P-47D Thunderbolt 1/32 - Gabby Gabreski RFI

[DugyB]

4 hours ago, Dpgsbody55 said:

Looks very good so far.  Excellent weathering too.  Subtle but effective.

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

Thanks Michael, trying to not overdue it, now on to that pesky paint chipping … 

[DugyB]

With perfect weather for keeping me indoors I’ve been making great progress today, fingers are crossed for tomorrow. I couldn’t help myself, I’ve just set the front engine and windscreen in place, really was curious to see how it’s going to look.  It’s starting to look a lot more business like now….

 

Edited January 27, 2024 by DugyB

[Shoggz]

Looks great Dugy..

[DugyB]

11 hours ago, Shoggz said:

Looks great Dugy..

Thanks mate, woke up this morning counting the parts needed gluing on, lol, and also only a couple of small bits of painting left to do.  Hope to finish it up soon.  

[mozart]

Super work Dugy…..and Happy Birthday! 

[DugyB]

1 hour ago, mozart said:

Super work Dugy…..and Happy Birthday! 

Cheers matey,  that’s a birthday wish for Gabby too I hope.  

[DugyB]

There’s a photo online which shows a lot of oil/grime on the lower engine cowling, so I diluted a drop of Tamiya Red Brown with thinner and used a old tooth brush to flick some on. 

 

[DugyB]

Milestone reached today, finally standing on its own.  Also I’m glad to see my mini mod to the drop tank worked well.  Only meters away from the finish now …. 

 

[DugyB]

Ok, calling time on my build, it’s been a interesting journey as I’ve learned a lot about Gabby Gabreski.  He was by many accounts only a average flight cadet/student.  He was literally there from the start to the finish.  Was stationed at Wheeler Field on 7th December, flew Spits with the Poles and RAF, then of course was famous with the 56th. Managed to down himself and becoming a POW.  After WW2 went on to become an ace during the Korean War.  Here’s a few pics of his Bolt, I’ll try to get better snaps tomorrow.  Thanks everyone for tagging along, much appreciated  

 

[Shoggz]

That looks really smart Dugy. Bravo.

 

Nice to get if finished on your birthday - I hope the rest of the day is as rewarding!

[Dpgsbody55]

Looks very good. 

 

 

Cheers,

Michael

[phasephantomphixer]

A real turnout under time deadline even!

Hope you had a nice birthday,

do you dare take pics of the RH side?

[DugyB]

27 minutes ago, phasephantomphixer said:

A real turnout under time deadline even!

Hope you had a nice birthday,

do you dare take pics of the RH side?

Roger that,  thanks matey, and standby for todays flood of pics 

Edited January 29, 2024 by DugyB

[DugyB]

On 1/27/2024 at 7:27 PM, Shoggz said:

Looks great Dugy..

Cheers there, thanks for hanging to the end 

[TAG]

Hey, Dugy

 

What a beautiful build, good to see you're on the home stretch now. I noticed your canopy is finished in silver -which is correct for Gabby's bird- except you missed a very important detail (which most modelers miss when building -47's, to be fair). There is actually a rubber gasket on the lower edge of the bubble canopy to seal it tightly against the fuselage when the canopy is closed. This gasket was present on every single bubbletop Jug during the war, so it's an important detail to make your build accurate. Here are some photo refs that showcase that gasket, note the thin black line of rubber at the bottom of the canopy:

 

 

Here's a closeup of the same photo, really showcases the rubber gasket:

 

Here's an unrestored canopy, note the frayed bits of rubber still attached to the bottom edge.

Another view, this one also shows the canopy ejection mechanism to good effect, in case you want to replicate it on your model.

 

Hope that helps, your paint and weathering look SPOT ON, this one is going to be a real show-stopper!

 

Cheers,

- Thomaz