Official FMS 1500mm P-47D Razorback Thread

[vrosi1963]

Hi Vrosi1963: I happen to have a spare fuselage that I purchased years ago, still NIB. I thought I might need it for a spare replacement someday, but I still have three flyable airplanes and this one is really not needed at this time. I would be happy to donate it to the cause for this project. I could send it to you. Maybe you could use it as a test bed so you don't have to buy another one.Let me know if you're interested. If you get it done, we can work out a price for your doing all the work and you could send it back to me, or something. I would definitely need a couple of canopies for future projects, too.

Just a thought. I'll attach some finished P-47s that I have done and flown.

Cheers

Davegee

Ok you can ship the fuse and canopy frame no canopy and i will get the canopy plug correct , then will get 5 or 6 canopies pulled , when i am happy with what i see, will work on a 3d designed head rest and armor plate. and scale a late model pilot to match. after everyone is happy with the pictures , I can sell you the fuse back for ? My Kirby replica , and little chief conversions 2023? Cali graphics as always , My favorite scheme Bob Johnson

[davegee]

Davegee,
I have a removable pitot tube. Once you set up the model, they don't move but I'm sure they look all over. Last year for the Corsair I used 3 1' square plastic mirrors underneath the Corsair and Elbees 3d struts, tw retract and exhausts really made this show up. Plan to do this on both P-47/ Phantom. Going to add the inner wheel cover hydraulic cyl that shows up in my pictures. Thinking of simple wheel well details that would distort the un scale well, hyd. lines, some inner rib stringers just to take their eye off the ugly wheel well. Will add the antenna wire from the rudder post to the insulator on the right-side fuselage.
Did you cut the floorboard completly out or just 1/2" deep then line w/balsa styrene?
Best Regards, Rex

Good on ya, Rex. Regarding the floor, I cut it out compeltely, lined the opening with with 1/2 inch square balsa pieces I cut to fit around the edges, and then glued a sheet of styrene painted the cockpit color to go on top of that. This allowed plenty of space for the pilot's feet, I didn't even include the rudder pedals as no one would ever see them. There is still adequate space for the new floor of the cockpit to not touch the floor of the fuselage, but just keep mindful of that area when you put anything like receivers or other stuff that might interfere with the installation of the cockpit section. But I have never had any problems with it to this day.

Wheel wells in this airplane are unfortunately not scale, and all I did was put some rudimentary hydraulic lines along the insides of the wheel well, per photos of the real thing. But I like your mirrors idea to show details like this for the judges.

Regarding weathering, these being killing machines, in many cases there was no attempt to keep them "beautiful" but as we've talked about for the "big dogs" like Johnson, Gabreski, Schilling, and such, the ground crews worked extra to keep their pilot's plane in the best mechanical shape, and when possible, some waxed on their own time the wings, fuselage, and tail of the airplane for that extra little edge that might bring their pilot home after a scrap. It's up to you if you want to add a little extra sheen per period photos of that plane, if it shows some effort in that area, otherwise, I'd just make it look as close to possible as photos and spec sheets you have to justify your work. At contests like Top Gun and US Scale Masters, we got to stand with our airplanes with the judges, and would put them in various attitudes that they requested so they could really look them over for the static judging scores. We always did very well in team static scores, but the flying part was in the middle of the pack, so we didn't score in the top five at Top Gun. But then, we were competing against the best in the world down there, with unlimited pockets! It was still a cool experience to compete, though.

Regarding the ADF string wire, I would be interested if you have a photo of that in your files of Lucky. The reason I bring that up, I am not aware of the 56th FG having used those in the combat theatre out of England with any of their airplanes. For airplanes operating out of longer legs of operations, like the Pacific Theatre, some planes used those, like the Corsairs. Most navigation in Europe was dead reckoning and pilotage, which was a handful for single pilot operations!

Cheers

davegee

[jetfool]

Davegee,
I have a removable pitot tube. Once you set up the model, they don't move but I'm sure they look all over. Last year for the Corsair I used 3 1' square plastic mirrors underneath the Corsair and Elbees 3d struts, tw retract and exhausts really made this show up. Plan to do this on both P-47/ Phantom. Going to add the inner wheel cover hydraulic cyl that shows up in my pictures. Thinking of simple wheel well details that would distort the un scale well, hyd. lines, some inner rib stringers just to take their eye off the ugly wheel well. Will add the antenna wire from the rudder post to the insulator on the right-side fuselage.
Did you cut the floorboard completly out or just 1/2" deep then line w/balsa styrene?

Dave, I answered my own question. I went back and studied your photos and see you cut the floor out. Will do the same.
Best Regards, Rex

[davegee]

vrosi1963,

Welcome to this site. The people are so good about helping others and I find more scale projects that covers all forms of rc scale, planes cars/trucks, boats, tanks etc.. We would love to see you post your builds/mods on here. Once you do you will find people helping you get a problem you may have or stealing your ideas. lol. I also go on rc groups and RCSB. and find I spend more time here. RCSB is great also. My Dad bought me a Sterling profile Widcat and a Baby Bee .049 when I was 10 yrs old and I just turned 70. Still have those plans and motor.
As you have read there are a few of us that enjoy detailing our models and please join in our rabble. Makes modeling more fun. You might checkout my F4 Phantom in the jet forum to see what I'm working towards. Elbees B-25 and Davegees B-17. I'm a tenderfoot compared to their projects.

I have the strut rods on one gear leg and re installed the leg retraction linkage. With a little touch up paint think it will be presentable.
Best Regards, Rex

Will these planes be sitting on their gear for inspection by the judges? Do they move them at all while judging like to see underneath what details you have? If they don't do any of that, we can concentrate on the things that the Do see, like the inside of the cockpit, external details on the plane, etc. Have you made a pitot tube for it yet? I always have a removable pitot tube if a plane has one, like the B-25 and P-47. I have a spare I can send you if you want to include it. I use an aluminmum or brass tube slightly larger diameter than the wood pitot tube to slide the tube in at the field for flying. Too easy to break off, otherwise. I glue the metal tube into the left forward wingtip area so it barely protrudes out of the fuse. Maybe you have this covered already, but I think well to mention it to include it in the overall model, one way or the other.

Cheers

Davegee

[davegee]

Well . i need a new fuse and then will have to scale up to 3d print from 1.2m size with some hollow test shells to get it right and then get my vac form guy to do some test pulls, I think i have a bout 4to 5 hours into just sanding and polishing . the 45% infill plug.. I ran into a whole group or people on RC groups that would not even spend the $20 to barley cover the vac for guys time and materials, they will be i think $20 plus shipping . for USA people only are you guys all in the USA. let me have a look at the spare fuse cost ,the head rest was just a ply had made armor head rest .. I really don't see fms ever re tooling for a bubble canopy version in our lifetime and is why i did this........... . FMS Fuselage: P-47, 1500mm | Horizon Hobby March 2026 availability FMS Canopy Hatch-Pilot: P-47, 1500mm | Horizon Hobby $150 for both canopy and fuse, to make only two canopies , really

Hi Vrosi1963: I happen to have a spare fuselage that I purchased years ago, still NIB. I thought I might need it for a spare replacement someday, but I still have three flyable airplanes and this one is really not needed at this time. I would be happy to donate it to the cause for this project. I could send it to you. Maybe you could use it as a test bed so you don't have to buy another one.Let me know if you're interested. If you get it done, we can work out a price for your doing all the work and you could send it back to me, or something. I would definitely need a couple of canopies for future projects, too.

Just a thought. I'll attach some finished P-47s that I have done and flown.

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

vrosi1963,

Welcome to this site. The people are so good about helping others and I find more scale projects that covers all forms of rc scale, planes cars/trucks, boats, tanks etc.. We would love to see you post your builds/mods on here. Once you do you will find people helping you get a problem you may have or stealing your ideas. lol. I also go on rc groups and RCSB. and find I spend more time here. RCSB is great also. My Dad bought me a Sterling profile Widcat and a Baby Bee .049 when I was 10 yrs old and I just turned 70. Still have those plans and motor.
As you have read there are a few of us that enjoy detailing our models and please join in our rabble. Makes modeling more fun. You might checkout my F4 Phantom in the jet forum to see what I'm working towards. Elbees B-25 and Davegees B-17. I'm a tenderfoot compared to their projects.

I have the strut rods on one gear leg and re installed the leg retraction linkage. With a little touch up paint think it will be presentable.
Best Regards, Rex

[vrosi1963]

I can tell you and this group have scale talent and is why i posted today , the rc groups people don't want to do anything regarding customization for the 1.2m size as i found out, at least for the P47. 1.2M Let me ask a friend near buy if he will loan me his 1500mm P47 to Mod it to Bubble ...i need a fuse and canopy to do it right ..i have 40 years of rc flying mainly scale only

[jetfool]

Vorsi1963,
We both live in the US. I'm in Indiana. Cost for parts are out of site these days. I f Davegee is in I'd be interested in your bubble top conversion. If we have the canopy size and dimensions, we can carve a mold to pull the canopies and make a fiberglass frame. I don't have a 3d printer but pretty good at working with wood.
Finally started to get the P-47 ready. Looking at photos, I decided to make the upper gear strut rods instead of the OEM spring. I won't fly with these just for show. Some pics to show where I have started and a pic of the matl., tools I'm using. Magnifier for these old eyes to see the little screws and parts. Rods made from solder, eye glass screws for bolts.
Best Regards, Rex

[vrosi1963]

Well . i need a new fuse and then will have to scale up to 3d print from 1.2m size with some hollow test shells to get it right and then get my vac form guy to do some test pulls, I think i have a bout 4to 5 hours into just sanding and polishing . the 45% infill plug.. I ran into a whole group or people on RC groups that would not even spend the $20 to barley cover the vac for guys time and materials, they will be i think $20 plus shipping . for USA people only are you guys all in the USA. let me have a look at the spare fuse cost ,the head rest was just a ply had made armor head rest .. I really don't see fms ever re tooling for a bubble canopy version in our lifetime and is why i did this........... . FMS Fuselage: P-47, 1500mm | Horizon Hobby March 2026 availability FMS Canopy Hatch-Pilot: P-47, 1500mm | Horizon Hobby $150 for both canopy and fuse, to make only two canopies , really

[davegee]

I am very interested in doing a mod for the FMS P-47D razorback to a -25 or later conversion to a bubble top. Please let us know more if we can pull off a conversion to a bubble top. Maybe Rex and I could work on later models of the jug.

cheers

davegee

[jetfool]

vrosi1963,
Wow, beautiful Jugs. I would like to do a P47M in the 56th last British color, dark blue and red. I have been hoping a 15-1600mm bubble- top would be introduced but no luck so far. You might get with Davegee on here and see if he can use your STL to develop a conversion. He is probably the most knowledgeable guy here on the P-47. Just my .02
Post your mods here if you like, we can always learn something new.
Best Regards, Rex

[vrosi1963]

so when are one of you guys going to do a bubble conversion , I have a accurate plug 3d originated for the 1.2m Razorback that can be scale up and new vac formed canopies made available for around $20 , I dont have this airframe yet . i dont see anyone with links to there STL files to share ?? like RC groups dose. I did two conversions with new spare fuses to avoided removing sticker drama. i fly 4 of the 1.2m P47 regular

[jetfool]

Happy New Year, Guys

Dan, How do you find time to work with all your projects going at once?

Davegee, P-47 is back on the bench. New Year flight went well but only one flight, 20' out and my fingers were aching so loaded up in warm truck and came home. Spent about 1 1/2hr talking and flying with the guys. Now that holidays are over I'm ready for warmer weather.
Best Regards, Rex

[Grossman56]

Happy New Year guys!
One more day of work then off for 10!!
Time to get caught up on all the projects and a few things I decided to get back in to as well.

Grossman56
(Dangerous Dan)

[davegee]

Wow Dan incredible. Thinking he might look better without the mask like in a tarmac setting.
Best Regards, Rex

Might be able to print up a mask and hose that would hang off to the side of his leather helmet as they did when they were on the ground. Not sure I have one, but I'll look.

Cheers

davegee

[davegee]

Thaks Dave. Thats how I will do mine. looks great. I am going to get a new fine tooth saw blade to cut the canopy. One I have is old.

Good. A fresh, sharp razorsaw blade is essential to a good cut, I thiink.

Cheers

davegee

[Elbee]

Happy New Year to you and yours, as well. Cubbie looks awesome, nicely done, Sir.

[jetfool]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!


My flying buddies said I wouldn't get it rebuilt before NEW YEARS Day club fly. Guess I proved them wrong. Batteries charged, re-balanced and ready to go.

[Grossman56]

Here's the boys:

Dang, I thought I'd finished the guy on the right!! Good thing I've got 12 days off coming up after New Year. You can see the guy on the right , at least to me, looks so slightly smaller, but the guy on the left is the same. Not that all pilots were exactly the same size either!!

Grossman56
(Dangerous Dan)

[jetfool]

Wow Dan incredible. Thinking he might look better without the mask like in a tarmac setting.
Best Regards, Rex