Decided to put the whole thing together for a complete check of the pneumatic landing gear system. I think the LG angles look good compared to my references, and the gear pops up and down with perfection. The wheels fit perfectly in the modified wells. Once again, my hat is off to whoever worked out the angles for the mods. If done carefully, they produce a very realistic end state....

If I can figure out how to do it, I will post some video clips.

Nice work. It's nice when the sheeting goes on isn't it, but kind of sad too to see all your work covered!

I can't recall whether you are planning to use epoxy or poly c for glassing? I was thinking of poly c for my current build but not sure yet.

It looks outstanding Luft and the stance is very "Jug like" for sure. The only thing I can see that might make it better would be some struts with the slight offset of the full size. I seem to recall that Hobby King offered something that was pretty Jug-esque in appearance for a very reasonable price. Anyway, nice work and the finished and detailed wheel wells are a thing of beauty. Onward and upward!

Thanks Gree/Chad! I am planning the WB Poly method of covering. I've had pretty good luck with fiberglass in the part making department, but don't really care for it much...smell, etc.

I decided to mock up the gear doors with cardboard to get a feel for how it will look when complete. Very "jug like"...

The teeny tiny tailwheel bugs me though...I have to look at options for that.

Well, it has been ions since I posted. I have been working on the project though! The wings are now completely sheeted, and I have completed the second action in this build that I wasn't looking forward to....separating the flaps from the wings. You see way back when, I screwed this step up by allowing glue...a lot of glue.. to get in between the inboard formers that separate the flap from the fuse. So instead of cutting a thin layer of sheeting to separate the surfaces, I had to use a razor saw to make straight, vertical cuts through a layer of glue that was stronger than the wood surrounding it. I was ultimately successful, but it came at the cost of damage to the rest of the wing, especially one of the ailerons (long story!). The culmination event came when I punched my thumb through the top wing sheeting. The great thing about balsa though is that anything can be repaired almost like new, and having recovered sufficiently from my PTSD and sliced finger, the repairs are all made and the wing is good to go. The next step is to shape the scalloped bracing formed from the wing spars and clean up the aileron join area. The instructions say to do the flaps, then the ailerons but circumstances forced me to remove one of the ailerons prematurely. The black dots on the wing spars are the location of the hinge blocks on the interior. I almost forgot to mark these before I closed the wing up!

Nice to see progress Please keep posting.

What happened to this build? I'd like to hear how it turned out.

I'm still plugging away on it as time permits. I have the wing control surfaces separated and everything cleaned up. I also have the ailerons built out with their leading edges. I have a plan to do some slight detailing in the flap bays, but needed the materials. Just picked them up over the weekend, so can move forward. I will post some pics soon...

I am building a P47 as well. I'm going to have hidden controls like yours. I saw how you did your elevator controls by cutting away a section of the rudder but didn't see how you finished it could you please post some pics of this area and explain how you covered the missing bit.

This build is way above my pay grade but I have enjoyed reading through it. I'm building the TF P-47 right now but to no where near the detail (scale or otherwise) you are employing. I hope to see more of this project as it progresses. Please keep posting.

I'm hoping to see some progress soon. Your build is amazing!
Mine has been built and flown more than a dozen flights. Great flying plane.
I put a VVRC20 in mine. It weighed 14lbs 2oz at the maiden. I just removed 3oz and it's still a touch nose heavy.
I fiberglassed and airbrushed it with air brush paint. So far no decals or stickers. I'm in the middle of airbrushing the stripes and stars and bars now.
I'm adding details as I go.

This is my second flight. The engine is almost broke in now. It has much more power and speed than it did in this video.

Not trying to hijack your thread, just inspire you to post again and finish your Top Flite P-47

Top Flite P 47D second flight (7 min 5 sec)

Luft,

Any updates on your build?

Jeff

Great build and documentation, but it's been over a year. Any updates?

I am just starting mine can't wait

Hi, I haven't posted in awhile, but I have been chipping away at it very slowly. I'm committed to seeing it through, but have resigned myself to the fact that it will take forever The wing control surfaces are now separated from the wings and basically complete. This step just followed the instructions, but I had a mental block about it for some reason. The hardest work is the flaps. The leading edge is constructed from two balsa blocks, and it takes a LOT of carving and sanding to get them right. The airfoil patterns from the plans are right on the money. Just follow the instructions and you will be fine. One hint: I used a razor plane to carve away the majority of the balsa to get the rough shape, then sanding bars to refine it. I also have a sanding device that I made from a medium weight piece of flexible foam rubber. I glued sandpaper on to one side, and it works great for smoothing curved surfaces.