Hasegawa 1/32 P-47D Thunderbolt

Built: 2007
Enhancements: Seat Belts Eduard USAAF
Decals: Cobbled together from the spares box

Although certainly not my fits model, this is the first one I have recorded enough in photos to put up on a modelling forum, (remember those!) In this case, Britmodeller.com.

The details of the build are pretty much lost in my mind, but this was completed after building the tamiya kit in 48 scale, completing that as a camouflaged SEAC machine. Oh, how I wish there was a new tool 32 scale kit, so I could repeat that build in the bigger scale. Anyway, this scheme was featured on the sheet I used for the tamiya kit and I thought it would be easy enough to replicate in 32 scale.

The model was largely built OOB save for the photo etched seat belts and some arming wires for the bombs added from- appropriately- fuse wire !

The model was most likely painted in Floquil platinum mist, as that is what I was using at the time, with Xtracolour insignia blue for the I.D bands. Decals were sourced from spares and various sheets in my “decal bank”

The model was then weathered with thinned airbrushed streaks of black to represent rain streaks, with some pastels applied to the tyre treads and wheel doors to simulate mud.

The Model won a Second Place in the now defunct Eagles Day competition held in Melbourne. Australia

It survived for many years before being trashed earlier this year (2021) after being salvaged for parts.