Official FMS 1500mm P-47D Razorback Thread

[jetfool]

Sunshine is nice but 28’. Burr! Nothing more better than the p-47 pulling up into a high speed turn. Your plane looks great. Glad that prop is doing it’s job because it looks better than the stock. Plane has Presence with prop and tank.
I wonder if flight line will release any new warbirds this spring. Hope so. Rex

[davegee]

Sunshine is nice but 28’. Burr! Nothing more better than the p-47 pulling up into a high speed turn. Your plane looks great. Glad that prop is doing it’s job because it looks better than the stock. Plane has Presence with prop and tank.
I wonder if flight line will release any new warbirds this spring. Hope so. Rex

I think one thing that saves us out here is that we have next to NO humidity. That can be a two-edge sword for some people, but I have lived in this type of climate all my life (except when I was working and subject to oppressive climates around the world!) but the point is that with low humidity, and if there is no wind and brilliant sunshine, I do just fine. I don't stay out all day in it, mind you, but I had no problems operating in just a lightweight down jacket, thin running pants, tennis shoes, and a knit hat. A further motivator is that if I want to do ANY flying over the winter, I have to bear the elements and go out and do it! I was satisfied with this flight and a maintenance check flight on my T-33 where I made a crappy landing in a crosswind last week. Fortunately, I actually had a replacement main gear retract unit in my parts drawers and got it taken care of without having to send $$$ to Motion RC and wait until it showed up in the mail.

I'm really looking forward to doing the Curtiss prop mods which aren't perfect, but at least an attempt at adding some scale where none were coming elsewhere. I have the printed CE prop domes coming in the mail, and I have made some vinyl "cuffs" that slide up on the bottom or base of each prop. I don't think anyone has done this yet for a foamie. We'll see how it goes. Should be able to fly early spring in test for the other two planes I have that were CE props. The one I flew today was a Ham Stand prop so it is essentially the same thing that was put on the Corsairs of that time, the later models, anyway.

As far as new warbirds, I would certainly like to see something new, although I know that is a huge investment in time and money for the company. And, they won't make anything they think will be a "bust" with the customers. But I think they'll continue to plug away at something, and maybe we'll be very happy with what they offer next.

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

Davegee,

Our weather has a lot of humidity and goes right to the bone. I remember how nice it was when I traveled in your neck of the woods.
Looking forward to seeing your Curtiss prop. I hand carved one for my p-47 with the cuffs. Static only. Always like the look of it over the Hamilton. For me it makes it a p-47.
Money that they have to spend up front is mind boggling with no guarantee . Still wish they would get a 1600 Zero. I think with all the Corsairs out there it would be a good seller. Rex

[spanner76]

Did a small modification to one of my Razorbacks today.. can now fit a drop tank under each wing and one of the small bombs under the fuselage. I much prefer the looks of it this way

[spanner76]

Did a small modification to one of my Razorbacks today.. can now fit a drop tank under each wing and one of the small bombs under the fuselage. I much prefer the looks of it this way

[jetfool]

Spanner76,

Looks great. Tell and show us more pictures of your P-47

[davegee]

Did a small modification to one of my Razorbacks today.. can now fit a drop tank under each wing and one of the small bombs under the fuselage. I much prefer the looks of it this way

Nicely done, Spanner 76! Looks great👍👍👍

[davegee]

Have been playing around with weathering the turbo supercharger exhaust hood on the bottom of the airplane. I started by airbrushing the entire hood a gunmetal color as a base. Then, I've been adding a variety of chalks applied with a stiff brush to give the impression that this is a piece of metal that would get white hot on every mission where hot exhaust gasses would be streaming out of the turbo supercharger, and as a by product give more power to engine after compressing the intake air back to the carburetor, allowing the plane to perform much better at altitude.. I've seen some models with this hood painted, but I don't think a real operating turbosupercharger would allow paint to stay on that hood with the heat!

I have three of the FMS P-47Ds right now, I'll attach a pic of each one's turbo hood. I can always add or change how they look with chalks, because when I try to spray a flat clear on them, the chalks disappear and I'm back to square one again. I used a photo of a real burned turbo hood as a reference, but each one look a little different.

[jetfool]

I like it Davegee. All three give each plane its own character. Something I will need to add on my Yellow p-47. Always more details. Rex

[davegee]

I like it Davegee. All three give each plane its own character. Something I will need to add on my Yellow p-47. Always more details. Rex

I think I am fairly close to the photos and seeing the real things at airshows. The good thing is: since they are just removable chalks, if I decide to change them up a little with an epiphany as to how they really looked, or do a little better job on them, I can easily wipe them down with a wet cloth and I'm back to the "ol drawing board like in 3rd grade!

BTW, Most of Callie's decals came in the mail yesterday. They went on pretty well. She does marvelous work! I did ask her to make the stars and bars for the upper and lower wings slightly longer to completely cover over the scars from taking off the previous decals that came with the kit. Those should arrive in the mail today or tomorrow. The overall paint scheme is pretty basic USAAF issue for that time, however, the Rooster on the cowl looks very cool and colorful, distinguishing this plane from all the others. I'm glad your stars on your Corsair were much easier to remove!

Cheers

Davegee

[jetfool]

Davegee,
Glad you have your decals. Now you can really turn her into a worn workhorse.
I got lucky removing my decals from the fuselage. Hope the wing goes well too. I can reuse them on a sport scale and not have to waste them.
Will you have to reapply after each sortie or have you figured a permanent way to seal
Rex

[davegee]

Davegee,
Glad you have your decals. Now you can really turn her into a worn workhorse.
I got lucky removing my decals from the fuselage. Hope the wing goes well too. I can reuse them on a sport scale and not have to waste them.
Will you have to reapply after each sortie or have you figured a permanent way to seal
Rex

That's really good news, especially if you can reuse those decals on another plane, Rex.

I've started in with Callie's decals. Here are a few for a preview. They're going on pretty well. I have to have all the nomenclature and the rest of the decals on, then I can start the weathering process in earnest. However, I'm a big proponent of "less is more" sometimes when it comes to weathering on WWII models. I know I've stated this here before, but some guys make their planes look like they just reentered the Earth's atmosphere from space! I know that some planes started getting pretty ratty, especially those that had extended duty in the South Pacific, but at least in Europe, I don't find evidence of that extreme weathering. I'll put what I think is appropriate, per period photos of the real thing, and call it good.

Cheers

davegee

[jetfool]

Graphics look great. Waiting to see final results.
Rex

[Elbee]

I've started in with Callie's decals...Cheers,davegee

DG, lovin' your markings, Dave. She is developing a personality of her own. One of my favorite parts of the whole building process. Best, LB

[davegee]

DG, lovin' your markings, Dave. She is developing a personality of her own. One of my favorite parts of the whole building process. Best, LB

I knew of several 56th FG pilots who served under Donavan Smith in WWII. He was a great leader, recipient of many medals including the DSC for a very aggressive attack on superior numbers of German fighters and coming out on top, and his career in the USAF advanced him to a 3-star general before succumbing, way too young at age 51 to a brain tumor. Heroes like these are eventually swept under the rug for all their contributions to our country in war and peace. I like highlighting people like these so that they are not forgotten.

Thanks for the nice words. I'll be taking it out to the field in the next week or so for a photoshoot and another flight, as soon as the weather warms up a bit. We're expecting sub zero temps for highs for a couple of days this weekend.

davegee

[davegee]

Graphics look great. Waiting to see final results.
Rex

Probably next week when we get out from under some forecast sub-zero weather!

[davegee]

Probably next week when we get out from under some forecast sub-zero weather!

Well, it looks like there is going to be a period of down time due to weather, winds, snow, etc. It is winter in Wyoming, after all! So, I'm going to take advantage of this time to work on the weathering and any additional detailing of OLE COCK until I can get it out for a photo shoot and another flight. I have three good flights on it right now, so I'm happy to have that in the bag. It is a very stable and fast airplane with no really bad habits.

I'm still waiting on the CE spinner and Corsair V3 prop hub parts to come back from my 3D printer person, and will add that after I get a few more test flights in with the stock prop. Callie's resized stars and bars should come any day, and then I will complete the weathering and then wait until better weather to fly.

Can't Wait!!

davegee

[davegee]

On this cold (-2 degrees F right now) wintry, snowy day in northwest Wyoming, I have made myself busy doing more details to OLE COCK. The remaining decals from Callie came in the mail today so I put them on. Also did details like the three colored recognition lights on the bottom right wing. There was a key panel inside the cockpit where you could send recognition codes to the ground or other uses. I did ask several P-47 fighter pilots about them some years ago, but none seemed to remember them, or using them, at least later in the war. But they were installed on the planes, and I added them. Did add some simulated shell ejection chutes on the bottoms of the wings for the 8 guns.

Also did some simulated mud splatter using a very thinned water/brown acrylic paint mix, dipping a paint brush in the watery mix, and then using my finger running over the ends of the bristles to give the desired effect. When the mix dries, it isn't all that visible, but still looks like some muddy water splashed up behind the wheels spinning and throwing it up on the wings and tail. It's very subtle, but hopefully gives the look of a plane doing the dirty, muddy work in the flying fields of England.

When the weather turns better and a bit warmer, I'll take some pics out at the field for a better look a the plane as it nears completion. I still want to do several test flights with the stock prop before I fly with the Corsair V3 prop.

[Elbee]

davegee the :smiling_imp: is in the details. Very nice on all fronts. You're doing all the fun stuff.

As for weather, ours just turned from 53 to 28 in 20 minutes.
Not a record change, but I as only wearing long sleeve tee:cold_face: when it came through and I was still 2 miles from the house.

Great building weather. Steve

[davegee]

davegee the :smiling_imp: is in the details. Very nice on all fronts. You're doing all the fun stuff.

As for weather, ours just turned from 53 to 28 in 20 minutes.
Not a record change, but I as only wearing long sleeve tee:cold_face: when it came through and I was still 2 miles from the house.

Great building weather. Steve

Boy, have I been there before! In Colorado, we have some amazing weather changes, sometimes in just a matter of minutes, especially in the high country. I think that the coldest I have ever felt is waiting for the hotel limo to show up in winter in the I T'ae Won shopping district in Seoul. We had all our LA Gear shoes, bags, North Face jackets, and all that was popular back then for a brief shopping excursion and then get the last hotel van back to the hotel so we could start getting ready for pickup to the airport and the flight home. Brrr! That was just miserable, but we consoled ourselves with the "booty" we obtained through skillful negotiations with the vendors for that perfect gift for the wife and kids, sometimes ourselves, too.

I'm sure you've heard of the old saying in model building, especially scale models: "you're never Really done building a scale model!" I have three FMS P-47s now, more than I ever really planned on getting, but here they are. The oldest one I've had for about 3 years now, and didn't go too far into details on the model, but each successor I have added this or that to make it more scale. There is a lot more that I Could do that I won't bother doing, but I have enough stuff on it for now, and can always add on at a later time if I so choose.

I'm reminded of one of my heroes Leonardo da Vinci. specifically, the enigmatic Mona Lisa painting. History books say that he did his main work between 1503-07. But he never really finished it, and continued to work on it here and there until his death in 1519. They say it was never finished at his death. He would put a brushstroke here or there, but that would be it. I sorta find myself returning to projects that I have been working on, like these airplanes, for instance, time and time again, even if I didn't bust them up in the meantime. I wonder how 'ol Leonardo would feel about RC airplanes???

Cheers

Davegee