P-47 Thunderbolt "Razorback"

[J Luke]

I've been chipping away at some of the smaller bits on my Thunderbolt (pun completely intended). I was able to get the cowl flaps detailed out as well as the exhaust gates below. I also got intercooler doors done. I still need to get the cover for the supercharger attached as well as the control surfaces engraved before I start assembling it. It's getting there!

[J Luke]

I'm getting closer to gluing it together. I hope to be able to do that this weekend. I've been working on finishing up the detail bits. I decided to try hollowing out some around the engine as well. I still need to make a propeller hub. I haven't decided if I want to try and build a prop for it, or maybe have  my brother-in-law 3D print one for me....is that cheating? 

Enjoy some progress photos:

[lastvautour]

This thundebolt is on par with the best SMM has seen. Congratulation on your first scale model aircraft.

Louis

[J Luke]

This thundebolt is on par with the best SMM has seen. Congratulation on your first scale model aircraft.

Louis

That's very kind of you to say. I'm certainly enjoying this new endeavor. I just need to add the fillets, putty, prime, then paint and decal! Boy it sounds like a lot when I say it like that...

[lastvautour]

All great fun. Not quite your out of the box plastic kit.

Louis

[J Luke]

I got the fillets added last night along with some putty. Hopefully I should have that sanded and smoothed out tonight. I've seen a few builds where people use a wood sealer? Is that a necessary step before priming? I've only ever just primed the models (pinewood derby cars). I appreciate any input in that regard.

[Model Maker]

Hi Jordan

I've been eagerly following your progress and agree with Lou. It's an outstanding model!

I am one of those people who apply a sealer before priming. The reason is I work mostly with pine which often has sap streaks in it. I've also noticed on older pine which I have "aging", the colour tends to turn orange at times because of the sap bleeding in the wood. With that in mind, after putting in all the carving and painting efforts, I would be very upset to see sap bleed through the paint on the finished model as time progresses.

I've looked extensively on line pertaining to the requirements for sealing pine which is a recommended practice. Shellac is the best sealer for pine. Dewaxed shellac is recommended if applying an acrylic paint over the shellac. Zinser BIN shellac primer is great for sealing. A couple of spray coats does a great job and it sands out very smooth for additional top coats. You can also apply most oil based primers as sealers for pine.

For ease of clean up my preferred approach is 2 spray coats of Zinser BIN shellac primer followed by 3 or 4 brushed coats of acrylic primer. I normally use 2 coats of grey + 2 coats of white. Which colour primer I start with depends on final paint colour. The two color approach with wet sanding in between allows for easy identification of high and low areas before final painting / airbrushing.The high areas normally have colour break though.

-ken

[J Luke]

Thanks for the compliments and the thorough response, Ken. This one is indeed pine (just scraps of 1x's I had laying around), so perhaps I should look into a sealer. I have had some of my pinewood derby cars around for 10+ years and luckily haven't seen anything bleeding through the paint yet. I'll look into those sealants just in case.

Thank you!

[J Luke]

Here are some updated photos of the putty work. I'm still working on filling some areas and getting it smoothed out. I'm still deciding what to do about a propeller or clear disc. My brother-in-law might be 3D printing a prop for me.

[lastvautour]

Your putty turned out very well. I use a plastic disc as in the following tutorial.

https://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php?topic=2019.0

The choice is totally up to the modeller.There is no right or wrong, just what you like.

Louis

[lastvautour]

Next, we will discuss how to display the model. It can hang from a ceiling or be placed on a stand. Here are a couple of ideas on stands. Again and again, your choice.

https://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php?topic=1154.0 and https://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php?action=dlattach;attach=9107

Louis

[J Luke]

Thanks for the links, Lou. That will save me some searching!

I wasn't completely satisfied with the shape I carved for the canopy, so I added some putty last night and shaped it today. This seems to look more like the razorback's windshield. We'll see how it holds up to painting and masking...

[J Luke]

For this one, I think I'll just use a sandable primer since I've already got some of that on hand and this one is being done pretty inexpensively.

[lastvautour]

Sandable primer works for me. The good thing about wood is that it lends itself to modification whereas a plactic, you are stuck with what you get unless you spend mega bucks for aftermarket parts.

Louis

[J Luke]

I got the first coat of primer on tonight. I probably won't have much time to work on it over the weekend, but we'll see. Enjoy the updated photos!