Thunderbolt kits are all the rage these days. Not to be outdone, Platz has released an excellent 1/144 scale
P-47D featuring two bubble-top Thunder-bolts with enough detail for models twice their scale. The kit includes enough parts to build two Thunderbolts, decals for three different aircraft, and many other options: three different propellers, multiple bombs, three-shot rocket tubes, and a centerline "flat" style drop tank. I built two distinct airplanes, choosing options that looked the most different.
The construction of the airplanes was identical except for the armament and the P-47M's dorsal-fin decal.
Engine assembly is smooth because of the wonderful one-piece engine, including the Thunderbolt's cowl ducting. If your Thunderbolt's going to carry anything under its wings, you should open up holes before assembly.
Although the assembly drawing errs in showing the pylon and rocket-tube holes flipped, it's correct in the front view (below the assembly diagram). The bomb pylon should be outboard of the rocket tubes. To get the dorsal fin to fit flush to the rudder, I thinned the fin's inner edges. I used no filler; the fit was exemplary.
The lack of filler made the surface easy to prepare for natural metal. I was nervous about using an Alclad finish, but the details held up well.
There is a complete interior with a gunsight, which I assembled after painting. Thin the inside canopy to seat it flush with the fuselage.
After painting and masking the two schemes, I applied the kit's Cartograf decals. You can read all the text - even the tiny pilots' names and the "gun numbers" behind the barrels of the eight .50-caliber machine guns.
I left off the cowls until after decaling. Since both models had complicated markings that crossed portions of the cowl, I glued on the cowls. On the P-47M, I slit the rear anti-glare decal so it would clear the dorsal fin. I had no problems with the markings and needed only small amounts of setting fluid. The P-47D invasion markings went down smoothly.
The markings' only flaw is the missing black cowl flaps on Maj. Eagleston's yellow-nosed bird. I provided the cowl-flap stripes with a leftover black, anti-glare panel from the kit's third decal option. After applying the propeller markings, I was done!
It took me 10 hours to finish Platz's excellent models. I spent most the time masking, painting, and detailing. Whether or not you usually build 1/144 scale models, I highly recommend this high-quality kit.
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