I have built the Tamiya kit. it is a great kit. Was looking at this as a possible build? On the fence now. They always look great in the box. As you say build it. That's the only way to know what you get. For the money.
The Tamiya kit is definitely the easier route to a Thunderbolt. The Miniart kit is nice but fussy - take your time and you're rewarded with a nice result. Honestly I won't do another one...for now.
Hi John, this is the first complete build video I've seen of you. First it is great that you do not do such unboxing videos to deliver more content. To show and comment the kit during building it is the better way. So I'm already looking forward to the next video! Greetings from Germany
Hi Gordon and thank you for the kind words! For the most part I almost never do unboxing videos unless it's something I can't find anywhere else - I think I've done two. I'd rather offer my observations during a build. Thank you for watching and Merry Christmas!
A good honest evaluation!!!!! Good job!!! Maybe you should build the Tamiya kit for comparison???? I have built the Tamiya kit several times and was always a pleasure to build, with outstanding details. I presume cheaper than mini art as well. Again great show, looking forward to your next!!!!
Thank you very much! Honestly I've got a bunch of projects in the pipeline but I've seen the Tamiya kit and I'd much rather build that. Thank you very much for watching!
I’ve got this kit in my stash, and I’ve built just about every 1/48 P-47 out there. Thanks for posting this, I feel like I’ve already built it from all the details you shared!
Thank you very much- I tried to approach it with an open mind. It can be a great build but it takes a lot of patience that I'll admit I don't always have. Appreciate your comments and thanks for watching!
Thanks for being honest about the build. You did a great job on a not so well designed kit. Like other postings, I think I’ll stick with the Tamiya kits in my stash. Give it to Dexter as a chew toy!
Great job! If making and painting model kits was easy, there'd be less a sense of accomplishment. Through adversity to the stars, and all that! I enjoyed that, thank you and well done. Happy Christmas!
Thank you very much - I don't mind putting work into a model, but the build should be fun and this one just wasn't for me. Merry Christmas and thanks for looking in!
Thanks very much- I've got mixed feelings about the outcome. Some issues were mine and some were just the nature of the kit. Thanks very much for watching and have a Merry Christmas!
I love how pretty much everyone is having an issue with the seat base lol. Mine went pinging off into the distance. I just started mine yesterday and it's just needlessly complex, IMO. Will be a good experience though. Subscribed.
This kit has so much nice detail, but these fragile and smaller parts needlessly complicate what could have been a fun build. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Thanks for showing the Miniart P-47 build. Having build several Tamiya P-47s in the past I think that is still a better option barring the rivet detail.
Bought this kit last week, (17th of December,) has a christmas present to myself, watching this review is making me feel like why did I get it, first time I've got a mini art kit, normally only buy tamiya and eduard, built 5 of the tamiya p47s and bought another tamiya one a few weeks ago, hope it goes together as well as yours, all the best from David in south Wales (UK) 🏴
I was thinking about getting this kit, but since I know how detailed Miniart armor is and all the small pieces I decided against it. Your video convinced me to just finish my Academy and Tamiya kit.
Hi John, that should be a great build, the 'Jug' is one of the worlds iconic aircraft especially atound the model competitions, I hope you have fun with the build, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year, all the very best for 2024, best regards from your Kiwi mate living in Australia
It is a typical Miniart kit, overengineered and partsheavy. My first choise for this plane in this scale would be allways the Tamiya Dash 25. Happy modelling and Merry Christmas from Germany
Excellent review! I think your P47 turned out great despite the issues you had. I would buy this kit thanks to your review of things to look out for. Liked and Subbed …..have a Merry Christmas!
I've got a sharp new one as well as my older Tamiya cutters. The problem is the thinner parts are gonna break when cut most times. The issue for me is too many fine or delicate parts. Thanks as always for tuning in!
Thanks. This was a good review. Specifically regards the cowling. If something needs to be relieved about 1 mm to make it fit, now your viewers have some ideas to make it fit, especially since you can’t see anything but the front of the motor anyway. I’ve been looking forward to a review of this kit since it hit the shelves. I always worry about wing roots, especially with NMF. Unfortunately it just looks “ok”. Hopefully I won’t scuzz it up too bad
Mister G great job on the Thunderbolt kit. I am curious about the propeller assembly. I have found that on the Miniart kits the answer to some assembly questions are a couple of pages in front of the step you are on. May I suggest a Zoukei-Mura kit.
Thanks very much! The propeller was pretty straight forward - no drama there. As for ZM, I've got their 1/32 Ki-45 in the stash and I'd like to build it in 2024. Stay tuned for that one!
I will keep an eye out for the ZM / I am hoping to get to mine (1/32 Raiden) in the next year or so. As the saying goes "so many models, so little time"@@MisterGsWorkbench
Definitely a challenging kit. I had the exact issues you did. Putting tiny parts in when they called for them mean some breakage. If I build it again, I’m cutting the gun tubes and aerial off to install later. Same with the actuators for the gear doors. Would I build it again? For sure. Looks much nicer than the Tamiya jug overall. Would I recommend it as a first build? Definitely not
Don't assemble the cowling over the engine assembly. It must be done separately on its own: I have done it that way and the fit is near perfect. I will trim the engine frame assembly so only a minimum of support will be provided, as I slide it over like a one piece part. My cowling now looks almost as if moulded in one piece, but with a slight sense of separation between the panels: A fair approximation of how the real thing looks. (Keep in mind the Tamiya one piece cowl tapers from 29 mm wide at the front of the cooling flaps to only 27 mm wide at the front vertical panel line, so 2 mm over a short distance of 15 mm, and in reality it was nearly parallel at 28.2 to 28 mm throughout. Mini Art tapers from 28 mm to 27 mm, so half as much as the Tamiya, but probably still too much...). Overall conclusion: It's a simple case of ignoring the instructions.
Thanks for all the tips, I'm now looking forward to build my kit! A quick question: were these Thunderbolts natural metal or were they painted in aluminum lacquer? The shiny ones? 😀
I watched another guy building this kit, and he had similar fit issues in the same parts as you. He noted a lot of the cockpit parts didn't fit together, was that an issue for you? It's a shame the fit isn't the best on this kit. I had really been looking forward to it, and bought it as soon as it became available here in the US, now I'm not really looking forward to building it with those fit issues.
Same here - I pre-ordered this kit and I looked forward to the build. I found that the cockpit parts fit together well on my example, but there were some really small parts that were a bear to install. Most of it can't be seen once you install the cockpit into the fuselage though. If and when you build yours just take your time and take note of the problem areas and you'll have a nice plane at the end. Thanks for tuning in!
All in all it turned out very nice John. Miniart is kinda like smer. Over complicated at points. But like I said, the Jug turned out very nice. Merry Christmas 🎄
Well I think I'm going to stick with the Tamiya kits. Miniart tried it at least but they are definitely not at that level of precision needed for making a complex kit like this... You result is really nice though!
The primary issue regarding the fit of the cowling was the ring didn't fit all the way over the engine- that was on me. However the individual segments of the cowling wouldn't fit uniformly. The cowling segments were sanded and cleaned up prior to installation. That's why I compared this cowling assembly to the Eduard Zero cowling where a jig was provided and it went together flawlessly. I appreciate the question. Thanks for watching!
Just what we need...ANOTHER P-47 kit in 1/48. The Market is SO saturated with P-51 and P-47 you would think prices would come down but modelers stupidly pay these current prices. Gee, I wonder how much of a loan one will have to take out to aquire this kit. And then all its fit problems. SMDH BTW- your review and build was excellent.
The price for the Basic Kit was under $40 USD but it was the quality of the build that didn't work for me. Tamiya 1/48 kits (well most of their kits) combine a good level of detail without sacrificing a pleasant build experience. With so many subjects at their fingertips I have no Idea why they picked the P-47.
That's just ridiculous. How many 48th scale P47s are out there? The last new one was Tamiya in the 90s. Academy and hasegawa do one but they are old molds too. So a updated kit and being very specific version is a bonus. Miniart will be doing the entire line of the P47. No one has done that. And to whine about prices? No one is forcing you to buy it. Modern kits are well detailed and a lot more accurate and complicated compared to older kits. Just go to a hobby show and buy cheap it's from vendors. Problem solved
Looks like you did your best to wrestle this one into something presentable. Big parts count doesn’t necessarily translate into a great building experience. Was a strange subject for MiniArt to tackle and was up against tough competition.
Of all the subjects available to them, I just don't get it. Still, this one wasn't much fun for me and I'm honestly not thrilled with the finished product. Have a Merry Christmas!
Thxs for the balanced and fair review. Eeryone is going on about this kit so a sober look at how it actually builds up is veey welcome. Mini Art armour is notoriously high in part count and this carriers over to the planes as well. Won't be buying one.
Thanks very much- aside from this plane I've never finished a Miniart kit. A mine clearing vehicle wound up in the trash and the street car project stalled out- both due to really large parts counts. Appreciate you watching!
I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who had issues with this piece of crap kit! When it first came out a "reviewer" declared it the 'kit of the year'. What the hell was he thinking? I had all the same issues as you. Some parts were so damned tiny it was stupid. I built mine gear up which is the ONLY advantage this kit has over the Tamiya. Problem is you need to sand down the part of the gear door at the wingroot for the wing to fit. For the price of this kit one would think the connection points would be better, the engine (specifically the gear box) was way over engineered. In my opinion, and yes, this is just MY opinion, Mini Art screwed the pooch (and us) with this kit. Want a nice P-47? Go with the Tamiya!
I would have liked an option to show off the detailed engine, but there is none unfortunately. Lots of work for stuff never to be seen again after assembly. Thanks for your feedback and thank you for watching!
Yes, I have a number of MiniArt T55s, with and without the interior. I have built the german tractor and a Soviet Assault gun SU122. I prefer to look at as climbing Mt. Everest. Lots of small parts. I am retiring from my formal work next month, and will plow through another T-55.
My point exactly. I've done like two open box vids and they were things I couldn't find anywhere. It's cheap filler for some channels. Thanks for picking up on that and have a Merry Christmas!
I have built the Tamiya kit. it is a great kit. Was looking at this as a possible build? On the fence now. They always look great in the box. As you say build it. That's the only way to know what you get. For the money.
The Tamiya kit is definitely the easier route to a Thunderbolt. The Miniart kit is nice but fussy - take your time and you're rewarded with a nice result. Honestly I won't do another one...for now.
Hi John, this is the first complete build video I've seen of you. First it is great that you do not do such unboxing videos to deliver more content. To show and comment the kit during building it is the better way. So I'm already looking forward to the next video! Greetings from Germany
Hi Gordon and thank you for the kind words! For the most part I almost never do unboxing videos unless it's something I can't find anywhere else - I think I've done two. I'd rather offer my observations during a build. Thank you for watching and Merry Christmas!
Great build John, Thank You for sharing. Wishing you and your loved ones a Great/Healthful and Prosperous Holidays Season. Take care, Tony
Thanks very much Tony! Have a very Merry Christmas as well and thank you for watching.
A good honest evaluation!!!!! Good job!!! Maybe you should build the Tamiya kit for comparison???? I have built the Tamiya kit several times and was always a pleasure to build, with outstanding details. I presume cheaper than mini art as well. Again great show, looking forward to your next!!!!
Thank you very much! Honestly I've got a bunch of projects in the pipeline but I've seen the Tamiya kit and I'd much rather build that. Thank you very much for watching!
I’ve got this kit in my stash, and I’ve built just about every 1/48 P-47 out there. Thanks for posting this, I feel like I’ve already built it from all the details you shared!
Thank you very much- I tried to approach it with an open mind. It can be a great build but it takes a lot of patience that I'll admit I don't always have. Appreciate your comments and thanks for watching!
Thank you Mr. G! I'll be avoiding this P-47 for sure. I will add, you and other content creators are an asset to modeling community
Thanks again!
Thank you very much for the kind words. I always try to give honest and open reviews. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for being honest about the build. You did a great job on a not so well designed kit. Like other postings, I think I’ll stick with the Tamiya kits in my stash. Give it to Dexter as a chew toy!
Honesty is my watchword - I wish Miniart had walked into one of the museums in Ukraine and picked a different subject!
Happy Christmas John, and a healthy, prosperous and plastic new year! Thank you for your entertainment , inspiration and for keeping me sane!😂
Thank you very much for the kind words! Hope your also have a very Merry Christmas and Santa brings you lots of models! Thank you for watching.
Great job! If making and painting model kits was easy, there'd be less a sense of accomplishment. Through adversity to the stars, and all that! I enjoyed that, thank you and well done. Happy Christmas!
Thank you very much - I don't mind putting work into a model, but the build should be fun and this one just wasn't for me. Merry Christmas and thanks for looking in!
Excellent work, I really like how that P47 turned out. Regards.
Thanks very much- I've got mixed feelings about the outcome. Some issues were mine and some were just the nature of the kit. Thanks very much for watching and have a Merry Christmas!
I love how pretty much everyone is having an issue with the seat base lol. Mine went pinging off into the distance. I just started mine yesterday and it's just needlessly complex, IMO. Will be a good experience though. Subscribed.
This kit has so much nice detail, but these fragile and smaller parts needlessly complicate what could have been a fun build. Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Merry Christmas, John. All the very best.
And Merry Christmas to you and yours John! Thanks for all of your support for the channel.
Thanks for showing the Miniart P-47 build. Having build several Tamiya P-47s in the past I think that is still a better option barring the rivet detail.
Completely agree- having built other Tamiya WWII aircraft in sure it's the better kit. Thanks for watching!
Bought this kit last week, (17th of December,) has a christmas present to myself, watching this review is making me feel like why did I get it, first time I've got a mini art kit, normally only buy tamiya and eduard, built 5 of the tamiya p47s and bought another tamiya one a few weeks ago, hope it goes together as well as yours, all the best from David in south Wales (UK) 🏴
Hi David- I'm sure if you take your time and watch those small parts it'll come out well. Merry Christmas and thanks for watching!
@@MisterGsWorkbench and a merry Christmas to you
I was thinking about getting this kit, but since I know how detailed Miniart armor is and all the small pieces I decided against it. Your video convinced me to just finish my Academy and Tamiya kit.
Hi John, that should be a great build, the 'Jug' is one of the worlds iconic aircraft especially atound the model competitions, I hope you have fun with the build, I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year, all the very best for 2024, best regards from your Kiwi mate living in Australia
Hi Les! Merry Christmas to you and yours and enjoy the holidays!
Merry Christmas. Nice Thunderjug.
Thanks very much and Merry Christmas!
Nice work. Got ya subbed. Model on.👍
@@charlie418791 Thanks very much for your support! Appreciate you subscribing.
It is a typical Miniart kit, overengineered and partsheavy. My first choise for this plane in this scale would be allways the Tamiya Dash 25. Happy modelling and Merry Christmas from Germany
Completely agree- I was truly looking forward to this one and I didn't enjoy it. Merry Christmas!
Excellent review! I think your P47 turned out great despite the issues you had. I would buy this kit thanks to your review of things to look out for. Liked and Subbed …..have a Merry Christmas!
Thank you very much for the compliments and thanks for subscribing! Merry Christmas!
Sounds like you might need a better sprue cutter for the finer parts? The build up looks fantastic! 👍👍👍
I've got a sharp new one as well as my older Tamiya cutters. The problem is the thinner parts are gonna break when cut most times. The issue for me is too many fine or delicate parts. Thanks as always for tuning in!
Thanks. This was a good review. Specifically regards the cowling. If something needs to be relieved about 1 mm to make it fit, now your viewers have some ideas to make it fit, especially since you can’t see anything but the front of the motor anyway.
I’ve been looking forward to a review of this kit since it hit the shelves. I always worry about wing roots, especially with NMF. Unfortunately it just looks “ok”. Hopefully I won’t scuzz it up too bad
Thank you! The fit of the wings was one of the high points for me. Honestly a one and done kit- I won't build another one.
Looks cool 🛩
Thanks very much and thank you for watching!
Mister G great job on the Thunderbolt kit. I am curious about the propeller assembly. I have found that on the Miniart kits the answer to some assembly questions are a couple of pages in front of the step you are on. May I suggest a Zoukei-Mura kit.
Thanks very much! The propeller was pretty straight forward - no drama there. As for ZM, I've got their 1/32 Ki-45 in the stash and I'd like to build it in 2024. Stay tuned for that one!
I will keep an eye out for the ZM / I am hoping to get to mine (1/32 Raiden) in the next year or so. As the saying goes "so many models, so little time"@@MisterGsWorkbench
Definitely a challenging kit. I had the exact issues you did. Putting tiny parts in when they called for them mean some breakage. If I build it again, I’m cutting the gun tubes and aerial off to install later. Same with the actuators for the gear doors.
Would I build it again? For sure. Looks much nicer than the Tamiya jug overall. Would I recommend it as a first build? Definitely not
Definitely lessons learned on this build but I sure won't build another one. Just not a fun build. Good to hear from you!
Appreciate the build review. Having built numerous Tamiya P-47’ I really don’t see that much of an improvement other than the surface detail.
I think a few minutes with a riveter would step the Tamiya kit to the next level. Probably more fun to build as well. Thanks for watching!
You did proper well, miniart kits don't always go together so well 😆 what ever you do never get their t55...
Thank you! I've tried to build their BMR mine clearing vehicle and it wound up in the garbage - WAY too many tiny parts! Thank you for watching!
Don't assemble the cowling over the engine assembly. It must be done separately on its own: I have done it that way and the fit is near perfect. I will trim the engine frame assembly so only a minimum of support will be provided, as I slide it over like a one piece part. My cowling now looks almost as if moulded in one piece, but with a slight sense of separation between the panels: A fair approximation of how the real thing looks. (Keep in mind the Tamiya one piece cowl tapers from 29 mm wide at the front of the cooling flaps to only 27 mm wide at the front vertical panel line, so 2 mm over a short distance of 15 mm, and in reality it was nearly parallel at 28.2 to 28 mm throughout. Mini Art tapers from 28 mm to 27 mm, so half as much as the Tamiya, but probably still too much...). Overall conclusion: It's a simple case of ignoring the instructions.
Thanks for the heads up- your way makes a lot of sense. Appreciate you watching!
Nice job, just subscribed. You don’t suck…😂 I have the D-30 kit. Thanks for the heads up on the issues.
Thank you for your support and thanks for the compliment. Let me know how your build turns out!
Thanks for all the tips, I'm now looking forward to build my kit! A quick question: were these Thunderbolts natural metal or were they painted in aluminum lacquer? The shiny ones? 😀
I believe they're natural metal but don't hold me to that. And thanks for watching!
I watched another guy building this kit, and he had similar fit issues in the same parts as you. He noted a lot of the cockpit parts didn't fit together, was that an issue for you? It's a shame the fit isn't the best on this kit. I had really been looking forward to it, and bought it as soon as it became available here in the US, now I'm not really looking forward to building it with those fit issues.
Same here - I pre-ordered this kit and I looked forward to the build. I found that the cockpit parts fit together well on my example, but there were some really small parts that were a bear to install. Most of it can't be seen once you install the cockpit into the fuselage though. If and when you build yours just take your time and take note of the problem areas and you'll have a nice plane at the end. Thanks for tuning in!
All in all it turned out very nice John. Miniart is kinda like smer. Over complicated at points.
But like I said, the Jug turned out very nice.
Merry Christmas 🎄
Thanks very much! I guess it just wasn't a fun build for me. The end result didn't match my expectations. Thanks for watching and Merry Christmas!
Well I think I'm going to stick with the Tamiya kits. Miniart tried it at least but they are definitely not at that level of precision needed for making a complex kit like this... You result is really nice though!
Thanks very much - they had a great level of detail in this kit but the execution wasn't there during the build process for me. Thanks for watching!
great looking aircraft tho i do have this kit so the review is appreciated
I appreciate you watching!
Hi
Wasn’t the issue around the engine cowls caised by the paint on mating surfaces?
The primary issue regarding the fit of the cowling was the ring didn't fit all the way over the engine- that was on me. However the individual segments of the cowling wouldn't fit uniformly. The cowling segments were sanded and cleaned up prior to installation. That's why I compared this cowling assembly to the Eduard Zero cowling where a jig was provided and it went together flawlessly. I appreciate the question. Thanks for watching!
Just what we need...ANOTHER P-47 kit in 1/48. The Market is SO saturated with P-51 and P-47 you would think prices would come down but modelers stupidly pay these current prices. Gee, I wonder how much of a loan one will have to take out to aquire this kit. And then all its fit problems. SMDH BTW- your review and build was excellent.
The price for the Basic Kit was under $40 USD but it was the quality of the build that didn't work for me. Tamiya 1/48 kits (well most of their kits) combine a good level of detail without sacrificing a pleasant build experience. With so many subjects at their fingertips I have no Idea why they picked the P-47.
That's just ridiculous. How many 48th scale P47s are out there? The last new one was Tamiya in the 90s. Academy and hasegawa do one but they are old molds too. So a updated kit and being very specific version is a bonus. Miniart will be doing the entire line of the P47. No one has done that. And to whine about prices? No one is forcing you to buy it. Modern kits are well detailed and a lot more accurate and complicated compared to older kits. Just go to a hobby show and buy cheap it's from vendors. Problem solved
I think it's the company trying to delve into the aircraft realm, so they started with the basic aircraft. Their tank kits are extraordinary.
Hasn’t been a new tool P-47 in 1/48 since Tamiya.
As for costs…name one thing that hasn’t gone up in the last 20 years?
Extraordinarily complex...
......лучший P-47 из когда либо созданных.......
For some maybe. Not my first choice.
Looks like you did your best to wrestle this one into something presentable. Big parts count doesn’t necessarily translate into a great building experience. Was a strange subject for MiniArt to tackle and was up against tough competition.
Of all the subjects available to them, I just don't get it. Still, this one wasn't much fun for me and I'm honestly not thrilled with the finished product. Have a Merry Christmas!
Thxs for the balanced and fair review. Eeryone is going on about this kit so a sober look at how it actually builds up is veey welcome. Mini Art armour is notoriously high in part count and this carriers over to the planes as well. Won't be buying one.
Thanks very much- aside from this plane I've never finished a Miniart kit. A mine clearing vehicle wound up in the trash and the street car project stalled out- both due to really large parts counts. Appreciate you watching!
I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who had issues with this piece of crap kit! When it first came out a "reviewer" declared it the 'kit of the year'. What the hell was he thinking? I had all the same issues as you. Some parts were so damned tiny it was stupid. I built mine gear up which is the ONLY advantage this kit has over the Tamiya. Problem is you need to sand down the part of the gear door at the wingroot for the wing to fit. For the price of this kit one would think the connection points would be better, the engine (specifically the gear box) was way over engineered. In my opinion, and yes, this is just MY opinion, Mini Art screwed the pooch (and us) with this kit. Want a nice P-47? Go with the Tamiya!
I would have liked an option to show off the detailed engine, but there is none unfortunately. Lots of work for stuff never to be seen again after assembly. Thanks for your feedback and thank you for watching!
I'll think I'll avoid this Kit glad I didn't get it. But fantastic Build 😊
Thank you very much- yeah it's typical Miniart. Appreciate you tuning in!
Mini magnets allow you to remove whatever you choose!🤔
Jman
I've seen others use magnets but haven't tried yet for myself.
Check out Plasmos build. He found a neat way to display the engine. This is a really nice build. Much better than I could do.
I watched that recently and his build is phenomenal. If there was a one piece cowling this kit would be a much more fun build. Thanks for watching!
I cannot believe they did not do the engine cowling in one piece.
Exactly. If you're doing a multi piece cowling then add in a jig. Thanks for watching!
Miniart Armor kits will drive you mad.
You got that right- I tried their BMR-1 and it wound up in the bin. I thought this kit might mark a change but... Thanks for watching!
Yes, I have a number of MiniArt T55s, with and without the interior. I have built the german tractor and a Soviet Assault gun SU122.
I prefer to look at as climbing Mt. Everest. Lots of small parts. I am retiring from my formal work next month, and will plow through another T-55.
2:20 hallelujah
There are youtubers who seem to buy everything and build nothing who talk a good game.
My point exactly. I've done like two open box vids and they were things I couldn't find anywhere. It's cheap filler for some channels. Thanks for picking up on that and have a Merry Christmas!
.....P-47 TAMIYA.HASEGAWA да!,да!,да!-ээээээээтот набор КОСМОС!........
I’d rather buy a Testors version than spending money on these unfitting modern kits. Hmm…oh! Tamiya has one too.
I think I will stick with the Tamiya kit ..I got one of these and wasn't that inpressed
I was really looking forward to this kit and it was somewhat disappointing in assembly. If I built another P-47D it would be the Tamiya kit for sure.