Trippple Thunderbolt build
3 completely different approaches to a cockpit......
Hasegawa panel on the left got an unused gunsight from the Tamiya kit -
Hasegawa getting a much slimmed down and de-life vested pilot, something HAS to be put on that massive Hasegawa "THRONE"
Academy seat got some spare seatbelts.
Hasegawa getting a much slimmed down and de-life vested pilot, something HAS to be put on that massive Hasegawa "THRONE"
Academy seat got some spare seatbelts.
Tamiya cockpit is a small kit in itself - BRAVO, TAMIYA! More like this please! The instrument panel IS very nice as is, but this has a Yahu panel on top of it.
Small price to fit the Yahu panel -
Checking alignment, cockpits glued to one side, drying until tomorrow
3 different approaches to engines - the Tamiya cowling is damn near perfect
Academy panel if instructions are followed; panel seats in floor, too low, and way too far aft.
P-47 had large open area in front of instrument panel, all the red area on the Academy can be safely removed without impacting canopy fit. Also need to remove if correcting the inst panel position -
My fix, brass posts to hide behind rudder pedals, further forward to allow inst panel a lift and more forward toward cockpit coaming
Had to remove some plastic from interior too....
Tamiya instr panel has nice rear bodies of instruments, so I made cables and control rods from 24 guage wire
Proper behind the panel spaghetti pile
Alignment of cockpits and panels after tweaks and glue setting last night
Neat feature on Tamiya wings - these two ribs mate, making a very stiff wing that doesn't flex in when handling or during the sanding to come - surface detail is amazing.
Fuselages buttoned up, wings together, tomorrow fitting them and the sanding begins
Starting to look like 'bolts now - no major differences in outlines or shapes obvious
Oy - the old molded on pylons - always fun to work around
All three will get the same load, 108 gallon "paper' tank, and a 500 pounder on each wing -
Tamiya 2-piece pylons are very nicely detailed
Tamiya 2-piece pylons are very nicely detailed
3 way different looking P&W 2800s - first colors on -
Academy mold has matching divots right at the root on both sides. Smaller ones on both sides near the tailwheel too .
1K sanded, alcohol wipe down, light primer coats on.
Tamiya first color coat
Hasegawa first color coat
'Paper' tanks - during sanding much of the band details gets flattened, so I added 1mm -strips of yellow tape to bring them back
Hasegawa wheels - 'HUBS' are off center a bit, so they will be removed and wheel covers made - most D models had spoked wheels anyway.
Pick your favorite curse word, I used it. Currently trying to bring it back to some form of clear - glue on my thumb and had no idea it was there.....grrrrrrrrrrrrr
Parts farm
Time for glare panel masking
Tail feathers on - rudder checker patterns from Rising Decals are great - matches the Tamiya mold perfectly, on both the Hasegawa and Academy molds the decal needs a bit of trimming, as the rudders on both are too short. - using each individual kit's fuselage and wing insignias, Academy is oddly brittle and will crack easily while putting it in place, Tamiya is thick but settles down well, the Hasegawa is a bit fragile.
Academy decals - not a fan - very shiny and thick, stubborn to get flat - these will be removed and painted on
Proper shade of yellow zinc from Mission Models going in wells and on door interiors
Hasegawa wells have almost no detail, so I added very basic stringers -
Pylons on, gear assembled. Hasegawa wheels got the Tamiya 'hubcaps', the Academy wheels were filled with putty, and details inked on. Tailwheels on too - Tamiya's is a clever three part trap, angling the doors out at the right angles. Very slick.
Stencils and standard markings going on, fun stuff and Sqdn markings will be last, as they would have been painted on in the Field.
Tamiya has the most markings of course, even the smallest decals are actually legible when magnified - really impressive -
Academy- no cowl on yet as I had to paint the firewall after the engine was installed - have I said the Academy decals are not good? Avoid them if you have spares.
Hasegawa pilot is cocked a bit to the left - blame it on the enormous throne of seat, or let's just imagine he's leaning out to see over that enormous nose as he taxis.....
Recognition lights drilled out and deepened, Academy depicted them as lumps - bad.
Lights after paint and Krystal Kleer. Proper order is red, green, and amber; front to rear
Hasegawa has no centerline store details, so it's getting a spare tank from Tamiya kit.
Hasegawa with a Tamiya 'paper' tank hung, albeit a bit off center.
More Academy irritation, the antenna is much too far forward, the canopy can't be posed open - moving it 13mm aft, basing that distance off of Tamiya's placement. It's also 5mm too tall.
Antennas lined up, Hasegawa provides none, so I made it from stretched spue, a bit too thick though.
Gear on and aligned, drying time for the day....
Excellent Techmod prop logos versus Academy attempt.
DONE!
Trippple threat
First I caught this - Hasegawa and Academy both- main landing gear are too long, noses are too high off of the ground.
Tamiya kit - Wave of Destruction, USAAC P-47D-26, 4228326 Pilot Lt Domin, killed while flying another P-47
Academy kit - Iron Ass, USAAC P-47D-26, 4228327
Hasegawa kit - Here Comes Elmer Now, USAAC P-47D-30, 443102 Pilot Capt Belcher
Proper squat, cowl shape and engine details excellent -kit decals very good
Academy - too high, cowl not quite right, sketchy engine detail, prop fits sloppy
Hasegawa - sits too high, pretty good all around for 50 years old
Comments
45 23 November 2023, 21:56
ChristianThis is very mesmerizing. Thank you for posting the side-by-side-by-side comparisons!
25 November 2023, 13:38
Casey BeckettThank you gentlemen! The side by side was a happy accident when starting just to keep the three shades of grey kits straight - neat to see how molds have progressed over the years. I realize even the Tamiya mold is almost 20 years old now, but just compare it's cockpit and surface detail on the skin to the 25 year old Academy, and the (WOW) now 49 year old Hasegawa;, reboxed how many times now? Back to the bench now, looking to have airframes togeth6er and primed today - will post more pics this evening.
Cheers yall!
25 November 2023, 14:09
Andy BallI like the 3-way action!....when I built Tam's I thought it was brilliant...interesting to see how it fairs...great progress BTW
18 December 2023, 11:49
Casey BeckettThank you - will post more pics tomorrow - nearing the end - Tamiya beats the others by miles -
19 December 2023, 02:42
Moreno BaruffiniI agree with the above! Super interesting, thanks for posting!
19 December 2023, 06:45
CaptGPFHoly cow! How you don't mix up the parts between the kits is a feat in its own right. Love how they are coming together!
19 December 2023, 07:02
Album info
Academy, Hasegawa, and Tamiya P-47D kits, all at once, fast, same unit markings from 346TH FS in Italy. No crazy detail sets, just decals and the builds. Well, I AM going to use ONE Yah6u instrument panel just cause I have it.
Black checkertail unit, all natural metal, using same paints on each kit, and yall be the Judges -
Building Tamiya kit as 'Hellsapoppin"
Building Academy kit as "Iron Ass"
Building Hasegawa kit as "Wave of Destruction"
