've followed any of my other builds, my approach to weathering is:  Apply stains, chips, etc.  Touch up because I wasn't happy with the effect.  Repeat another dozen times.    Everything you see here is very much a work in progress.   I'm only doing mostly the undersides now because there are very few decals that will be going into this area.  For the rest of the aircraft, I'll wait until it's glossed and decaled before doing much more.    Thanks for following along and for those in the US, happy Labor Day! 

[John1]

Glossed the model (Tamiya X-22 is the bomb, I'll never go back to Future again).   After a couple of coats had time to dry, I started on the decals.    I'm using Eagle Cals decals.   Nice printing, they go on quite easy.   Only issue is that they really don't "snuggle" in to the panel lines and recessed features very well.   Even after multiple applications of Micro Sol, I'm still looking to have to carefully cut / pin prick  and then coat again with Micro Sol to get them to fully settle in.  Not the end of the world but a bit surprising.   Also, the large decal on the cowling wouldn't settle flat in a few areas, resulting in some wrinkles.   Again, not the end of the world, I'll get them to conform. 

 

Got most of the decals on, still working on a few stencils.   After that, Dullcoat and I can jump into the weathering.   Also waiting for my 1,000 lb bombs to arrive from Brassin.  I considered going with napalm tanks on the wing hard points but opted for bombs.   The kit 500 pounders were a bit on the crude side and I like the idea of the Jug carrying heavyweight bombs, so I went with resin.  I've previously used Brassin's 500 lb bombs and was very impressed by the quality.   

 

 This particular Jug had a somewhat unusual (but not unique) location for the fuselage insignia, located further aft than normal.   

 

 

 

 

Got a lot of weathering to do, especially in this area. 

 

That's it for now.   Thanks for looking and keep those good comments coming! 

Edited September 13, 2021 by John1

[LSP_Kevin]

That looks great, John!

 

Kev

[MikeMaben]

Yep, coming together nicely !  

[TAG]

Woot, this beast looks epic! Paintwork is on point and the decals really bring it to life, can't wait to see the weathering tie it all together

[Out2gtcha]

Tremendous! The camo and yellow stripes really set it off.

[Guest Vincent]

Looks really nice !

[Jeff T]

Yeah, that is looking great John!...coming along very nice indeed.

 

Jeff.

[John1]

Thanks guys!  Work progresses.   I've started the underside weathering process.  The P-47 was known for having filthy undersides.   Between stains from the waste gates / exhausts and various vents, your typical oil leaks from the big Pratt & Whitney engine (If a radial engine isn't leaking, it must be out of oil!) and the grunge that accumulates from operating out of muddy / dusty airbases, there is a lot I can add.   I'm using a mix of paint, Flory washes and pastels.   Still very much a work in progress, got a lot of touchups and small parts to add.  

 

 

 

Also added the hydraulic lines to the inner gear door retraction cylinders.

 

And got some paint on the prop.   Still need to clean this assembly up and add decals. 

 

That's it for now.  Thanks for looking! 

[Oldbaldguy]

9 hours ago, John1 said:

Thanks guys!  Work progresses.   I've started the underside weathering process.  The P-47 was known for having filthy undersides.   Between stains from the waste gates / exhausts and various vents, your typical oil leaks from the big Pratt & Whitney engine (If a radial engine isn't leaking, it must be out of oil!) and the grunge that accumulates from operating out of muddy / dusty airbases, there is a lot I can add.   I'm using a mix of paint, Flory washes and pastels.   Still very much a work in progress, got a lot of touchups and small parts to add.  

 

 

 

Also added the hydraulic lines to the inner gear door retraction cylinders.

 

And got some paint on the prop.   Still need to clean this assembly up and add decals. 

 

That's it for now.  Thanks for looking! 

Damn, but this has turned out nice!

[John1]

Thanks for the comments lads!   Weathering continues.   In addition to Flory washes, I've added some paint chips and wear/tear to the upper surfaces.  Need to keep this restrained, I can easily get carried away and end up with something similar to a late WW2 Japanese Zero (ie - more exposed metal than actual paint)!   Just got my Brassin 1,000 lb bombs, they will be the next thing I focus on.    Still tweaking the weathering, also removed the windscreen masks.    Not that bad, got some touchup work but nothing major.   Always a bit suspenseful taking off the masks, wondering if I have a major mess waiting for me underneath.   Once done with painting, I'll polish up the clear bits as well.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haven't painted the bomb shackles yet, I'll also be reducing the brownish wash aft of the gear well.  

 

 

That's it, thanks for looking! 

[brahman104]

Love the weathering!

 

Craig

[Juggernut]

Very nice!  I'm loving the worn look of a combat veteran.  Excellent weathering!

[Dekon]

Looking really good!