1:48 Razorback P 47's of the 56th Fighter Group

Nose names as the crew's signature

This sheet brings a pair of Thunderbolts with a raised fuselage spine and it is plain to see on them how American pilots decorated their machines. The aircraft with serial number 42-75599 carried the code letters UN-G on its side and the name Maximum Goose. The second, 42-75410, flew under the marking HV-M with the 61st Fighter Squadron and had lettering referring to a rooster painted on the nose.

The early form of the fuselage with the cockpit sunk between the raised spine gives a model quite a different silhouette from the later bubble canopy. For a builder that is no trifle: the placement of the lettering and insignia from this sheet is measured out precisely for a high spine, and on an aircraft with a glazed rear end the positions would not come out. Both subjects date from the period when the group flew in an olive green finish.

Application and care

The thin film will stand repeated moving as long as moisture remains under it. Should it dry before the marking is settled, it is enough to dampen it with a brush and release it again. Once dry it proves useful to pierce any bubbles with the point of a scalpel and to go over the place with a softener, which draws the surface down onto the plastic. The finished model is then left one day to rest before the final varnish comes.

The content of the delivery is a printed sheet with national insignia, code letters and lettering for both of the subjects named. A kit and paints do not belong to it. For color references it is worth knowing that the olive finish faded quickly in service on the machines of this group, so before applying the markings it pays to lighten the base tone slightly, so that the result does not come across as a freshly repainted machine.