P-47 SuperBolt

[jeff3385]

OOOH YEAH BABY!!! Those are really gonna be winners man. And just think about it. A couple of weeks ago you thought it was all going in the trashcan. I am sooo glad you gave things time to work out. You will be rightfully proud of these babies. I've been waiting a long time to say this, but John Howling Mouse,

YOU SURE GOT A NICE SET OF JUGS THERE.

[B777LR]

Beginning to like a Fw-190D9

[Brian da Basher]

Yowsa Mr Howling Mouse those are two of the sleekest Thunderbolts ever known!!! That was a truly brilliant save and I'm just amazed at how sweet you've made these look!

We are in the presence of greatness!

Brian da Basher

[John Howling Mouse]

I recall the discussion on the old What If forum about how it is often more difficult to build a convincing model airplane "wheels up" than deployed.  Doing the frickin' gear doors on this P-47 was the hardest part of this build so far!  The landing gear doors are a good fit overall but they are molded in the staggered configuration of the real airplane when its gear are down (one door partially layered over another).  That, and the fact that they have to sort of bend when closed in order to conform to the underside contour of the wing... 

I used a lengthwise brace of styrene underneath to hold the separate pieces together and some some blocks inside the wheel wells to keep them from buckling inward.  The tailwheel cover is a simple block of styrene sanded to the correct shape.

[Brian da Basher]

Nice work on those gear doors Mr Howling Mouse! I have no doubt your Superbolts will be most convincing and you've got the added benefit of a plane that will be perfect for making those strafing runs on the cats!



Brian da Basher

[jeff3385]

To paraphrase Dirty Harry, "A mouse has got to know his limitations..." Obviously you aren't than kinda mouse, so you overcome limitations. A big hunka cheese to you on this one. 

[sotoolslinger]

JHM ,you said I could cut and paste. That is beautiful work. You are an accomplished sculptor and doggedly determined. I LIKE IT.  I can't believe your doing 2 at once. It freaks me out to start any new project 
I  JHM.

[John Howling Mouse]

JHM ,you said I could cut and paste. That is beautiful work. You are an accomplished sculptor and doggedly determined. I LIKE IT.  I can't believe your doing 2 at once. It freaks me out to start any new project 
I  JHM.

Um, I  U-2 ?

[sotoolslinger]

If you  U-2's why are you building Thunderbolts?

[noxioux]

To paraphrase Dirty Harry, "A mouse has got to know his limitations..." Obviously you aren't than kinda mouse, so you overcome limitations. A big hunka cheese to you on this one. 

I second that cheese!

These things are going to be beautiful!

[Ian the Kiwi Herder]

Well Mouse-dude, this is one of those rare, rare occasions I find m'self speechless. Like the rest of the guys have said, I'm really looking forward to seeing these two finished, but more than that, I enjoy seeing your imagination realised in plastic, step-by-step (very similar to watching HOG's Natter thread and Matrixone's latest Luft '46 project).

Inspiring.

Ian

[John Howling Mouse]

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

In one of my SBHM's (Supreme BoneHead Moments), I suddenly realized that most of the .50 cal ejector ports no longer made sense.  Try cutting out tiny little rectangles after a wing has been assembled.
Here are the initial holes drilled for the cannon ejector ports:



Then I painstakingly carved them out (Dremel was too risky) and finished them off with microfiles: talk about your short strokes (like 3 mm at a time!).  You can also see my patented method of quickly masking voids like engine nacelles and wheelbays (masking tape then filled with plasticine---quick and dirty but very effective).



After I got them to a point where there were acceptable and ready to lean back in my chair with a satisfied grin, I suddenly remembered that there are TWO such models on my bench.  That smirk melted away awfully quick.

Once the new ejector ports were cut out, I figured it was time to fill in the unwanted .50 cal ejector ports with little strips of 10 thou styrene:







Canopies masked:





Cannons mounted, these beasties are ready and waiting for primer:

[puddingwrestler]

Excellent sir! Your skill and insanity knows no bounds! (makes mental note to by 10 thou styrene sheet for filling things with)

The plastacine and masking tape - is that just to mask areas from spray, or is it actually to fill the wheel wells?

[jeff3385]

I love it.. Baz has built a better mousetrap!!! I keep flashing on Artie Johnson peering out from behind a potted palm. "Verrrrry interesting." 

[sotoolslinger]

Typical, I just proudly posted my latest work and then I look at this and I want to slink away and hide.  Really, seeing your work is always a wonderful learning experience, I love those 20 mm cannons. I have to go back and read through this thread to see how you did those so I can steal them for the Bushmaster.