"Above the Foe"--Republic's P-47 Thunderbolt
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This was my first attempt at building a natural metal aircraft model. I chose to work on a P-47 Thunderbolt because my IPMS Tidewater buds inspired me with their work on a range of projects including a P-47N, Avro Lancaster with Canadian markings, an XB-49 Flying Wing, MiG-21, F-104, and a Ki-44.
"Above the Foe" is the motto of the 78th Fighter Group. My model represents the aircraft flown by Maj Ben Mayo , 78th Fighter Group, 84th Fighter Squadron, Duxford, United Kingdom, in the Summer of 1944. The unit currently serves as the 78th Air Base Wing at Robins AFB, GA.
I built the 1/72 scale Tamiya P-47D model out of the box. In building this kit, I learned a number of lessons; the first was on the use of Alclad paints. I used aluminum as the base, duraluminum for the elevators and ailerons, dark aluminum for the cowling, wing tips and gun panels, and burned aluminum for the lower gun panel. I used Tamiya tape to mask the different sections, but when I removed the tape, it peeled off the adjacent base coat. A friend suggested that I strip the paint and then wipe the model down with rubbing alcohol. It worked. The paint didn't peel anymore, but in the process, the rubbing alcohol took out the putty I used to fill the seams and had to re-work that effort before putting on the primer. I discovered the importance of using a hair dryer to help the decals settle after applying microsol...this was a hard lessons as I bought 2 additional kits for the decals because I screwed-up the cowling checkerboard twice. I guess the third time is a charm....