The P-47N was the last production model of the very successful Thunderbolt series. Built specifically for the Pacific Theater the N shared the same Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57C engine and CH-5 turbo supercharger used in the M model. The wings were lengthened to 42’7” to accommodate more internal fuel which in turn widened the track of the main gear. With squared off wing tips and larger ailerons the N had an increased rate of roll over its predecessors. With an all out load of over 1200 gls. [internal & external] of fuel the legs of  the mighty Jug was increased to over 2,300 miles enabling it to fly escort for the B-29’s.   Ironically the first N models went to the 56^th Fighter Group in Europe. Assembled too late for action the 56^th crated them up and shipped them back to the U.S. for redeployment to the Pacific.
 

THE KIT

     I’ll refer you to the preview of the Italeri P-47N. I would recommend reading it first.
 

CONSTRUCTION

    First up was to mask the extremely large and misshapen canopy. Cockpit parts were painted interior green then assembled as per instructions. I scribed the upper wing/fuselage fillet panel line as Italeri neglected to.[They also did’nt care to represent the underside fillet.]  The fuselage halves and wing leading edges require the usual sanding The wing is tooled somewhat like a 1/72^nd Hasegawa or Italeri Hellcat where in  the left and right wing are one piece with the underside of the fuselage. The fit of the wing to fuselage is poor. Putty is required along the upper joints as well as the trenches on the underside. After attaching the horizontal stabilizers and painting the engine silver with a thinned wash of black [gear box neutral] this lame duck is ready for Testors gray enamel primer.
 

COLORS & MARKINGS

     After priming, the entire aircraft was painted with Plasti-Kote Aluminum fast drying enamel. Panel shading is done with a #2 pencil buffed with a Q-tip. The anti-glare panel is sprayed olive drab. I shot whatever yellow was laying around on the tail. The wheel wells and interior gear doors were painted chrome yellow. Decals are straight out of the box. With a little extra Solvaset persuasion they laid down fairly well. A raw umber wash was applied for that special dirty look.
 

CONCLUSIONS

     First I would like to thank a patron of this website for correcting me on the MSRP. When I purchased it I got it for $15.98. I’ve since learned it actually retails for $19.00.
 

     I said in the preview of this kit that the photos on the box looked promising. After building this it is clearly evident that there is very little promising about it at all. The canopy looks a lot like the Heller’s large and misshapen hood with a front to back rake just short of a FW-190. Overall shape is mediocre and key panel lines are not present adding further to its TOY like appearance. Prop blades are incorrectly represented. The vertical fin is too narrow and the fin fillet itself is so thick that if it were on the real deal a counter weight would have to be added to the nose to regain center of gravity. Again the wing to fuselage fit is extremely poor and requires putty and sanding.   

 

   It bewilders me as to why the box art and line drawings for paint and markings do a far better job of representing a P-47 than does the $19.00 plastic kit inside. That’s kind of like eating the cereal box because the contents inside look and taste less like cereal than   the box itself. In the review of the Heller P-47N Steve Mesner aptly described it as a ‘’SOWS EAR.’’ With no thanks to Italeri we now have [OINK OINK] a complete set.

 

  I would recommend this kit to anyone who doesn't  mind paying Tamiya quality prices for pig's ears.

 

Review courtesy of my plundered wallet