Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
Dottie Mae

Eduard eduArt series, 1/32

Reviewed by Brett Green

Eduard's 1/32 scale P-47D Thundebolt is available online from Squadron.com


 

Until now, Eduard's "EduArt" series has combined two models with attractive box art by Koike Shigeo, plus a frameable print of the artwork in the box.

The most recent release in the series is "Dottie Mae", a single kit - but it is a big 'un - based on Hasegawa's excellent 1/32 scale P-47D Thunderbolt Bubbletop kit.

This time around artwork is courtesy of French aviation artist Romain Hugault.

Let's take a more detailed look at the model and the upgrades.

Contents

Hasegawa released their 1/32 scale P-47D Bubbletop in 2007. It was a magnificent kit at the time and in my opinion remains the best P-47D Bubbetop in 1/32 scale.

The basic kit comprises 177 parts in shiny grey styrene and 13 clear plastic plus 12 polythene caps. Surface texture includes crisp but restrained engraved panel lines, selected fasteners (with visible slots in the screw heads) and a few raised panels as appropriate.

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Thumbnail panels:

Eduard adds a fret of coloured photo-etch, a larger fret of photo-etched brass; replacement resin main wheels with separate outer hubs, a resin anti-shimmy tail wheel, a Cartograf printed decal sheet, painting masks and frameable artwork of the subject aircraft.

The Kit

Hasegawa's plastic parts still look really good.

The only surface imperfections are faint "sink lines" on the upper and lower surfaces of the wings. These are a result of the wing spars moulded onto the inside of the wings, and are similar to the same lines on the wings of Hasegawa's 1/32 scale Bf 109s.

One of the few problem areas on the super 1/48 scale Tamiya P-47 kits were ejector pin marks inside the gear doors. This is avoided on the Haseagwa 1/32 scale kit by providing separate parts for the inside and outside surfaces, banishing ejector holes to the mating surfaces - very clever.

The fuselage is simply split into port and starboard halves, with the separate engine cowl made up from four pieces plus the cowl flaps. The multi-part cowl is reinforced by an interior plastic ring. Tamiya's 1/48 scale kit featured an innovative wing spar trapped between the fuselage halves, and Hasegawa's 1/32 scale kit uses exactly the same method to add rigidity to the fuselage, to ensure dihedral and a to offer a secure bond for the wings.

Alternate cowl flaps (either open or closed) and positionable supercharger vents are also provided.

The engine is only six parts, but it is adequately detailed. Push rods are included, but there is no ignition harness on the sprues.

Eduard's brass photo-etched fret addresses this omission.

Magnetos appear to the round style associated with the later sub-variants.

The cockpit is quite well detailed straight from the box. Although there are not many parts, the details on the sidewalls and floor are deep and crisp. The instrument panel has raised instruments for the dials with decal instruments supplied as an option. Eduard supplies color photo-etched harness straps, instrument panel and other details to really lift the detail in the front office.

The non-corrugated floor restricts the model to a P-47D-27 sub-variant or later.

An attractive pilot figure is supplied , and he even has a separate oxygen mask and hose. His face bears more than a passing resemblance to Francis S. Gabby Gabreski - no coincidence, I am sure!

Similar to the Tamiya 1/48 scale kit, the lower wing features a couple of inserts. These accommodate the compressibility flaps for the P-47D-30 and later, and the relocated landing light. Insert plugs for both the early version (without flaps) and the late (with flaps) are provided in the kit. Flaps are separate, and may be displayed dropped or up by using different hinge parts.

Undercarriage parts are nicely detailed, including separate hydraulic lines, oleo scissors and two styles of wheel hub - flat and spoked.

Eduard has supplied resin wheels and hubs to replace the plastic kit parts. The new tyres are subtly flattened and bulged. An anti-shimmy tail wheel is also supplied in resin.

The clear parts are thin and free of distortion. Hasegawa has supplied two full canopies - one closed and one two-piece canopy for displaying open. Two styles of gunsight lenses are offered as clear parts too. I assume that these represent the Mk.VIII and N-3A gunsights. The grey plastic gunsight bodies are very well detailed.

Clear parts also include wingtip navigation and under-wing formation lights.

Kit ordnance comprises a 150 gallon flat centreline drop tank, two 150 gallon teardrop-shaped tanks, and two 500lb GP bombs. Wing racks are secured via poly caps, making painting easier.

13'1" Curtiss symmetrical paddle blade and the 13'1" Hamilton Standard paddle blade propeller assemblies are both supplied.

A small wedge-style dorsal fin is included but marked "not for use" on the instructions. These were fitted to P-47D-40s, but often retrofitted to D-30s.

Just about the only area that this kit is not to the same standard as Tamiya's 1/48 scale kit is the machine gun blast tubes. Tamiya's parts were hollowed at the ends, while Hasegawa's are solid. However, Hasegawa is offering hollow metal gun tubes as an after-market option.

The Variants - What is in the Box?

Overall accuracy of the kit looks very good, but what variant does this kit actually represent?

The propellers varied widely, as different styles were often retrofitted in the field. In addition to the two styles supplied in the kit, the 13'1" Curtiss Electric asymmetrical propeller assembly was also seen fitted to the P-47D, especially later sub-types. J. Rutman Productions offers this style of propeller as a resin after market item.

The table below lists the typical propellers fitted, but you should check your references for specific examples

Here is the typical fit for variants that can be built from this kit:

Markings

Eduard supplies markings for three colourful subjects on a single Cartograf-printed decal sheet.

Stencil markings are included on the sheet. My sample is printed perfectly and colours look good.

This is another pleasing package in Eduard's eduArt series. It is nice to see that Eduard has made the kit available again.

In terms of accuracy and surface textures, the Hasegawa P-47D remains a very good kit. The additon of Eduard colour photo-etch lifts the cockpit several notches in the detail department; while the artwork is a nice bonus. Decals are first class too.

Eduard has given us everything we need for a highly detailed large scale Thunderbolt in one box.

Highly Recommended.

Thanks to Eduard for the sample.

Review Copyright © 2017 by Brett Green
Page Created 10 January, 2017
Last updated 12 January, 2017

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