1:48 Republic P-47D-30 Thunderbolt

Photo-etched set for the late Thunderbolt

The Republic P-47D-30 falls into the final production blocks of the most widespread version of this heavy fighter. The machines already had a teardrop canopy over a cut-down rear fuselage, they carried dive recovery flaps under the wing and mounts for unguided rockets were added. From the autumn of 1944 they worked over Western Europe mainly against the railways, road columns and artillery positions; the eight large-caliber machine guns in the wing stayed unchanged and, together with the robust structure, made the aircraft a machine that could take a hit and still get home.

The package brings several separate photo-etched sheets and mask sets together in one box, so that the interior, the small external fittings and the aid for spraying the glazing arrive together for one type of aircraft.

Thin sheet does exactly what an injection mold cannot. Seat frames, side consoles and the cooling flaps around the radial engine necessarily come out heavier in plastic than the real thing, whereas here they are a few hundredths of a millimeter thick and simply disappear when seen from the side.

Working with photo-etched sheet

The color-printed parts for the instrument panel are glued with a drop of thin cyanoacrylate, and the bends are made over the sharp edge of a steel rule or in a photo-etch bender. The surface of the model has to be degreased beforehand, otherwise the thin sheet lifts even after the glue has dried.

Lay the masks on dry paint and press them down with a wooden skewer; spray the paint in thin coats so that it does not run under the edge. Once the mask is removed the edge of the frame stays sharp and you do not have to tidy it up with a brush.