MiniArt P-47D-30RA 1/48 Advanced kit

[Green KreationZ]

I will be building the MiniArt P-47D-30RA Advanced kit in the coming month or two and was wondering if you all could give me advice on the metal finish.

The specific scheme I am going with is “Big A*s Bird” flown by Maj Howard Park from the 406th fighter group.

I will be utilizing Alclad paint and thinking the primary finish will be done in Aluminum. In addition, I was going to paint a few of the panels in Dark Aluminum which is just a tad darker.

Do you happen to know which if any panels should be painted with this contrasting color? My first instinct would be to paint the panels covering the ammunition and gun bays.

Color chart of Alclad Aluminum paints:



The real Jug:

[406 Silverado]

I haven’t ever built anything that required the use of a metallic finish so I’ll be watchful for the replies /advice posted on that subject. I’ll be in on this one for sure Keith.

[jeaton01]

The undercoat you use is as important as the top color with metal finishes. I often use a dark blue, gloss is good but takes a long time to dry so sometimes I use a flat color and polish or clearcoat it. Different undercoat areas will give different looks in the final finish. With Alclad it is important to apply the paint in thin dry coats, holding the airbrush far enough away so the paint is almost dry as it hits the model surface. If it is applied wet it will be hard to work with and use far more paint than you need, as a wet coat appears more transparent than a dry coat of the same thickness. Applied dry it can be handled in just a few minutes. The rationale for a dark blue undercoat is that what you see when you look at aluminum is reflected light from the sky, which except in the UK is usually blue. I can't give much advice as to which panels to paint what, except on the P-47 the long panels aft of the waste gates and oil cooler doors is stainless and should be painted that way, like the panels on a Mustang around the exhaust stacks. Unless an airplane is very new there often is not much variation, though areas that are stretch formed may continue to look different than flat sheets. As usual it is look at photos and use artistic license.

[Green KreationZ]

Thank you for the info and suggestions jeaton01

I’ve saved a plethora of photos to use as reference. From what I can see, there is not reallly any difference from panel to panel on the real planes. But, none of these photos reflect planes actively used in war. These are all examples of modern P47 that are well maintained. 

[tcoat]

The black and white WW2 era pictures seems to show the panel differences in better contrast. Pretty random but the formation does show some panels the same under the cockpit. 

[Green KreationZ]

Thank you tcoat! 

I’ve not done a NMF before so am a bit nervous. I plan on practicing on some black spoons prior to actually painting the whole plane. 

Here’s the kit and all the additional goodies. 




I am hoping to finish up my FW diorama build in the next 2-3 weeks and follow it up with this build. Sorry for all you Mogami lovers! I haven’t had the time to sit and fold PE for hours on end lately lol. 

[tcoat]

Jun 27, 2024 9:16:22 GMT -5 Green KreationZ said:

Thank you tcoat ! 

I’ve not done a NMF before so am a bit nervous. I plan on practicing on some black spoons prior to actually painting the whole plane. 

Here’s the kit and all the additional goodies. 




I am hoping to finish up my FW diorama build in the next 2-3 weeks and follow it up with this build. Sorry for all you Mogami lovers! I haven’t had the time to sit and fold PE for hours on end lately lol. 

I have done a couple of of natural finish but I cheat and use 3 or 4 different tones of Bare Metal Foil and a black wash to make the differences more subtle.

The ancient Monogram P-38. If you look closely you can see 3 different tones on panels.

[keavdog]

I've been pretty happy with Alclad for NMF. They have quite a few shades and degrees of shininess. Their AL119 Airframe Aluminum being the shiniest I've done. I find them very easy to use, just need to take the time to make sure your surface pristine. I usually finish with a polish before laying down gloss black. This little DC-3 was done in AL119

[Green KreationZ]

Jun 27, 2024 10:12:41 GMT -5 keavdog said:

I've been pretty happy with Alclad for NMF. They have quite a few shades and degrees of shininess. Their AL119 Airframe Aluminum being the shiniest I've done. I find them very easy to use, just need to take the time to make sure your surface pristine. I usually finish with a polish before laying down gloss black. This little DC-3 was done in AL119

Looks great! 

I actually own all of Alclad paint line. I typically use their paints for engines, wheels, etc. 

[spook]

This stuff works well for bare Metal. It lays down nicely and is smooth. Doesn't distort the various Metal Colors.

[Green KreationZ]

Thanks for the suggestion spook

Got a buddy of mine to print some things for me. Any guess what this is?









Parts for various kits as a hint 

[stikpusher]

Holy sh……. 😯

[TJ]

Jul 3, 2024 21:03:13 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

Holy sh……. 😯

My words exactly

[handiabled]

That is amazing! Your opening the engine cowls of this I take it?

[406 Silverado]

Jul 4, 2024 6:26:54 GMT -5 handiabled said:

That is amazing! Your opening the engine cowls of this I take it?

   He's GOTTA be.......he'd be crazy NOT to! Man........I'm on the edge of my seat here!! 

[Green KreationZ]

I have tons of parts to actually open up the area behind the engine. For both this build as well as various Eduard Zeros

[deafpanzer]

Did I miss the memo that we are doing p-47 group build?!?!? 🤣 Several guys are building it here! Bought same kit last spring so I will be following you closely as usual!

Good luck buddy!

[spook]

How can we get some of those parts ?

[spook]

Funny I'm building this kit as well .
The detail of this kit is amazing .
Some parts are a little nerve racking but the end results are going to be worth it .

[Green KreationZ]

Jul 4, 2024 13:03:38 GMT -5 deafpanzer said:

Did I miss the memo that we are doing p-47 group build?!?!? 🤣 Several guys are building it here! Bought same kit last spring so I will be following you closely as usual!

Good luck buddy!

Haha, funny you say that. I’m actually building this as part of a group build on Instagram. Operation Overlord themed. The due date is Aug 30 - why I’m currently in hyperdrive on my Fw builds lol 

[Green KreationZ]

Jul 4, 2024 13:36:17 GMT -5 spook said:

How can we get some of those parts ?

These were designed by the YouTube scale model maker Plasmo. I purchased his STL files and had numerous copies printed (for possible mistakes) 

[Green KreationZ]

Alrighty folks. Have a quick turnout time on this one as it’s for an internet competition. Expect rapid updates!

[handiabled]

Bookmarked!

[kyledehart5]

1 epic project down and Keith quickly dives into the next one. I cannot WAIT to see your build up of this beauty.

[Green KreationZ]

Thank you both! Stay tuned for another potential surprise 😅

[Green KreationZ]

Alright friends… Surprise time…




The following kits will be the highlight of the build:
MiniArt P-47D-30RA Advanced Kit
Eduard P-51B

Supporting kits include:
Eduard Brassin P-51B Gun Bays
Eduard Brassin P-51B Engine
Additional 3D printed engine parts for P-47
MiniArt Field Workshop
MiniArt Cable Spools
MiniArt Tool Set
Tamiya Allied Jerry Can Set
Tamiya U.S Army Infantry At Rest

Both of the planes will be opened up showing their engine and wing mounted guns.

This build will be a mirror image of my recently finished Luftwaffe Maintenance diorama.

[keavdog]

Looking forward to
a) What this new kit looks like - love the fact that MiniArt has gone into 1/48 aircraft
b) What you can do with all these goodies and that kit given your awesome skills!

[kyledehart5]

Agrees. Also really curious about the miniart kit. It looks super cool. And what an awesome idea!! This is going to be amazing!!

[handiabled]

This is going to be a joy to watch come together!

[Green KreationZ]

kyledehart5 keavdog handiabled - Thanks for the interest! This build will hopefully come together pretty quickly as it’s due for an online competition by Aug 30. 

A good bit of progress on the interior of these birds -




And yes… There are 3 planes there 😅