Hasegawa 1/32 P47D Republic Thunderbolt

[Vaughan]

I've made a start on the Thunderbolt, it's a big kit and will look impressive on the shelf when finished. I won't be building the 'Gabby' version as most people tend to do, so I've opted for Maj. Glenn T. Eagleston's Thunderbolt with the skull and cross bones nose art. This ones going to be a challenge as it's a NMF but I should be ok as the Wildcat turned out successfully. First up is the Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp radial engine. There are very few parts compared to the Trumpeter kits but it's still well detailed. As with most of these planes very little will be seen of the engine but it's nice to put the effort in, so I have added some plug wires. Here's my progress over the last few days. A dry fit first followed spraying the various parts, then a wash to enhance the cylinder heads. Holes have been drilled to to take the plug wire and glued with CA. This afternoon I've trimmed the wires and attached them to the distributor ring. Some further weathering will finish the engine off.

Vaughan

View attachment 56120

View attachment 56121

View attachment 56122

View attachment 56123

View attachment 56124

View attachment 56125

View attachment 56126

View attachment 56127

View attachment 56128

View attachment 56129

View attachment 56130

 

[yak face]

Nice work vaughan , in this scale the ignition harness is a very noticeable addition , and yours really looks great. Nice choice of scheme too , looking forward to seeing it , cheers tony

 

[mossiepilot]

Cracking start Vaughan, a smart looking engine there.

Tony.

 

[aaron]

Nice job on that engine, i have an old revell kit of this in 1/32. Quite a big bird init

 

[papa 695]

A very nice start Vaughan will watch this one and like Tony say's a nice choice of colour scheme

 

[Mustang69]

That's quite cool. Noticed an article in Model Airplane International a couple of issues ago about radial engines where they used copper wires for the plug leads, but I think yours looks more realistic, being plug leads, which wouldn't be bare copper. What did you use for the plug leads and are did you paint them?

 

[Fenlander]

Very nice, I do like these old radial engine aircraft, makes them look so big and powerful.

 

[Vaughan]

Thanks Guys

That's quite cool. Noticed an article in Model Airplane International a couple of issues ago about radial engines where they used copper wires for the plug leads, but I think yours looks more realistic, being plug leads, which wouldn't be bare copper. What did you use for the plug leads and are did you paint them?

Frikkie I've always used lead wire which I buy from my local model shop. Because it's so soft and flexible it's easy to bend and as a result looks more realistic. The lead tends to be quite dull in look, so no need to paint, I think that also helps with the realism.

Vaughan

View attachment 56119

 

[Mustang69]

Thanks for the info Vaughan. Appreciated!

 

[stona]

That's quite cool. Noticed an article in Model Airplane International a couple of issues ago about radial engines where they used copper wires for the plug leads, but I think yours looks more realistic, being plug leads, which wouldn't be bare copper. What did you use for the plug leads and are did you paint them?

The original leads were actually comprised of several insulating layers. The outside sheath was a braided metallic material. I'd say Vaughan's representation looks very good.

Beware restorations on this one (as ever) !

Cheers

Steve

 

[Vaughan]

Your right about the braided insulation. Here's a closeup shot I took of the P47 at Duxford.

Vaughan

View attachment 56140

 

[Fenlander]

I love to use lead wire, so much easier to work with than copper as it has no tendency to spring back. John stocks a decent range of the stuff here

 

[Mustang69]

I'm hi-jacking here, and apologize Vaughn, but I'm hoping John reads this. There's so many things, like these lead wires and different sizes of masking tapes, that one just can not find in South Africa, even on-line from locals, so one has to be really creative. John, do you export to SA and could you message me info or provide a link regarding posting please.

 

[Vaughan]

That's not a problem Frikkie, you could PM Theuns user name T. van Vuuren he lives in Johanesburg/South Africa he might be able to help you with modelling stuff or PM John or click on 'contact us' at the footer of the page. Johns always very helpful.

Vaughan

 

[Vaughan]

Small update for today basically a dry fit with the engine cowlings. Hasegawa have slightly over complicated things with the amount of parts which have to all fit perfectly together, so this will be a bit of a challenge. They do give a choice of radiator louvres open or shut, not sure which one I'll go for yet. I popped the engine and cowling on the end of the fuselage to see how she's going to look 'BIG' is the answer.

Vaughan

View attachment 56161

View attachment 56162

View attachment 56163

View attachment 56164

 

[Vajled]

comming along really nice

 

[Mustang69]

Vaughn, I have decided to follow your build, and as I'm newby, hope you don't mind me bombing you with questions along the way. I'll greatly appreciate it, else i'll start threads else where for advice if you feel it's a bit intrusive. Is 1/32 you preferred scale? How do you cope with the big decals, settling them correctly and all or does that come with practice. I'm using Micro Set and Sol, but find that if it goes on skew, it's very difficult to adjust because of the size of the decal, so I have to lift it up and try again, a number of times.

Am myself busy finishing off a Ju-88 1/72 by Revell, and no, not the nice tooling, got a lot of practice with filling.

Another thing I've picked up, is a static attraction problem. With the first clear coat on, the model is a magnet for fine hairs and particles and when trying to set the decals, the model actually attracts the decal when brought close. So you can imagine the fun when hanging the decal next to the model after having to lift the decal up due to improper placing; just when the decal hangs close, but I'm still eyeing the placement, the decal gets "sucked" towards the model when I'm not ready for the placement yet. Just wondering if everyone experiences this and it's part of the hobby.

 

[BarryW]

Hi Frikkie. I do almost all 32 scale stuff and I can answer some of your questions from my experience. Others, of course, will have their own ideas but that is part of the fun of this hobby with more than one way to approach things.

Decals are a bit of a challenge, mostly though when it comes to poor quality decals. Trumpeter decals are a menace and even Tamiya decals can be fragile.

I too use the Microscal products but Set, I would suggest, should only be used when the 'glue' has leeched away. I would brush water over the area where a decal is to be positioned as the surface tension helps you to float it into place. I use cotton buds to position the decal and then with a rolling motion to push it onto the model displacing and soaking up the water. Do it slowly making sure the decal stays in position and adjusting it as needed. A cocktail stick can also be useful here. When the decal has dried you should use Microsol to soften the decal and help it conform to the model.

What do you use as a clear coat? I use Vallejo gloss varnish and do not have a static problem. There are always fine particles in the air and it is a good idea to minimise the problem with a vacuum clean. I tend to wipe down all around my work area with a wet cloth as well. I also sand between coats of paint and varnish with a very fine sanding stick - I use the green side of a Flory Models polishing stick, its about right for this. Afterwards I always wipe the model down with a damp kitchen towel. Don't do it after applying decals even with a sealing coat though. With acrylics I always leave 24 hours between coats incidentally to give the paint/varnish time to cure and not just to dry and certainly never mask over a paint job until at least 24 hours after painting.

I hope that helps.

 

[Vaughan]

Frikkie that's fine to ask questions that's how we learn.

In answer to your first question 1/32 although large is my preferred scale it's what I feel comfortable with. The only downside is running out of room to display them.

I think Barry has answered most of your questions regarding decals. Saying that I tend to use Klear as a varnish prior to applying decals which helps prevent silvering.

As far as moving the decal I use a wet finger or a wet soft brush and follow up with Revells decalsoft giving it time to soften the decal. Once soft I take a piece of damp kitchen roll and apply gentle pressure to help it conform to the models rivets and panel lines. It's important to let the decals dry completely and then I apply a second coat of Klear to seal them.

I think we all have issues with dust but it's a matter of keeping your work area clean and as Barry said wiping down the model with a damp kitchen towel really helps.

Vaughan

 

[Vaughan]

A step in the right direction here. I have on good authority that the inside of the engine cowlings were in fact aluminium and not zinc chromate green as the instructions would have you do them. So aluminium they are. There are quite a few ejector pin marks but none will be visible. Next step will be to wrap the cowlings around the engine and secured it to the rear bulkhead.

Vaughan

View attachment 56238

View attachment 56239

View attachment 56240