SkyPainter303's 1/72 Hobby Boss P-47D Thunderbolt

[SkyPainter303]

p47d-004 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

As a mojo-booster, I am joining this build with a Hobby Boss Easy Assembly Authentic Kit. I've built a few of these kits before. They build into nice little aircraft models. The kit consists of 39 pieces on two gray sprues, a solid, one piece fuselage, a solid, one piece wing assembly, two types of propellors, one clear canopy sprue.

The plastic is nicely molded with fine, delicately engraved, recessed panel lines. There is just about no visible flash. The fuselage does have a mold seam on the top and bottom that will need to be sanded off. The detail on the landing gear is adequate, but the engine detail is very lacking. There is no representation of cooling fins on the cylinders. I suppose, if I were so inclined, the front half of a more detailed engine from another kit could be made to work. Included are parts for three drop tanks and two bombs.

The decals include markings for two aircraft; one of the 527FS, 86FG and the other from the 531FS, 406FG. Both of these birds are are bare metal schemes. I am not sure how accurate the decals are. I'll need to do some research or get replacement decals.


p47d-001 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


p47d-002 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


p47d-005 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


p47d-006 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030902 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030903 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



There is vast amounts of information available online and in print about the P-47 Thunderbolt, I can't add much of any importance to this history. Nonetheless, here is the basic rundown of a P-47D bubbletop as published by Squadron Signal in "P-47 Thunderbolt In Action":


p47d-007 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


p47d-008 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

The first step of the instructions has an error. Part A22 doesn't exist as a separate piece. It is actually molded into the fuselage.


P1030906 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I glued on the headrest, then brush painted the cockpit with one coat of thinned, Model Master Acrylic Interior Green. After I painted the cockpit, I decided I would change my paint sequence and will paint the interior after the natural metal finish.


P1030905 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030907 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



Next up was to attach the wings. The joins will need to be sanded and filled to correct the contour error.


P1030908 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



Small wing join gaps will also need to be filled.


P1030913 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



In the meantime I primed the engine pieces by brush painting two, thinned coats of Model Master Acrylic Gray Primer. I also painted the interior of the engine cowling by brush painting Model Master Enamel Aluminum.


P1030912 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030910 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

As might be expected, this build is flying by. I used Tamiya White Putty on the seams between the lower wing surface and fuselage. Sanded smooth, the seams look nice.


P1030914 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030916 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I filled the upper wing joins with more white putty wiped off with a lacquer thinner soaked cotton swab.


P1030915 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



After the main wing, I attached the horizontal stabilizers. Here another problem with the instructions became evident: part numbers between left and right are reversed. I didn't realize this and had to pull off one of the stabilizers. I also spilled some Tamiya cement on it which needed to be sanded off. These joins also need to be filled.


P1030917 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030918 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



Back at the front of the aircraft, I attached to the fuselage, the complete and painted, engine. The engine is probably the least interesting part of this kit. As an attempt to spruce up the appearance, I applied a very minimal enamel stain (in this case, Testors, black enamel stain). I also painted the fire wall with Model Master Acrylic flat black. Another detail missing in this Easy Assembly kit, is the intake that should be inside the lower cowling ring.


P1030919 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030920 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



To help the fit of the cowl to the the fuselage, slots on the engine backing needed to be enlarged.


P1030921 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



Finally the three hard points for drop tanks and/or bombs were added. Next up is priming and painting followed by painting and attached the landing gear and doors.


P1030922 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

I had a major setback in my build. I tried a generic rattle can, enamel primer that reacted with the plastic. Undaunted, I began to strip the model with Testors Easy Lift Off, but the more I worked with it, the worse things got. The ELO dissolved the Tamiya putty, a horizontal stabilizer came loose, and one of the pylons fell off. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous all this effort seemed. I only paid $5.99 USD for the kit at Hobby Lobby with a 40% coupon. I'll just go buy another kit. It isn't like I attached many parts or put in too much effort.

Another thing I noticed about this Hobby Boss kit, is that the panel lines are very thin; so thin they fill with paint and disappear. I've built the HB easy kit versions of the MiG-3, MiG-15, and He163. They all have much more pronounced panel lines. I wonder if Hobby Boss made manufacturing changes somewhere along the line.

[DougvH]

I'm currently building their easy assembly 1:48 P-38, and the panel lines and riveting also disappear with the slightest bit of sanding.

[SkyPainter303]

I bought another replacement kit for $6. I thought I'd do something different this time. Since the panel lines were extremely fine and shallow, I decided to re-scribe most of them.


P1030925 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


This time around I got better fitment at the wing joins.

P1030926 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



Here is the scribe and Dymo tape I used for the panel lines.

P1030928 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

I think I am actually going to get through this build. Here is the replacement engine.


P1030929 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr



I primed, sanded, and primed again. I sprayed black Stynylrez.


P1030931 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030932 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr


P1030933 by Michael Keogh, on Flickr

[SkyPainter303]

I'm trashing this one. My rescribing didn't go as well as i liked and i switched to Testors enamel paint. That was another mistake. Frustrated, I trashed it. Later this week I'll introduce a totally different build for this GB.

[Tomcat64]

Strewth - two trashed kit threads on the same day (three if you count your first go around on this one too) - warring weather is definitely living up to its name.

Hope you can regroup and come back with something new soon.

[Lysus]

Ugh...yeah. No need to soldier on when the kit is fighting you like that. Shame, you were building the hell out of it, but if the details are gonna vanish like that so easily it'd be in my trash, too.

[DrSprue]

Oh Darn Mike!! It looked like they were coming out so well too! Yup, had that problem with my Naboo, but that was glue related (arrgg) and restarting that one myself. Your work on the 1/72 pit looked so cool as well!! Hope you come back and I will be watching too! Really you cant beat a P47 no matter what tho.