1/48 Testor P-47D model kit, painted 1950s-era markings of Venezuelan Air Force. This kit was quite rudimentary, hence had to "sex it up" (as the British would say) to make it more interesting. After WW2, US regularly sold war surplus equipment to South American governments, be it P-47 planes to Venezuela, M3 halftracks to Mexico, aircraft carrier to Brazil, cruisers to Argentina, P-51 planes to El Salvador and F4U Corsair to Honduras (who both used it in so-called 1969 Football War against each other). Football War - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_War

Rollover : Model spray-painted Testor metallic buffing silver from aerosol can, painted surface was buffed with cotton cloth to smooth out and brighten mimicked metallic shine. However, this type of buffing paint prevented any paint masking since the tape would stripe paint flakes off the model. Thus all other features had to be painted by hand.

Inset 1 : Model in assembly stage after being primed with grey paint. Priming enabled final job paint to have a good attachment surface, also able to identify areas to be sanded, shaved, or puddy filled. Small plastic parts for 8 wing-root machine guns were replaced with electric rods since latter were more sturdy.

P-47 fighter-bombers were called Thunderbolt or abbreviated Thud, they were used in WW2 Europe and Pacific theaters by US, British Commonwealth, and Free French Forces for bomber escort, ground attack, and aerial interdiction operations. In 1947, Venezuela purchased initial P-47 batch for Fuerza Aerea Venezolana (FAV) or spanish format for Venezuelan Air Force. Planes assigned in 1949 to Mixed Group of Fighter / Recon No.9 squadron. P-47 Thunderbolt - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-47

By 1951, additional 22 P-47 were purchased, squadron redesignated C-36 Fighter Squadron "Los Diablos". In 1952, 8 FAV P-47s were dispatched to Oro Negro (north of Maracaibo city) intercept incursion by Colombian warships into Venezuelan Gulf. Control of these islands not only controlled access to Venezuelan Gulf but also potential offshore oil/gas deposit rights. Maracaibo - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maracaibo

Inset 2 : P-47 undersurface seams did not fit, thus had to be sand and puddy filled. 8 bullet casing ejection holes and 2 engine exhaust ports were drilled out for detailing.