P-47 Questions

[Juggernut]

Loadout depends entirely on what the mission was.  Bridge busting would probably use 500/1000 lb general purpose demolition bombs. Interdiction may use rockets and bombs as would close air support. When equipped with an overload of ammo (all eight guns), the P-47 pilot could bring a lot of pain in addition to the underwing ordnance.  

[John1]

Speaking of armament, any idea what color the MG blast tubes would be on an OD / Grey Jug?  Nor many period color pictures that show this and most warbirds seem to have them in a polished chrome finish which just doesn't cut it. 

Edited September 15, 2021 by John1

[Joe Hegedus]

5 minutes ago, John1 said:

Speaking of armament, any idea what color the MG blast tubes would be on an OD / Grey Jug?  Nor many period color pictures that show this and most warbirds seem to have them in a polish chrome finish which just doesn't cut it. 

The blast tubes were unpainted stainless steel.

[TAG]

10 hours ago, John1 said:

Speaking of armament, any idea what color the MG blast tubes would be on an OD / Grey Jug?  Nor many period color pictures that show this and most warbirds seem to have them in a polished chrome finish which just doesn't cut it. 

Seeing as your bird was originally a Senta a Pua! Jug, here's a period Kodachrome color pic from the BAF that shows how the planes got absolutely filthy (look at the mud caked onto the bottom of the wing) but the crew chief/armorers kept the blast tubes pretty spotless, not as polished as a modern-day warbird of course, but still pretty shiny.

 

Bonus shot of a BAF armorer greasing up a Ma Deuce.

[John1]

Hey, it's me again - that annoying guy who keeps asking questions about the P-47.   This might be my last P-47 question (before I spend the next year bugging all of you about F-4C Phantom trivia) - Does anyone have a good detailed picture that shows the interior of the P-47D's canopy and the area on the top of the fuselage, aft of the pilot's armor?   Surprisingly I have not been able to find any pictures that show this part of the actual aircraft.    Like just about every plastic model ever made, the interior side walls of the Hase canopy are simply flat, featureless plastic.   I'm sure there must have been some widgets or structure inside the canopy...

 

As always, any info is greatly appreciated. 

[TAG]

Hey, John

 

You're correct in assumption once again, there was indeed a canopy jettison mechanism on the inside of the -47's bubbletop. Here's a couple of schematics:

 

Here's some pics from an award-winning restoration of Dottie Mae and the Jug in the Brazilian Air Force Museum down in Rio de Janeiro:

Our very own @JayW built a ridiculously awesome 1/18th scale T-Bolt a while back, I've taken the liberty of using some of the photos from his build which illustrate the jettison mechanism perfectly. Hope you don't mind, Jay!

 

Voilà, I have more refs but a bit pressed for time, hope that helps though. Oh, and make sure you paint the rubber gasket around the bottom edge of the canopy, a lot of modelers miss that detail and it makes a world of difference in the overall accuracy and look of the bird.

 

Thomaz

 

[JayW]

On 9/4/2021 at 6:48 AM, TAG said:

Unlike restored birds which tend to have them in YZC, the Fowler flap linkages were painted in exterior colors for camouflaged planes (so Neutral Gray) and left in NMF on unpainted Jugs during wartime.

 Well  crap!!  Now I find out!

[JayW]

12 hours ago, John1 said:

Does anyone have a good detailed picture that shows the interior of the P-47D's canopy and the area on the top of the fuselage, aft of the pilot's armor?   

 

You might be about to enter the twilight zone my friend, depending on how much you want to do with your P-47.  What you are alluding to here is the canopy rail installation.  Some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAG provided good pics as well in his post.  The bubble top was opened and closed by a chain drive, driven by an electric motor.  Like all bubble tops, the sliding canopy had three sets of rollers.  Two forward rollers on either side that ran in tracks along the sides of the cockpit structure, and one set on the centerline on the structural arch directly behind the pilot armor which ran on another track that you should see in the drawings above.  That track, its support structure, and the chain drive are what you ask about.  

 

The first photo is of "Dottie Mae" after she was fished out of a lake in Europe some years ago.  Her resto is absolutely amazing, and I used pics of it very often in my 1/18 P-47 build a few years back.  I highly recommend visiting that:  https://www.facebook.com/alliedfighters/.

 

The shots of actual drawings come from Aircorps library:  https://app.aircorpslibrary.com/

 

Few modelers go deep enough to scratch build with the engineering drawings.  And only for some aircraft are drawings actually available.  The P-47 is one of those subjects.  It is here where you will find the twilight zone.  If you are like me, Aircorps Library will be like a kid in a candy store.  All the info you will ever need about P-47's.  Drawings, manuals, etc.  It costs money to join, but not much.

 

You will soon find that not all P-47's look the same, even among the bubbletops.  During the war, engineering changes came out constantly.  So you ask about the cockpit - well yes the side walls were packed with stuff.  And it depended on the model - a P-47D-25 looked a bit different than the -28, or the -30, etc.  

 

Keep asking questions - this site is full of P-47 experts who love to answer questions - me included.

Edited September 28, 2021 by JayW

[John1]

TAG and JayW - thank you both so much for the amazing data dump!   Looks like pretty much all my questions are answered. I don't think I have the skills to replicate all the widgets exactly but I'll do the best I can and it should certainly look better than the bare kit part.

 

Thanks again guys, it's much appreciated. 

[Citadelgrad]

19 hours ago, TAG said:

Hey, John

 

You're correct in assumption once again, there was indeed a canopy jettison mechanism on the inside of the -47's bubbletop. Here's a couple of schematics:

 

Here's some pics from an award-winning restoration of Dottie Mae and the Jug in the Brazilian Air Force Museum down in Rio de Janeiro:

Our very own @JayW built a ridiculously awesome 1/18th scale T-Bolt a while back, I've taken the liberty of using some of the photos from his build which illustrate the jettison mechanism perfectly. Hope you don't mind, Jay!

 

Voilà, I have more refs but a bit pressed for time, hope that helps though. Oh, and make sure you paint the rubber gasket around the bottom edge of the canopy, a lot of modelers miss that detail and it makes a world of difference in the overall accuracy and look of the bird.

 

Thomaz

 

Uhhh, i knew that…(At least i knew it before i screwed up, thanks to this post)
 

man, i saw this post this morning and painted my own P47 D25 canopy tonight.  Talk about PERFECT timing.  
 

thank you for this….

[MikeMaben]

Couple more ...

 

 

 

[John1]

Last P-47 question (I think).  Does anyone have good color pictures of the wingtip navigation lights?  Not finding much online. Any info is much appreciated.   

[Citadelgrad]

Someone on LSP recently posted a great photo….but i didnt grab it.  I thought that i commented on the thread, but i just went back and looked and cant find it.   It wasnt more than 2 oe so months ago. 
 

i am certain that it showed a colored bulb 90 degrees to the fuselage centerline, with a clear cover over the whole deal. 
 

But, again, i cant find it.  I was looking at the Hasegawa clear parts, and they have a “divot” in the correct place for the bulb. 
 

holy heck my memory is going.  Its a black and white photo, but i think it will work

 

 

Edited October 15, 2021 by Citadelgrad

[MikeMaben]

Obviously a restoration, the blue/green one was the standard but the red one

partially covered was sometimes seen.

 

 

 

[JayW]

11 hours ago, John1 said:

Last P-47 question (I think).  

Keep 'em coming John!  Don't be shy.  We all love an authentic build, and the more questions you get answered, the more authentic your build will be.  This forum is a great resource.