Post-War Thunderbolts

Mick

Mick

SOH-CM-2025
A while ago I posted a question about how to close the cowl flaps on the AlphaSims P-47D and learned that it can't be done. I was starting to paint some post-WW2 F-47 Thunderbolts and decided to use a different model that wouldn't have the cowl flap glitch. That turned out to be easier said than done!

First I checked out Gnoopy's P-47M, since the M was externally identical to a late D, but found a couple issues. For one, the model has drop tanks, seldom seen on post-war T-bolts, and they take their color from the fuselage. That means that all the oil and exhaust staining that turned the fuselage bellies nearly black - and led to those bellies sometimes being painted black - are repeated on the drop tanks (which I'd rather not have in the first place.) Tom's original release included a clean model, but it's too clean; it not only lacks drop tanks, it also lacks the big underwing pylons characteristic of all military Thunderbolts, apparently absent on only a handful of restored examples.

That model also presents another painting problem because on the textures, the vertical fin extension takes its color from the top of one wing, so it's not possible to paint the fin extension to match the anti-glare panel, as was done of several of the planes I wanted to paint.

I looked at Krzysztof Malinowski's CFS-2 model, which used the same textures as Gnoopy's plane, and saw that it also limits the color of the vertical fin extension to that of the top of a wing.

I was about to give up when I remembered that A.F. Scrub had made a coupe Thunderbolts that I had downloaded and stashed away during my hiatus from the hobby and hadn't installed. Its textures are also massed on those of the Malinowski model, but there are a couple differences. One of the differences is that the vertical fin extension has its own place in the texture file! Thank you Scrubby!

So here's my Mass. National Guard F-47D:

View attachment 13889

And here's an F-47 of Air Defense Command, from way back when ADC was a sub-unit of Continental Air Command:

View attachment 13890

The New York National Guard:

View attachment 13891

And the Rhode Island Air Guard:

View attachment 13892

Yep, that's a chicken in the squadron insignia! A Rhode Island Red, to be exact. Perhaps surprisingly, this is not the only fighter squadron that ever used a chicken as its insignia. Not everyone can be an eagle or a tiger!

This Air Force D-bolt served with the occupation forces in Germany:

View attachment 13893

This was also an active duty Air Force plane, but I have no idea what unit flew it, or where:

View attachment 13894

One more National Guard plane, this one from Virginia:

View attachment 13895

But post-war Thunderbolts weren't all old D-models. The long range, souped up N-model was also in widespread (if temporary) service. This one flew with the other Massachusetts Guard unit:

View attachment 13896

This one belonged to the Pennsylvania Guard:

View attachment 13897

One from Georgia:

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One from Connecticut:

View attachment 13899

And one from the active duty Air Force:

View attachment 13900

This last belonged to the 322nd Fighter Group, which was the designation of the famous"Tuskegee Airmen," but by then there was probably no connection to the wartime 322nd.

They are uploading as I type this.

Enjoy!
 
Groovy baby, looking sweet.

Just a note, the model originated from CFS3*, Kristoff Malinowski adapted it for CFS2, Gnoopey did the same with either Kristoff's model or the CFS3 one. Scrubby adapted possibly one of three, lol.

Jamie

*the SDK for CFS3 Gmax came with the Bolt source files. ;¬)
 
I remember Gnoopey saying that he started with the source files from CFS 3 and reworked them.
 
Awesome job, Mick! I just wish the Colorado ANG used Thunderbolts, but it appears that they were using F-51's at that time!

Definitely adding some of these to the Hangar.

:applause:
 
ViperPilot2 said:
Awesome job, Mick! I just wish the Colorado ANG used Thunderbolts, but it appears that they were using F-51's at that time! ...
Click to expand...

Mustangs are coming next, though it will be a little while. There will be D-models and H-models.

Alas, there probably won't be one from the Colorado Guard, since Mr. Google can only offer one photo (I just checked) and it doesn't show a whole plane - not nearly enough to make a paint job from.

If you can come up with a suitable photo, I can probably come up with a paint job.
 
Dangerousdave26 said:
Same with Krzysztof Malinowski's CFS2 model. Its the reason why alot of skins from CFS2 fit Gnoopey's P-47M.
Click to expand...

Kryzstof's and Gnoopy's texture mapping is almost exactly the same, as I discovered in my experimentation. There's just a two-pixel difference in the mapping of the cowlings, so if a paint features any sort of stripes or bands that go around the cowling, they won't match up at the tops and bottoms unless you make a two-pixel adjustment on one side or the other.

On Scrubby's model the mapping of the cowling is more different and a larger adjustment must be made to make textures meant for one of the other planes work on this one. And it's also necessary to insert the bit for the vertical fin extension into the older textures, or else the fin extension will show part of the the engine front painted on it. As I mentioned above, it was the ability to paint the vertical fin extension on the Scrub model that made it possible for some of these paints to be accurate.

Malinowski's and Scrub's textures correspond much more closely on their N-models, but you'd still have to make the same edit to cover the vertical fin extension.

I found a similar correspondence between two Mustangs. Jerry Beckwith's P-51H textures are identical to the ones from Andrew Wei's CFS-2 P-51D. Not that there's be any reason to use D-model paints on an H-model, or vise versa, but it could be done if one wanted to. I'll bet there are plenty of other cases where modelers have used existing textures as a guide to map their own new models, though I haven't stumbled onto any of them.

I might wind up using a reflection-enabled copy of Andrew's model for my F-51D paints, since I'm having trouble coming up with an unmarked natural metal base for Wozza's D. My F-51H paints will definitely be for Jerry's model, since it's the only P-51H available. Thankfully it's an excellent one. As are both Andrew's and Wozza's D's, too.
 
Mick said:
Mustangs are coming next, though it will be a little while. There will be D-models and H-models.

Alas, there probably won't be one from the Colorado Guard, since Mr. Google can only offer one photo (I just checked) and it doesn't show a whole plane - not nearly enough to make a paint job from.

If you can come up with a suitable photo, I can probably come up with a paint job.
Click to expand...

No worries, Mick!

As you alluded to, there isn't a good photo of a COANG Mustang floating around on the Googley!

Besides, I've got a great skin for Warwick Carter's D model, in a post war USAF scheme.

If I happen to find one, though... I will definitely pass it along!

:wavey:
 
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