Pat Villarreal's P-47D

I wanted a quick build, so I chose the 1/72nd scale Tamiya P-47D Thunderbolt Razorback.  Markings are from AeroMaster Decals and represent the plane “Lollapalooza” flown by Lt. Woodrow Sooman of the 336th FS, 8th AF, November 1943.

This a box stock build including most of the stencil decals, but the roundels and aircraft markings are from AeroMaster since the kit roundels were very brittle (old). The canopy is installed closed to keep dust out.

Exterior paint is Tamiya XF-62 Olive Drab and XF-53 Neutral Gray. A Future coat was brushed on for decal prep and post-prep.  Once dry, a coat of Vallejo Satin clear was airbrushed in preparation for some charcoal weathering and watercolor pencils. Once done, I did a final coat of AK Ultra Matt Clear Varnish.

This is a great kit.  Awesome fit, engineering and detail.  I consider this P-47D a “therapy build” when I need to take a break from complicated kits. The folks at Tamiya created a modeling classic with this Thunderbolt.