Hasegawa 1/48
P-47D Thunderbolt Razorback

Background

In a surprise arrival from Japan, the Hasegawa P-47D Thunderbolt Razorback has landed! Somehow, the kit was released in the US either before or concurrent with Japan, so advanced ordering from Hobby Link Japan didn't work this time. In fact, they haven't even shipped their kits out as of this writing and my local hobby shop had a bunch on the shelf! Is this the beginning of a new trend?

The Kit

The kit is molded in the usual medium grey plastic, with surface detail nicely scribed. The kit comes with a nice array of clear parts, including a two-piece canopy, bullet-proof glass panel, gunsight, wingtip lights, etc. The propeller hub and blades are individually molded, with your choice of Hamilton Standard or Curtiss Electric propeller blades. The engine is also a multi-part affair which looks to build a nice R-2800. A major plus on this kit is the fact that they captured the placement of the eight 50 caliber machine guns in the wing. Older T-Bold kits depicted the guns mounted in a line even with the wing leading edge. This kit (and perhaps the previous Hasegawa Bubbletop kit not reviewed here) accurately shows the guns mounted parallel with the ground. The kit also includes a large centerline fuel tank and a pair of (what appear to be) 250 pound bombs.

The major disappointment with the kit is in the cockpit. The cockpit detail in the Monogram or Otaki kits is better! The designers at Hasegawa probably realized that more people are dropping resin cockpits into their birds these days and skipped on the detail. This kit definitely screams for a new cockpit!

Conclusions

If bare metal is intimidating and has kept you from building the P-47 Bubbletop, this kit is for you! This bird was widely camouflaged in standard OD Green over Neutral Grey. The kit decals include 'Little Chief' HV-V from the 61st FS/56 FG and 'Miss Mary Lou' from the 19th FS/81st FG. With this kit on the shelf, there will no doubt be numerous colorful markings appearing on a decal rack near you.