FCM 32-07: P-47D Thunderbolt

For those who like their P-47s to be super sized, FCM Decals offers this new sheet. It is not surprising that it would mostly contain Brazilian aircraft as Brazil was one of the Allied countries who flew the Thunderbolt in the last year of the war. Many of these planes went on to form units back in Brazil after the war years.

This double sheet includes eleven different aircraft, with most of them in olive drab over neutral grey. This was the scheme applied to most of Brazil's wartime Thunderbolts. There is also a nicely done non-Brazilian option, which is a nice choice. 

The majority of schemes are all quite similar, differing mostly in serial number, nose number and the number of mission marks on the left side of the plane. These were all based in Italy and were used for ground attack. To my knowledge, no Brazilian pilot ever shot down a German plane. All but one of the options are for later P-47Ds with the fin fillet so be sure you get the proper kit with that feature.

Speaking of kits, there are two very good kits out there for this sheet. There is the Hasegawa kit (and kits 08008 and 08218 are suggested as they have the fillet), and the other is by Trumpeter. I should also mention the ancient Revell kit, but it is rife with errors, though the markings should fit.

The other aircraft being offered is a Portuguese version from 1955. Like the French, Portugal flew these mostly in the colonies where their ruggedness was most appreciated. This particular plane was with Esquadra 10 at BAE 3. The instructions state this plane is unpainted metal. It is not outside the possibility that it would be silver lacquer rather than unpainted metal, though a photo would be the best way to verify that.

The decals are superbly done by Microscale and the full color instructions provide a full data placement guide. I should also mention that you'll need to paint on the rudder stripes. In all, a superb sheet and if you want to do your big P-47 in a scheme that is a bit different, this one is for you.

April 2014

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