P-47D-40 368thFG 397thFS "Hard To Get"

[oboe]

Really stumped on the shade of the blue trim.  My resources show a lot of variation in the depiction of the shade of blue.    One thing is probably true - they are all 'off' to one degree or another.  I give most credence to the color photo, but it is such a dark shade I wonder how much film degradation has occurred over the years.  It almost looks black to me.  I think the color profile artists depict a shade of blue that is close to the squadron recognition color given show in the 368th FG emblem, which is more of a royal or medium blue.   

My screenshots show three different versions of blue that I've tried. 

[lyric1]

 

[Vraciu]

I kinda like the bottom one.

[Devil 505]

Bottom pic definitely looks better.

[Greebo]

Very nice Oboe. Another vote for the bottom pic here too.

[oboe]

Thanks for your help guys.  For me it was between bottom and middle, but I will go with the shade of blue in the bottom pic.  Hope to finish and submit today.

[Volron]

OOoooo, that's a very nice looking gal! 

[oboe]

Upon closer examination of a couple of B&W photos of this skin I found needed to increase the radius of the curves on the blue swoosh and increase the size of the nose art figure.  Done and submitted. 

Thanks all for your assistance.

[Devil 505]

That looks even better.

[Vraciu]

Looks great.

[oboe]

Found some info on the pilot at Together We Served:

Col. Fred Harris entered the Army Air Corps as a Private at La Fayette, Indiana on March 1943.   He flew with with 397th Fighter Squadron "Jabo's Angels" over the ETO.  His P-47 was the "Hard to Get". He flew in D-Day and Battle of the Bulge operations among others.  Initially based at Greenham Common, England, the unit flew from other air bases in Britain, then in France, and in Occupied Germany beginning in April 1945.

Later, he  flew in combat over Korea.  All told, he flew over 200 combat missions.  He was later based in Japan, korea, Iceland and various based in the States.   He served as an instructor at the Naval War College, flight instructor for T-6 aircraft, and was chief of flight division under the director of operations at the Pentagon.

He retired from his last assignment at Adair Air Force Station, Corvallis, Oregon in 1969.  He retired with his wife in Corvallis.  In 2006, he and his wife moved to Shoreline, Seattle, Washington. His wife, Glendora, passed away 7 October  2008.   Passed away Sep 10, 2014.   Interment at Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, Virginia