Every man his Jug

[gamary]

Really? I'm surprised, it looks more like a hack or training bird than one that would go into combat. I'm a big fan of nose art, but camouflage also has its advantages.

I love the name "Wicked Wabbit".

Here's another (very small) update. I've corrected the hump, so John can tell me it's no good. (BTW, the P-47 is an aircraft for John: down to business, smack in your face. No time for chitter-chatter. )



Also added a few thingies here and there.

[JMSmith]

watda'ya'mean,

i'm the nicest person on here the hump is now ok, so stop mucking about and get on with it

that reminds me, i have a seahawk waiting somewhere

[JMSmith]

just a after thought,

why am i thinking that the rear fuselage and fin and rudder are not correct i have checked all my photos and drawings and it looks just the same as those, so why are my eyes being deceived
something is definitely sending my perception out of kilter. come on guys help me out here, fifty pairs of eyes should be able to unravel the mystery.

[fritzie101]

looks good so far and I'm going to say it's a C model or a very early D model judging by the cowl flaps and markings

[Vacajun]

John,

Now you have me doing it too! Looks like the front top curvature of the vertical tail needs to be checked--looks too "pointy".

[JMSmith]

i thought it was the trailing edge of the rudder,
that why i started checking, but it ain't that

[Goodwood]

looks good so far and I'm going to say it's a C model or a very early D model judging by the cowl flaps and markings

Early D model; the P-47C had fewer cowl flaps (approx. two less on each side) and only one lower exhaust louver on the lower fuselage just before the wing root. Many Cs were upgraded to D standard in the field; likewise for D models, as factory improvements came down the line. Razorbacks were never converted to bubbletops, however, though their engines were typically replaced by newer and/or upgraded ones.

Good work, gamery. The only thing I'd change would be to make the panel lines/rivets just a teensy bit less transparent, and maybe to add some slight edgeline highlight and shadow (it's tough to describe where). Also, the three slits on the upper fuselage forward of the windscreen were actually holes cut into the fuselage, with no overhanging flaps (but you probably knew that... ).

[gamary]

John and Joe: Thanks. I've looked into it and I think the problem might come from the fin tip, which should not be as pointy but a bit more rounded. I'll try and correct that in the next update.

Goodwood: spot on, it's a D-5-RE. I'll give your suggestion about the panel lines a thought. One of the reasons they're less visible here is that the image is resized and jpeg-ed. As they were already discreet, the conversion made them nearly invisible.

As for the three vents, the reference picture I have shows it rather as "punched in" than completely cut out. I'll check. Thanks for pointing it out.

For the edgeline highlight/shading, are you thinking of a specific zone, or the whole aircraft? I thing I will add some more on top, forward of the canopy. For the rest, I am fairly satisfied with the shape definition.

Do keep in mind that this is still very much a WIP. Thanks for feedback, everyone.

[Goodwood]

While it's good to see that you're going to beef up the shading for the upper fuselage forward of the canopy, what I meant with that statement is to add some differential between actual aircraft panels. While most aircraft of that period were relatively smooth-skinned, sometimes there would be slight differences between panels, as in one would have a slightly raised edge. Not unlike where the wing root meets the fuselage on the Fw 190, but not quite as dramatic. Since you obviously have better references than I do, you'd have a better idea of where to put such things, should you decide to include the effect.

It's something that I've done on many of my more recent skins, particularly on P-47s and P-51s; you can see them at Mission 4 Today.

For some photographic examples, look here and here; of course, that is of a late-production D model (likely a D-45 or later). It's subtle, but noticeable.

[fritzie101]

JUGS WE NEED MORE JUGS