Republic P-47D

French Air Force Thunderbolts Parts 1 & 2

LPS Hobby, 1/72 scale

Reviewed by Mark Davies

Xtradecal's 1/72 scale Junkers Ju 87 B/K/R Stuka decals
are available online from Squadron.com

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a true classic and a justifiably popular modelling subject, although Armee De l’Air Jugs are perhaps a bit underrepresented.  These two recent releases by LPS Hobby go some way to rectifying this situation.

Each set of decals comes in a zip-lock plastic bag. The header is printed in colour, as are the painting and decaling guides; although these are folded A4 pages rather than the headers A5 size. These are I think from an ink-jet printer and have a matt finish. The instructions have quite a few useful notes on markings, and there is an A4 page covering the extensive stencilling provided for. The instructions are clear and thorough enough; giving the impression of being well researched. Colour call-outs use military colour names but not refer to FS-595 codes.

The header says they are intended for the Tamiya kit, although the decals will clearly suit any brand P-47D bubbletop provided it has the correct block features. I’m unsure if Tamiya’s kit has boxed a Block 30 with a smooth cockpit floor, a tailfin fillet, compressibility flaps and relocated landing-light from behind the port main wheel-well to the wingtip.

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Thumbnail panels:

I do not know who the decals are printed by, although in the past LPS has used Microscale, which were of excellent quality. The decals provided with these two review sheets have a rather “old-fashioned feel” to them, and touching them reveals they are much thicker than before (and thicker than many other brand decals).

Registration appears to be good, but the stencill printing is too heavy and thick, and under magnification it is illegible. The white used also appears to be a slightly creamy off-white. The decals will probably perform okay, but the stencilling is so extensive and heavily printed that it will give a completely over-bearing appearance to a 1/72 model.

LPS is trying in so far as their decals sheets now provide full national insignia and extensive stencilling for two complete subjects. But I’m saddened to report that these decals are clearly inferior in quality to their previous Microscale printed examples. They remind me of some of Heller’s or Esci’s better efforts, which is not saying a great deal. These decals might have passed muster 25-30 years ago, but they are not up to today’s standards.

The Subjects

LPM72-35 “French Air Force Thunderbolts Part 1”:

• P-47D-28-RE, 44-20030, Groupe de Chasse 3/3 “Ardennes”, February 1945, and
• P-47D-30-RE, 44-89823, Groupe de Chasse 2/2 “Alsace”, July 1948.

LPM72-36 “French Air Force Thunderbolts Part 2”:

• P-47D-30-RE, 44-20659, Groupe de Chasse 2/2 “Alsace”, October 1948, and
• P-47D-30-RE, 44-20925, Groupe de Chasse 1/2 “Cigones”, July 1947.

The quality of the decals is not up to today’s standards despite being well registered. They feel rather thick to the touch, and the stencilling is predominantly illegible and far too heavy to suit a 1/72 scale model. At US$15.00 for just two subjects and poor stencilling, these sets are poor value in my opinion.

The national insignia and non-stencil markings are however still usable, so the sets may be worth buying for those who really want to model what are quite interesting and attractive French schemes.

Thanks to LPS Hobby for this sample.

Text and Images Copyright © 2017 by Mark Davies
This Page Created on 12 April, 2017
Last updated 12 April, 2017

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