The P-47 was the most produced American fighter of World War II.  It could literally obliterate targets with its eight .50 machine guns and, something remarkable, was the mount of the US top scorer in Europe, the late Francis Gabreski. 

The Thunderbolt followed a similar route to the P-51, having first been produced with a razorback, but it acquired a bubble canopy from the block 25 of the ‘D’ version and kept it.  It served in the Pacific as well, giving valuable ground support to the troops fighting in the jungle and it eventually flew right into the sixties in South America; nowadays, you can still hear its big Pratt & Whitney R-2800 growl at air shows.

Under the sturdy cardboard cover (which sports an excellent painting), another great Hasegawa kit awaits.  The majority of the parts are enclosed in one bag, and feature light grey styrene, excellent detailing and very few ejector parts.  In fact, the only ones I found are located on the gear strut covers, and will have the landing gear struts to hide them.  As you can expect with such a new kit, the panel lines are all recessed and flash is about non-existent.  The cockpit is very well detailed, with the instrument panel provided with a decal, although the gauges can also be hand painted since they are raised.  Unfortunately, the seat is without seatbelts, so you will have to dig them up somewhere else.

 The clear parts are bagged separately along with the vinyl retainers for the propeller and a sheet of paper separates the two sprues.  In a third bag you get the decals for two different aircrafts (Angie and Saucy Susie) and a full complement of stencils (Hasegawa even provides the Pratt & Whitney crest for the engine!).  The decals appear to be a bit thick, but are in register and opaque.  Also included with the decals are two sets of propeller blades, asymmetric and symmetric ones.  Although the blades are separate, small notches will ensure an easy assembly to the hub.

 Options for this kit include two under wing 1 000lbs bombs and a big square drop tank under the belly.  You also get parts to build up the ‘N’ version’s fin, but without the square tipped wings, these will go into the spare box.  The wheels can be built with or without covers.

This kit is a true winner.  It looks like a no hassle build and will probably give a superb representation of the Jug.  Stay tuned for it’s going straight to the workshop. 

 Review kit courtesy of me and my wallet.

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