GB-56 1/48 P-47D-30RA - Thunderbolts and Lightnings.

[Airframes]

Thanks chaps.
The cold seems to be easing off, so a few more Paracetamol and I might be able to get some more work done later today.

 

[Airframes]

I've had to revise the method of attaching the ignition leads, partly due to the very fiddly work involved, but mainly due to the lay out of the outlet tubes from the harness ring, represented as small "nibs" on the kit part.
After attaching nine lengths of lead wire, it was becoming more and more difficult to handle the gear box casing, due to it's shape and the position of the wire attachment points, so I decided it would be much easier to cement the gearbox in place on the front of the engine assembly, and then continue with the remaining wires, this time attaching them to the outside of the "nibs".
It was at this point that I realised that the nibs didn't really align with the cylinders in the right order, and that the wires would not be in the correct position around the entire circumference of the harness ring. Therefore I am now attaching wires which will be approximately in the right place, although, when finished, this will be more of a token effort rather than a truly accurate portrayal of the ignition wire locations.
That said, once the cowling is on, the front of the engine will be mostly obscured by the cowling, ducting and prop, with the wires only just visible to the naked eye, so hopefully this will be "passable".
Another couple of hours work attaching wires and painting the casing and details should see this completed, and I hope to have some pics to show later. Meanwhile, I'm going to have a half hour break, re-attach some hair to my head, and have a calming glass or three of Merlot ................

 

[Vic Balshaw]

your right Terry, a lot of work applied for good detail and then we cover some 75 to 80%. Then again, we know it is there somewhere.

 

[Airframes]

Yep, to paraphrase an old British TV ad "Who knows the secret of the Black Magic box" !!
(I wonder what happened to those chocs - haven't seen them around for a while, and no TV ads at Christmas. A box of those and a couple of Babychams worked wonders with the ladies - and now I'm showing my age !!).

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Ah. Black Magic and Babycham the "genuine champagne perry", your right, were old.

 

[Airframes]

Got the engine finished and the engine, ducting, cowl flap ring and cowling assembled and attached to the fuselage.
The Hasegawa decal sheet includes the tiny Pratt & Whitney logo to go on the front of the gearbox, but this folded when being applied, and couldn't be saved, so a spot of light blue paint is acting as a substitute logo. I couldn't manage the eagle motif, but the badge probably can't be seen anyway, now that the cowling is in place, and will be even more obscured once the large prop is attached.
There's just a couple of things to do now, before the first painting stage, when the cowl bands and tail stripes will be painted, along with the anti glare panel, all of which will be masked when dry, ready to spray the metal finish.
The Eagle Strike decal sheet includes the mid blue tail stripes, and the mid blue panels for the cowl flaps (but not the pale blue panels), but I've never been keen on using decals for stripes on wings or tail planes, as there is often carrier film overlap on the leading and trailing edges, which can be very difficult, or impossible, to remove effectively.
Pics below show the progress to date, and I hope to have a further up-date fairly soon.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Great stuff Terry.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Wayne Little]

Real Nice work Terry.

 

[le_steph40]

agreed with all above

 

[T Bolt]

Great looking engine Terry

 

[Jock Tamson]

Very nice indeed

 

[Airframes]

Thanks very much chaps, as always it's appreciated.

I learned something from that exercise - only the bottom couple of cylinders, and the oil lines from the gearbox, can be seen easily once the engine is buried in the cowling. So if I decide to add the wiring on the next P-47 build, I might just do only these areas.
I'm very stiff and uncomfortable at the moment, probably due to fluctuating pressure and temperatures - it's 1C one minute and 9C the next, with pressure up and down like a fiddlers elbow - but I'm hoping things will ease off and I can get started on the painting.
I'll be back when there's more to show.

 

[Gnomey]

Nice work so far Terry!

 

[Snautzer01]

Thanks very much chaps, as always it's appreciated.

I learned something from that exercise - only the bottom couple of cylinders, and the oil lines from the gearbox, can be seen easily once the engine is buried in the cowling. So if I decide to add the wiring on the next P-47 build, I might just do only these areas.
I'm very stiff and uncomfortable at the moment, probably due to fluctuating pressure and temperatures - it's 1C one minute and 9C the next, with pressure up and down like a fiddlers elbow - but I'm hoping things will ease off and I can get started on the painting.
I'll be back when there's more to show.

Hope the weather will behave a bit better comming week. Bit of sun i would appreciate thank you very much. ( thats the glowy thing in the sky mum told me about giving free warmth.)

Really enjoying these p-47 builds.

 

[Airframes]

Glowing thing in the sky ?
Ah, yes. I remember that !
Global warming is a myth - I'm ****ing cold !!!

 

[Airframes]

The nose band, cowl flaps, wing tips and tail bands have been brush painted, the colours being mixed to match the Eagle Strike decals.
Once fully dry, these areas will be masked to the required dimensions and the O.D. anti-glare panel will be painted.
When all that's done, and masked, the wing pylons can be fitted, along with a scratch-built drop tank / bomb shackle under the fuselage, and the NMF sprayed, again using the Revell No.90 "Silver" enamel.
I'm a bit too stiff, with swollen wrists, knees and ankles at the moment, so I'll get this done when I'm a bit more comfortable, hopefully tomorrow.

 

[Wurger]

 

[fubar57]

Love that blue

 

[Crimea_River]

Looks bloody purple on my screen!