1:48 P-47D Bubbletop

The Thunderbolt whose spine was taken off

The Republic P-47D was the heaviest single-engine fighter of the Allies. A radial engine with a turbosupercharger housed at the rear of the fuselage, eight heavy machine guns in the wing and legendary toughness made it a machine that took a hit and brought the pilot home. The early batches had a high spine and the pilot could practically not see behind him. From the D-25 batch a fundamental change came: the spine of the fuselage was lowered and a sliding one-piece teardrop canopy was added on top. It is exactly this form that is nicknamed bubbletop, and it is told from the humpbacked versions at first glance.

How to separate a piece from the sheet

The film on the sheet is cut only to the depth of the vinyl; the backing paper stays whole. A piece is therefore not cut out with scissors: the tip of a fresh blade lifts its edge and the mask peels off the backing. It should be lifted by that part of the outline which will end up on the frame, never by the middle of the area, because it is exactly there that pliable vinyl stretches and the shape stops fitting. Anyone who carries the piece to the model right on the tip of the blade saves one extra setting down.

Sheet contents

• cover of the glazing from the outer side
• two sets of masks for the national insignia
• decals enclosed with the masks

The inner side of the cockpit is not masked here, which with a one-piece teardrop canopy does not matter so much: the frame is narrow and a brush reaches it from inside faster than a second layer of film would be applied. That shortens the work; it is only necessary to have the inside of the frame finished before the canopy snaps into place.