Hi Guys
More progress to report.
In preparation for the paint, I've been studying the available pictures and the decal manufacturers instructions and profile for this bird. Seems there are a couple of discrepancies that need to be resolved.
Pic 1
The profile from the decal manufacturer. Theres a couple of things I am going to change. As previously mentioned, at the time the "Life" photos were taken this P-47 was coded A7-X for the 395th FS. It later served with the 396th to receive the codes as per the decals "C2". The front segment of the under wing pylons is painted flat black as a background to make the "x" clearer. You can see this on the Life photos on page 1. And thirdly the profile depicts the D-Day stripes rising too high on the fuselage side. The D-Day stripes on Miss Second Front seem a little unusual in that they are abbreviated to the top of the lower panel lines, not to the 'Stars n Bars'.
Pic 2
Here's a pic of the D-Day stripes and it's highlighted to show you what I mean.
Pic 3
Here's the panel lines on the fuselage side I referring to. With that cleared up, it's on to masking up.
Pic 4
In order to help with the D-Day stripes I referred to this diagram which appeared in the book "The Mighty Eighth - Warpaint and Heraldry" by Roger Freeman. It has all the dimensions for the D-Day stripes and the recognition bands employed on p-47s at the time.
Pic 5
Okay, you know the drill. 1 hour masking for 5min worth of spraying, but hey, I'm sure it will be worth it!
Pic 6
Came out just fine, I think. I'm going to some back masking to complete the white stripes and allow room for the codes, which I'll be doing soon.
Pic 7
The spinner was very tricky to sort out. Basically it's black with a white spiral stripe. I used very thin cut Tamiya tape and then sprayed the black.
Pic 8
This didn't come out perfect, but in my defense, the original was all wavy as well so in that aspect it looks the part. 8)
Well that's for another update. Cheers for now.