Hasegawa 1/32 P47D Republic Thunderbolt

[Guest]

comming along really nice

[Guest]

Vaughn, I have decided to follow your build, and as I'm newby, hope you don't mind me bombing you with questions along the way. I'll greatly appreciate it, else i'll start threads else where for advice if you feel it's a bit intrusive. Is 1/32 you preferred scale? How do you cope with the big decals, settling them correctly and all or does that come with practice. I'm using Micro Set and Sol, but find that if it goes on skew, it's very difficult to adjust because of the size of the decal, so I have to lift it up and try again, a number of times.

Am myself busy finishing off a Ju-88 1/72 by Revell, and no, not the nice tooling, got a lot of practice with filling.

Another thing I've picked up, is a static attraction problem. With the first clear coat on, the model is a magnet for fine hairs and particles and when trying to set the decals, the model actually attracts the decal when brought close. So you can imagine the fun when hanging the decal next to the model after having to lift the decal up due to improper placing; just when the decal hangs close, but I'm still eyeing the placement, the decal gets "sucked" towards the model when I'm not ready for the placement yet. Just wondering if everyone experiences this and it's part of the hobby.

[BarryW]

Hi Frikkie. I do almost all 32 scale stuff and I can answer some of your questions from my experience. Others, of course, will have their own ideas but that is part of the fun of this hobby with more than one way to approach things.

Decals are a bit of a challenge, mostly though when it comes to poor quality decals. Trumpeter decals are a menace and even Tamiya decals can be fragile.

I too use the Microscal products but Set, I would suggest, should only be used when the 'glue' has leeched away. I would brush water over the area where a decal is to be positioned as the surface tension helps you to float it into place. I use cotton buds to position the decal and then with a rolling motion to push it onto the model displacing and soaking up the water. Do it slowly making sure the decal stays in position and adjusting it as needed. A cocktail stick can also be useful here. When the decal has dried you should use Microsol to soften the decal and help it conform to the model.

What do you use as a clear coat? I use Vallejo gloss varnish and do not have a static problem. There are always fine particles in the air and it is a good idea to minimise the problem with a vacuum clean. I tend to wipe down all around my work area with a wet cloth as well. I also sand between coats of paint and varnish with a very fine sanding stick - I use the green side of a Flory Models polishing stick, its about right for this. Afterwards I always wipe the model down with a damp kitchen towel. Don't do it after applying decals even with a sealing coat though. With acrylics I always leave 24 hours between coats incidentally to give the paint/varnish time to cure and not just to dry and certainly never mask over a paint job until at least 24 hours after painting.

I hope that helps.

[Vaughan]

Frikkie that's fine to ask questions that's how we learn.

In answer to your first question 1/32 although large is my preferred scale it's what I feel comfortable with. The only downside is running out of room to display them.

I think Barry has answered most of your questions regarding decals. Saying that I tend to use Klear as a varnish prior to applying decals which helps prevent silvering.

As far as moving the decal I use a wet finger or a wet soft brush and follow up with Revells decalsoft giving it time to soften the decal. Once soft I take a piece of damp kitchen roll and apply gentle pressure to help it conform to the models rivets and panel lines. It's important to let the decals dry completely and then I apply a second coat of Klear to seal them.

I think we all have issues with dust but it's a matter of keeping your work area clean and as Barry said wiping down the model with a damp kitchen towel really helps.

Vaughan

[Vaughan]

A step in the right direction here. I have on good authority that the inside of the engine cowlings were in fact aluminium and not zinc chromate green as the instructions would have you do them. So aluminium they are. There are quite a few ejector pin marks but none will be visible. Next step will be to wrap the cowlings around the engine and secured it to the rear bulkhead.

Vaughan

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[stona]

I asked Nigel Julian about these and he suggested dark aluminium. Yours look good to me!

You guys have covered the large decal question. I float mine on microset and use a combination of fingers,brushes,cotton buds and cocktail sticks to move them around! It's whatever works at the time. If they get stuck I use a medium brush to get under the edge and ease some more microset underneath until the decal refloats. You can do this even with the largest decals. I smooth them out,once they are in the right place,with kitchen roll.

Over working decals will almost invariably break them so it is important to get the darned things in the right ball park directly off the backing. I hold the backing with tweezers and do my best to slide the decal off and into the correct position.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Nic this bird is going to be massive, also thanks for the engine How to .

Martin

[colin m]

Very nice Vaughan. I saw one of these fly Duxford this year. I'd never even seen one before - great sound.

[Guest]

Great work so far. I love the P47, was the first model i ever built, a little larger though at 1/8 scale.

Cheers

Andy

[Vaughan]

Hi all

I've been very busy over the last few weeks so very little progress with the P47D. The cowling is no in situ, still some tiding up is required. I'm not a fan of the 4 piece cowling it's a real fiddle to assemble and aline properly. I might have to re-scribe some panel lines.

I've now turned my attention to the office, as usual Hasegawa give you plenty of detailed. Don't know if I will get anytime to put it together this side of Christmas but you never know.

Vaughan

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[Guest]

Thats looking awesome Vaughan,makes me want to throw rocks at the revelogram kit I'm fumbling with and go get one of these!

[Vaughan]

Trey hold back on the rocks your doin' a grand job!

Vaughan

[Guest]

Lovely looking build.

[Vaughan]

Well Christmas is all but over so I have had the chance to make some progress. I did a bit of research to establish if the floor pan should be smooth or corrugated and I think I can safely say it should be smooth. So the office has had a coat of black followed by interior green. Next step is to paint the detail by hand and then assemble.

Vaughan

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[Dave W]

Some nice detail in that cockpit.