P-47D "Razorback" Thunderbolt
1:48 Scale, Kit from Monogram/Revell
Depicting "Annie's Orphan/Rebel Jack" flown by Capt. Quentin Aanenson
From: September 1944--December 24, 1944 (aircraft was shot down, with a different pilot on December 25)
9th Air Force, 366 Fighter Group, 391st Squadron
This kit was bought about 2-3 years ago (1998). It sat around for a while, receiving some battle damage from a puppy. The cowling was destroyed! Later that year, I watched the PBS Special "A Fighter Pilot's Story", in which Mr. Aanenson described his experiences during World War Two. After I finished watching the show, I decided to dig out the kit, and to try building it as his aircraft.
The adventure begins...
At first I had no references, except for the show (it was recorded!). There was a picture of the nose of the aircraft, and Mr. Aanenson mentioned the code letters (A8*Z) in the dialog. There were also pictures of other aircraft in the squadron, which were useful for any special squadron colors or markings-there were none. Later, I purchased the Squadron/Signal book "P-47 Thunderbolt in Action".
I began building the kit's interior, using the included parts, plus some stolen from the Revell P-47 "BubbleTop", which included some extra "detail" parts (The cowling was later substituted from this kit). I happily put the cockpit together, painting it Interior Green, which I assumed was the correct color. But...I then purchased the book "P-47 Thunderbolt" by Detail and Scale. The correct color is actually a much darker green. Needless to say, I was not entirely happy, but there was nothing I could do at this point.
Then assembly continued as normal. I glued the fuselage together, and hollowed out the holes in the wings for the kit provided "bazooka" rocket tubes and shell ejection ports. After this the wings were glued together.
Around this time, I had a monumental change in the project. While browsing the internet, I found a website about Mr. Aanenson, and the PBS show! And down near the bottom of the page, there was a little button-"Email this old warhorse"! I was able to actually contact Mr. Aanenson, and ask him about his aircraft! He helped immensely, and gave me the details of its paint scheme. It had invasion stripes under the wings, its name was colored in yellow (in the show, his dialog says the big Z was painted white?!?), and there were no other personal victory markings, such as trucks, trains, etc. This made my job alot easier! One thing that was not known was the aircraft's serial number.
NOTE: He also gave me other interesting details about his aircraft. He said that he actually cleaned and waxed the plane on a few occasions, because it was about 10mph faster when clean! Many of you modellers should take note of this when weathering a model. Not all planes are covered in grime! This is also my excuse for the model's shiny apperance. I actually didn't have any DullCote when I finished, and I left it as is!
He also tryed to describe the rocket armament carried by his plane, not the normal "bazooka" type, but a "nailhead" mounted design. I wanted to try to depict the rockets, but I didn't want to make them wrong, so, I left the rockets off.
After conversing with Mr. Aanenson, the project moved along quickly for a while (I was pumped!), including adding ignition wires to the engine, but eventually small problems would cause me to abandon it for weeks/months at a time. Eventually the plane was mostly assembled, and given primer to check the seams for smoothness.
When the sanding was done, the white ETO stripes on the cowl and tail were spray painted and masked. Then the gray was added to the aircraft's bottom (to admit the truth-it is the same paint that I used for primer!). Finally came the olive drab. My last spray can was empty as I finished.
Decals were next. I added the kit stars and bars, serial number, some stencils, and the vey large stars and bars from the "BubbleTop" kit. The side code letters were cut from some white decal material that I had (fortunately!) bought years before. The "Z" was made from the same stuff, painted yellow, and hand-painted letters.
Next was the scariest part, the Invasion stripes! These were hand painted for my own reasons-
- They were originally painted that way on most aircraft.
- On the fuselage, the stripes go right against the stars. I don't trust masking for that!
- I felt like it!
Now came all the finishing details. Lights, bombs, drop tank, cockpit glass, wheels, wear and tear, slight gun powder stains (from ground up pencil).
It seemed finished, but something was missing. I dug out a model sized pilot, and slightly modified him to match Mr. Aanenson's pose. He was then painted and glued into place.
Whew! Done!
The model was entered in the 2001 Lorain County Fair, and won First Place! There was a fence between the displays and the crowd, which made it hard to get a clear picture.
Sources:
Mr. Quentin Aanenson, see his website, here
"P-47 Thunderbolt in Action" by Squadron/Signal Publications
"P-47 Thunderbolt" by Detail and Scale Publications
Hyperscale, a modelling website
©2001 Brandon Knapp
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