FMS 1500 mm P-47D repaint

[davegee]

Hi All: my first post on this forum. Enjoying seeing what everyone has to say on it. I just bought the FMS 1500mm P-47D and decided to do a repaint on it. Partially because I wanted to experiment repainting foam, and another reason I didn't really care for this paint job. So, I repainted it in a scheme from the 56th Fighter Group, a plane called " I Wanted Wings/Button Nose." It came out ok, although I had some Major problems when I tried to spray on a primer that I should have checked more closely for compatibility for foam. It almost ruined the fuselage, although I was able to rehabilitate it somewhat, still not perfect, but it will do. In the future, I would probably skip a lot of these steps like removing all paint with acetone, varnishing with minwax, primer, etc. I could have gotten away with a lot less work and damage to the airplane. It has flown once already before painting, should be a fun "go to" weekend foamie to play around with. I'll attach some pics I just took out in the driveway after a snowstorm and temps in the low teens. Good day to work on this one.

[OV10]

Very nice grey shadow camo

[F106DeltaDart]

Beautiful job Dave, and welcome! Love the camo and D-Day stripes, debating a similar repaint if I decide to pick one of these up.

[Beeg]

Nice job Davegee!

[Alpha]

Really nice job, Davegee. You really captured the feel of that livery. I especially like the photos outside in the snow!

As you said yourself, for a "go to" flyer in the future you may find it's not always necessary to go through all the prep steps. I admit these days I usually just shoot right over the factory paint. It acts as a nice primer in and of itself.

[davegee]

If I were to do it all over again, I'd have stripped the decals off as I did, then light sanding, and maybe a primer ( tested compatible with foam, this time!) and then paint it. I think this plane will "evolve" as time goes on. For instance, I might eventually spray out the top invasion stripes with olive drab, as was done later that summer. I have a picture of this plane showing that the landing gear doors were NMF, at least on the left gear. Not sure the whole story on that without other pictures of it.

[Beeg]

I'm with Alpha on not stripping the paint. I do a light sanding, fill any low or rough spots. Another light sanding then a couple coats of PU to seal it all up then coat of primer if putting a lighter color then paint! After all it's a foamie not a fiberglass Top Gun entry.

[davegee]

Beeg or Alpha, do you have a recommendation for a foam-safe spray sandable primer? I had coated the plane with 6 coats of Minwax polycrylic varnish before I sprayed the tail area of my plane with a primer that I have used a lot, but I'll admit I should have run more tests before I did that on foam, as the foam bubbled up within a couple of minutes of my error. I did a lot of sanding to make it smoother, but you can still see the damage if you look closely.

[Beeg]

Beeg or Alpha, do you have a recommendation for a foam-safe spray sandable primer? I had coated the plane with 6 coats of Minwax polycrylic varnish before I sprayed the tail area of my plane with a primer that I have used a lot, but I'll admit I should have run more tests before I did that on foam, as the foam bubbled up within a couple of minutes of my error. I did a lot of sanding to make it smoother, but you can still see the damage if you look closely.

EPO foam is pretty resistant to fast drying petroleum based paints (enamels). Lacquers are not a good idea. I'm assuming the FMS P-47 is made out of EPO so it's odd you had issues. Especially after coating it with varnish.
I've used a variety of Rust-oleum primers but prefer "Painters Touch 2x, Paint+Primer" (flat). Just don't soak the surface right off. Mist the area a little first then go back over it lightly till it covers. The key is getting it to dry quickly. Any solvent left wet on foam will eventually attack the surface. Don't tell my wife but sometimes I use her hair dryer to speed up the drying process. Just don't get it too hot or popcorn city! It'll leave a slightly rough finish this way but a light sanding and you're ready for final color. I'm sure others have their preferred primer. I think a lot of it depends on the climate where you live. It's pretty humid ALL the time down here in Houston so spray painting can be difficult sometimes unless you have a nice indoor paint booth. It looks like you're in a cold area so it may have took awhile for the paint to dry and the solvent may have had time to soak through and attack the foam?
Don't know how many foamies you've busted up but I always save the parts to test various glues, paints and other finishes on occasion instead of just tossing them in the trash. The crates they are shipped in are usually the cheaper EPS so don't bother with them.
So, test before you commit!

[F106DeltaDart]

The foam used in the P-47 is a new, lighter type of EPO, at least according to guys over on the "other" forum. Apparently, it is not compatible with CA, so I doubt that it is compatible with most spray paints as well, so I recommend taking the same precautions as if you were painting an EPS plane. Krylon Craft Foam Primer and Tamiya Primer have been the best primers for me in terms of being foam safe and sandal primers.

[davegee]

I have made a few changes to the plane, took a few more pics in a little better lighting conditions in my driveway. I added a scale rearview mirror for the canopy, hub caps for the main gear, cut off the original foam exhaust pipes and made a more scale looking wastegate on the forward fuselage, repainted the main landing gear doors per a photo of the real aircraft from 1944, simulated armored glass inside the windscreen, and used a spring to splay the tail gear doors out at a more realistic angle. This works great, the model comes with springs attached to the tail wheel gear, but that makes the doors move whenever you turn the tailwheel. Yikes!

[Alpha]

Hi Davegee, you're right, better lit photos really capture your model's beauty even more.

Would you please expound on your tail door spring mod? I'd like to try that on mine when it arrives.

Thanks!

[davegee]

Thanks, Alpha. Thanks for the comments on the photos. The background is sucky, but our flying field that has a clear background is full of snow right now.
Regarding the tailwheel doors mod, I saw this on a short video on the internet somewhere taken by a modeler. And of course, when I tried to find it again, I couldn't! But remembering what he did, he used a small spring, something like what comes in a ballpoint pen. I bought one at the hardware store that was the right size. I disconnected the original springs and put them in storage, in case this didn't work. I trimmed the spring and used a pliers to stretch out the ends just a bit so I could insert them into the lugs and holes that are on the tailwheel doors. When the gear is down, the tailwheel doors are kept in close to the actual position on the real plane, splayed out almost 180 degrees from each other. When you retract the gear, the tailwheel catches the spring and pulls the doors closed after the gear has retracted. I see on photos that the new Flightline F7F Tigercat uses something similar to close the gear doors, too.
I have one flight on the plane before I dismantled it for painting. But on that flight the gear worked perfectly. I'll post some pics of it for you or anyone else. The way they designed the gear doors and movement at FMS for this new plane was hideous!

[TiredIronGRB]

Thanks is some fine paint and detail work, I love it.

[OV10]

I have made a few changes to the plane, took a few more pics in a little better lighting conditions in my driveway. I added a scale rearview mirror for the canopy, hub caps for the main gear, cut off the original foam exhaust pipes and made a more scale looking wastegate on the forward fuselage, repainted the main landing gear doors per a photo of the real aircraft from 1944, simulated armored glass inside the windscreen, and used a spring to splay the tail gear doors out at a more realistic angle. This works great, the model comes with springs attached to the tail wheel gear, but that makes the doors move whenever you turn the tailwheel. Yikes!

DaveG........I said it before but will say again, am digging that olive/grey camo scheme. The first pic would look so real with that water n snow if you could crop out the house in the background. The only real out of scale look is the well documented prop undersizing. I am still amazed that FMS used the same prop from the 1400 F4U/P-47. When I get mine it is getting the 16" HSD Skyraider prop/motor and the power/prop set up in this bird will get transplanted to my 1400 F4U Olathe.

[davegee]

I have been a real fan of WWII history, 8th AAF aviation, and specifically the 56th Fighter Group for many years. I did another plane years ago, a 1/6 scale Aerotech P-47D replica of Col. David Schilling's Hairless Joe. I'll include a pic taken at a contest in Pueblo, Colorado in 2004. This plane actually flew off the main runway remains at Boxted, England in 2004 as part of a big airshow there. Boxted was one of the airfields where this group was based in WWII.
The colors used for this and I Want Wings/Button Nose were RAF Ocean Grey 2, RAF Dark Green, and Medium Sea Grey for the undersides of the plane. These are Tamiya sprays, and I used rattle cans and air brush to finish it off. Callie graphics, super, as usual with her stuff.

I am very interested in the idea of putting a larger prop and motor/ESC to make it look more scale. I wonder how well it would fly like that??

[OV10]

No reason in my mind that it wouldn't fly as well as the 1/6 scale you had with the more life like prop sizing.
Over on the other 1500 P-47 thread I had asked some 10 days or so ago about getting some strut dimension measurements but no one has gotten back.
Could I impose on you for a strut length measurement from top of strut to axle center and wheel dia. preferably in mm for both??
Thanx,

[davegee]

The wheel is approximately 92mm diameter (3.65") as measured from my caliper. the main gear strut from where it attaches into the retract mechanism to the axle is approximately 165mm, as measured from the outside of the strut. There are gear doors and other things in the way so that is close, not absolute.

The 1/6 scale Hairless Joe in the pic has a static prop on it for pictures. For flying it had a 4.2 cu in. gas Brison Sachs and I believe turned a 22x10 two-blade prop.

I played around adding a little detail to the 500 lb. bombs that I will add onto the pylons tomorrow. Easy to do, arming spinners on each end, and a wire cable that pulls out the pins when dropped to start the arming process as the spinners spin.

[OV10]

Close is good.............thanx DG

[Beeg]

Outstanding details Dave!