POST BUBBLETOP P-47 FINDS AND DISCUSSION HERE!

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 8:19 pm

Wow! what a cool scheme. I love the checker nose planes and I must say it does look pretty wicked on a jug! I guess now I will be behind 2 bubbletops in the near future! I still have my fingers crossed for a gabby scheme eventually! I guess I have another 3 chances if the old 5-6 repaints runs true!

vmf214 · Post by **vmf214** » Sun Nov 28, 2004 9:17 pm

You're welcome vulture...you can see the plane at SBP as I originally posted. I'll bet they'll be at WM before the years end.

mburduck · Post by **mburduck** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 10:09 am

Yes, checkboard noses look just great on P-47s.

A Gabby paint scheme? Now you've got me hoping even MORE....

Mike

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 1:32 pm

You know, 21st seems to give their P-47s some of the best paint jobs! Think of the "Peg o My Heart," "The Blond Angel", and now the two Bubbletop P-47s. The checkered cowling is really cool!

Waltz41 · Post by **Waltz41** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 2:09 pm

That's a nice 78th FG scheme there, would look really nice next to Big Beautiful Doll! I just wish Doll was done as nice and correct as some of these newer birds.

brian

shorty · Post by **shorty** » Mon Nov 29, 2004 3:35 pm

i never liked the landing gear on the p47's, it seems so fragile compared to the ones on the spitfire or fw 190's., it doesn't seem to realy support the weight of the bird fully i find

KWR190 · Post by **KWR190** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:08 am

Pre order is on BCA for the #2 plane.
Kurt

mburduck · Post by **mburduck** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 2:00 pm

TWO bubbletops? Where the hell have I been?

I'm off to BCA for a minute or two!

Mike

mburduck · Post by **mburduck** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 2:05 pm

Just placed my order.

Couldn't tell from the picture if there are any German kill marks on "Eileen." Guess I could always add some if I want!

Mike

mburduck · Post by **mburduck** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 2:26 pm

I found the large picture that shows there are no German kill marks on this plane.

Who, in the opinions of you guys, makes the best 1:18 kill mark decals?

Mike

Website · Post by **Teamski** » Tue Nov 30, 2004 6:07 pm

The Eileen paint scheme looks pretty cool on BCA, but I think I'll hold out in hope of a 56th FG plane.....

-Ski

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:38 am

yeah I will take both of these and a "zemeke wolf pack". Anyone out there read the book THUNDERBOLT! by Robert Johnson? It was a really great first account of bob johnson's experience flying with the 56th fighter group. I came away from reading that book with a new love and respect for that plane and the pilots in the 56th. Neat read for plane buffs. Makes you want a gabby plane though. I will hold my breath with you teamski!

Website · Post by **Teamski** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 8:33 am

I read Johnson's book twice and it's an abosolute classic. Another great book is "Zemke's Wolfpack" by the guy himself, Hub Zemke. It's a must-read, really. I visited both homes of the 56th when I was stationed in the UK: Boxted and Halesworth. At Halesworth, a friend of mine who was actually there when the 56th was as a 17 year old in the RAF, pointed out several places of interest including Schilling's acres, a farm that pilots from Dave Schilling's squadron billeted. I know I'm digressing, but he told me a story where he almost got killed:

He was at the end of the runway repairing some runway lighting when some T'bolts were returning from a sortie. They approached from the other end of the runway. Well, my friend stopped to watch the pair of P-47s finish their landing roll when he noticed that they were going pretty fast. Sure enough, the lead P-47 jammed on his brakes and the plane nosed over about 50 yards away, with his wingman doing the EXACT same thing. The lead pilot, however, accidentally pulled the trigger, firing his guns. The force of 8 .50s going off righted the plane, and as the aircraft flipped back the rounds peppered the ground on either side of my friend and the guy next to him. They had to dust eachother off from the dirt that was spit up! Now that's close!

One of his most treasured posessions that my friend showed me was a flying helmet and goggles given to him by a 56th pilot in 1944!!! My eyes lit up on that one!

-Ski

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:18 am

That is too cool. I love untold stories like that!

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 1:53 pm

I have a friend, albeit an old one, who was a pilot in the 56th and was friends with Zemke. His name is Col. Harold Comstock and he lives in my hometown of Fresno, Ca. I got to know him through my father. He was an ace with 5 kills in the 63rd FS of that wing. He became a career Air Force officer and later flew F-100s in Vietnam. I had lunch at his house once, which was stashed with all sorts of 56th FG and other Air Froce memorabilia. Needless to say, his stories about life in the ETO were incredible. He even gave me a video cassette that had copies of some of his WWII gun camera footage from one of his aerial kills and a few of the ground targets he attacked. There was a Revell-Monogram 1:48 scale pro-finish (pre-painted) kit of a P-47D in 56th colors that was out a few years ago. The box labeled it as having been flown by Zemke, but Comstock claimed he actually flew it and his nose art, "Happy Warrior" was on the side! Very cool! If 21st made another P-47 Bubbletop in the colors of that kit, I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

I've posted a link to a site with some info and photos about the 56th FG:

http://www.web-birds.com/8th/56/56th.htm

Website · Post by **Teamski** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 2:21 pm

Cool stuff!! Now we'll see if 21st can deliver the goods!

-Ski

ps. I don't know why 21st never did a 56th Razerback. They did 2 405th FG machines instead. Robert Johnson's or Bud Murahan's planes really deserved coverage.

mburduck · Post by **mburduck** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 7:29 pm

Coolstuff indeed!

I'd love a P-47 done up like Zemke's WolfPack.

I have a huge framed P-47 print signed by Zemke and Gabreski and it's my pride and joy!

Mike

MightyMustang · Post by **MightyMustang** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 7:51 am

I have to admit that P-47's have never really been my favorite fighter but the Bubble Top version that I saw on Bad Cat Toys website with Col Glenn Eaglestons markings is pretty cool. So yes I went and ordered it!

vmf214 · Post by **vmf214** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 9:53 pm

will post a pic for you boomboom...

vmf214 · Post by **vmf214** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 10:14 pm

vmf214 wrote:
boomboomjr wrote:I think that those bubbletops are a myth. I scoured over several walmarts in so cal today and just the old crap.

No myth, they're out there however slim. I have one I bought at a WM in OK and guess what, it was in a 21st box NOT a Motorworks box. That's good because the Motorworks boxes suck. I've included a pic below as an assurance they do in fact exist. This pic by the way is of course in my hobby room and took quite abit of acrobatic skill climbing and leaning over boxes of stuff to get to where the bubbletop was, of course it was on the bottom of a stack of other XD's. It's on the bottom below the new checkertail Razorback with noseart. Keep the faith, they'll be everywhere soon I'm sure.

<img src="http://pictures.auctionarms.com/6260152 ... be658b.jpg">

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 10:20 pm

Thats wierd - being sold at WM in a 21st box. The picture confirms it, and the box has the WM price sticker...

vmf214 · Post by **vmf214** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 10:30 pm

If another new release would pop up in WM so we could see the box it would likely confirm a suspicion I have...which is WM has dropped (or is going to) the Motorworks name. I noticed that the Maisto planes are back in the old Kid Connection cards but with different artwork. Also the Air Power large diecast jets and helo's are showing up with the Air Power name again with different artwork also. I hope all future XD releases are in the standard 21st boxes. Now that BC has Eileen coming I have a strange feeling an unanounced bubbletop will rear its head at a WM soon just like the Razorbacks did last year. Those just kept coming and coming...

Website · Post by **Teamski** » Sun Dec 05, 2004 11:28 pm

You are correct on the 21st boxes at WM. You are going to see them from now on with a smattering of Motorworks boxes. Note that the 1:6 Stuarts started the trend with the blue boxes. Believe me, this bodes well for the line a WM!

-Ski

Small Scale Military Headquarters

POST BUBBLETOP P-47 FINDS AND DISCUSSION HERE!

Meeting a 56th FG Pilot

Re: the elusive bubbletop.

Re: the elusive bubbletop.