P47 Thunderbolt (Revell)

[Thorbrand]

Why not, it's xmas so here is another fairly recent build i did.

This is my first Revell kit and I have to say it's not a bad kit, although was disappointed at the lack of a pilot.

I think i did well on the panel lines with this kit but, my main bug bear is with the overall texture on the paint finish, i guess i will have to consider using a spray gun if i want a truly smooth effect.

I am resisting taking some fine grain sand paper to it, which could either smooth it out and enhance the weathering or completely ruin it.

[Guest]

Yep!! Nicely done

[james pithouse]

very nice are you going to do a diorama with this one?

[Guest]

Well I think its a great camo scheme and well done with a brush.

[Guest]

It's impossible not to like the Jug IMHO. Only the Americans could have persisted with such a heavy fighter & made it work!

As you say though, the finish leaves something to be desired. That's not to say brush painting can't achieve excellent results that rival an airbrush - I've seen it on here! But I think it is easier to get a nice smooth finish with an airbrush.

Personally, I'd leave that one as is & use it as a yardstick for future builds.

[Guest]

Nice one, Alex. I agree with Patrick that you can't not like the P-47 - it's such a monster, especially with all the ordnance you've put on. I made the Academy razorback a few years ago and loved it, and the fact that there's a bubble-top version too is just an excuse for making another one day.
I'm not sure what paints you're using, but for brush painting I find enamels are usually smoother than acrylics - acrylics dry so quickly that they're drying while I'm still painting. With any sort of paint, I find that two or more thinned down coats work better than one full-strength one. The first coat looks terrible, but things soon improve. I normally use an airbrush these days, mainly because if you're going through a cycle involving primer, top coat(s), gloss varnish, decals and matt varnish, that's a lot of paint and it seems easier to get a thinner coat with an airbrush. Having said that, there are people on this forum who get better results with a paintbrush than I get with an airbrush!

[Thorbrand]

Nice one, Alex. I agree with Patrick that you can't not like the P-47 - it's such a monster, especially with all the ordnance you've put on. I made the Academy razorback a few years ago and loved it, and the fact that there's a bubble-top version too is just an excuse for making another one day.
I'm not sure what paints you're using, but for brush painting I find enamels are usually smoother than acrylics - acrylics dry so quickly that they're drying while I'm still painting. With any sort of paint, I find that two or more thinned down coats work better than one full-strength one. The first coat looks terrible, but things soon improve. I normally use an airbrush these days, mainly because if you're going through a cycle involving primer, top coat(s), gloss varnish, decals and matt varnish, that's a lot of paint and it seems easier to get a thinner coat with an airbrush. Having said that, there are people on this forum who get better results with a paintbrush than I get with an airbrush!

I find acrylics tend to have a rougher texture to them as well, I may try thinning the paint a little like you suggested and applying more coats, i do have some enamel thinner which i mainly use for washes so, I could put that to good use on my next build. Personally, I really enjoy the therapeutic effect of painting with a brush so it's going to be tough for me to move on to a spray gun but I may try it eventually.

[Guest]

I find acrylics tend to have a rougher texture to them as well, I may try thinning the paint a little like you suggested and applying more coats, i do have some enamel thinner which i mainly use for washes so, I could put that to good use on my next build. Personally, I really enjoy the therapeutic effect of painting with a brush so it's going to be tough for me to move on to a spray gun but I may try it eventually.

I'd never paint anything straight from the tin; it's always got to be thinned. With enamels, I do it by feel but I guess it's somewhere around 70:30. For larger areas like an aircraft, I'd go 50:50.