1:72 SEAC Republic Thunderbolts, Burma-India 1944-45

Thunderbolts over the Burmese jungle

Under the supply program the Royal Air Force received an overseas fighter-bomber with a radial engine and took it into service under its own designation in two forms: the first had a high spine behind the cockpit, the second a tear drop canopy with a view to the rear. In Europe these machines did not find a use, but in Southeast Asia they became the backbone of attacks on Japanese supply routes, bridges and positions in the jungle, where their toughness and bomb load outdid lighter types.

What is on the sheet

Ten numbered options cover both forms and divide them between nine squadrons, among them No. 5, No. 30, No. 34, No. 79, No. 113, No. 135, No. 146, No. 261 and No. 615, with the years 1944 and 1945. For several machines the name of the pilot is given as well. The conspicuous light recognition bands on the wings and tail surfaces are there too, which were meant to prevent confusion with a Japanese fighter of a similar silhouette.

Building tips

Machines from this theater tend to be worn differently from European ones: dust from the runways, a faded upper surface and traces of frequent washing around the cockpit. Spray the bands rather than laying them on as decal film, otherwise a step will form on the edge of the rudder. Apply the decals onto a glossy surface and give everything a matte coat at the end. Under the wings this machine commonly carried bomb racks or rocket rails, because its main work was attacking targets on the ground. Set the stores according to the drawing, then, as they differed from squadron to squadron. Without them the model reads more like an escort fighter.