Here is the new aircraft of the week ,hope you like all the goodies I added.
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
Affectionately nicknamed “Jug,” the P-47 was one of the most famous AAF fighter planes of WW II. Although originally conceived as a lightweight interceptor, the P-47 developed as a heavyweight fighter and made its first flight on May 6, 1941. The first production model was delivered to the AAF in March 1942, and in April 1943 the Thunderbolt flew its first combat mission–a sweep over Western Europe. Used as both a high-altitude escort fighter and a low-level fighter-bomber, the P-47 quickly gained a reputation for ruggedness. Its sturdy construction and air-cooled radial engine enabled the Thunderbolt to absorb severe battle damage and keep flying. During WW II, the P-47 served in almost every active war theater and in the forces of several Allied nations. By the end of WW II, more than 15,600 Thunderbolts had been built.
Production P-47B, -C, early -D and -G series aircraft were built with metal-framed “greenhouse” type cockpit canopies. Late -D series (dash 25 and later) aircraft and all -M and -N series production aircraft were given clear “bubble” canopies, which gave the pilot improved rearward vision.
SPECIFICATIONS P-47D
Span: 40 ft. 9 in.
Length: 36 ft. 2 in.
Height: 14 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 17,500 lbs. max.
Armament: Six or eight .50 cal. machine guns and either ten rockets or 2,500 lb. of bombs
Engine: One Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 of 2,430 hp.
Crew: One
Cost: $85,000
PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 433 mph.
Cruising speed: 350 mph.
Range: 1,030 miles
Service Ceiling: 42,000 ft.
This is the 'ole Monogram kit. I started it back when MSAP decals were the rage (what the hell were we thinking?) and before any of the current Jug kits were available.
I wanted to build Witold Lanowski’s P-47M (61st FS, 56th FG) and started to make the necessary changes and also began rescribing the whole thing. Well, a few months into it Hasegawa announced their new P-47s in 48th and I lost all interest in the project, putting it down for several years.
I’d pretty much finished the scribing job and the fillet, and decided that there was too much work put into it not to finish the thing… so after struggling quite a bit with cracking joints in the tailplanes I just slapped it together to finish it. She doesn’t have the right engine or prop for a P-47M but I really wasn’t concerned with that at the time; I just wanted to finish it.
I started looking for other markings for a ship from the 56th because although I still wanted to replicate a P-47M I also wanted to save Lanowski’s ship for a better kit. I finally settled on Leo Batista’s ‘Josephine My Flying Machine’ from a Superscale sheet. The pinup artwork was typical Superscale; garbage. So I wound up hand-painting over the decal.
I’ve subsequently found a color shot of this ship which shows that some things should be changed, but since I threw accuracy outta the window on this thing to begin with, I think that if I ever decide to make corrections it’ll be on another model altogether. We’ll see…
Wow amazing jugs everyone[;)] The variety of schemes and versions is great, and seeing all of yours made me realize I really need to get started on my own pile of 47s, I have found it strange that my favorite fighter is the P-47 yet in my modeling I have never built one[%-)]
OK…not one of my better builds as this was done early on and long before I used an airbrush-- but here is my 1/48 offering-- I forget if it was a Monogram or Pro-Modeler kit…all I remember is it came with PE…
I will soon be starting a Tamiya Razorback in Tuskegee colors…
Nice work on the research Vintage. I have a 1/48 Tamiya on the build list and it looks like it’s a fantastic kit. I can’t wait to tackle it.
Excellent photos fellas! You all have GREAT JUGS!! lol!
Here is my contribution to the P-47. All the kits are Monogram. The blast tubes have been replaced with tubing from Small Parts. I believe the 4th F.G. markings are an IPMS sheet. The others are Micro Scale. The O.D. tops are a mix of Pactra paints. I built the Pride of Lodi, Ohio to display in my brother’s store in Lodi. Some of the pilots family still live there, although he moved on. The store was sold before I finished the model.
