Paint Job

So I've got the fuselage finished, wings attached, and all other pieces have been attached accordingly. Now the only thing left to do, is paint. Although this isn't a paint job that was included in the booklet, from the research that I've done, it's the design on the fighters in the 397th Fighter Squadron. 

A little fun fact: The P-47 Thunderbolt was the heaviest single-prop engine fighter to ever fight in any war. This thing was a monster. Pretty cool that it could hold up as well as it did against the Luftwaffe and their killer Messerschmidtt Bf-109's. 

Here are a couple pictures of the paint job, more pictures of the decals/weathering are coming soon:

P-47: Fuselage and Wings

Things are now starting to come together. I realize that most of these posts are just going to be pictures, updating my progress. So I hope you enjoy.

P-47: Cockpit

Work on the cockpit has begun. I especially enjoy taking my time with the cockpit because it is so detailed. Unfortunately, a lot of that detail work is lost as you can't really see all of it once the plane is finished, even if you're really looking for it.

But here are a few pictures that should show a little detail:

P-47: Inspiration

Update: August 5, 2016

My first project is underway! My brother in law, Ryan Kelly, found out a few years ago about a great uncle that was lost in WWII. He was flying his plane over enemy lines when he was shot down near Köln, Germany. After learning about this long lost uncle, Ryan went on an all out investigation to find out as much as he could about Second Lt. Gerald B. Kelly and his final flight aboard his P-47 Thunderbolt. Click here for the full story.

So I thought it would be a great idea to build a model P-47 and give it to him as a gift. I've done some research myself and found the exact paint job and squadron markings for the 397th Fighter Squadron of the 368th Fighter Group in the Ninth Air Force, which uncle Jerry was a part of. This should be a great start to my P3!

Below is a picture of Jerry Kelly next to his P-47:

Childhood Hobby Reborn

My company is pretty freakin' rad. I've worked at xMatters for about 9 months now and they do this sweet personal improvement program called 3P. It's all about becoming better at whatever it is that interests you and gets you excited. I thought that this year, I would do a blog in addition to keeping my work updated. So, take a look. I hope you enjoy. 

When I was a kid, I used to love putting together model airplanes... and the occasional model car. I would spend hours each day for several weeks putting together pieces, painting, and then (obviously) playing around with my new creations. 

I also loved learning about the history of different planes and their role in battle. For instance, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the most produced plane in WWII, with almost 34,000 being produced from 1935 to the end of the war ten years later.

Well, something clicked earlier this year and I've been dying to pull out my old paints and tools. However, my chest of building materials needs a major overhaul. So I am going to use a grant from my awesome company to buy new paints, brushes, xacto knives, glue, epoxy putty, etc. (and maybe even a small airbrush machine).

If all goes well, this could rekindle my old childhood hobby... and it might be interesting for other people to check out my cool models. So here's the plan:

1. One model per quarter: Because the building of precision models can be time consuming and very specific, I don't want to promise more than I'm able to deliver. So one per quarter is my goal.

2. Historical significance: Because one of my favorite parts about building models is learning about their history, with each model I build I will include a little snippet of the historical background. And since my biggest interest is in WWII planes, expect a lot of WWII education. 

3. Updates: I'll also try to update more than just once a quarter with my progress on each model. 

Can't wait to get started!