In Box Review of Revell-Monogram 1/48th Scale
Pro Modeler
U.S. P-47N Thunderbolt Fighter
Kit no. 85-5929
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Copyright 1997
I paid $15.00 for my kit back in the 90's.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Copyright 1997
I paid $15.00 for my kit back in the 90's.
HISTORY:
The P-47N was the last Thunderbolt variant to be produced. It was designed as an escort fighter for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers flying raids on the Japanese home islands.
Increased internal fuel capacity and drop tanks had done much to extend the Thunderbolt's range during its evolution, and the only other way to expand the fuel capacity was to put fuel tanks into the wings.
Thus, a new wing was designed with two 50 U.S. gallon (190 l) fuel tanks. The third YP-47M prototype (42-27387) was fitted with this wing and became the YP-47N; its designation was later changed to XP-47N. This redesigned aircraft first flew in July 1944.
The redesign proved successful in extending the range to about 2,000 mi (3,200 km), and the squared-off wingtips improved the roll rate.
The P-47N entered mass production with the R-2800-57 engine, and later used the upgraded R-2800-73 or -77. A total of 1,816 were built.
The very last Thunderbolt to be built, a P-47N-25, rolled off the production line in October 1945.
At the end of production, a Thunderbolt cost $83,000 in 1945 U.S. dollars. A total of 15,636 Thunderbolts of all types were built.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter-bomber
Manufacturer: Republic Aviation
Designer: Alexander Kartveli
First flight: 6 May 1941
Introduction to service: November 1942
Retired: 1966, Peruvian Air Force
Primary users: U.S. Army Air Forces, Royal Air Force, French Air Force
Produced: 1941–1945
Number built: 15,636
Unit cost: U.S. $83,000 in 1945
Variants: Republic XP-72
The P-47N was the last Thunderbolt variant to be produced. It was designed as an escort fighter for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers flying raids on the Japanese home islands.
Increased internal fuel capacity and drop tanks had done much to extend the Thunderbolt's range during its evolution, and the only other way to expand the fuel capacity was to put fuel tanks into the wings.
Thus, a new wing was designed with two 50 U.S. gallon (190 l) fuel tanks. The third YP-47M prototype (42-27387) was fitted with this wing and became the YP-47N; its designation was later changed to XP-47N. This redesigned aircraft first flew in July 1944.
The redesign proved successful in extending the range to about 2,000 mi (3,200 km), and the squared-off wingtips improved the roll rate.
The P-47N entered mass production with the R-2800-57 engine, and later used the upgraded R-2800-73 or -77. A total of 1,816 were built.
The very last Thunderbolt to be built, a P-47N-25, rolled off the production line in October 1945.
At the end of production, a Thunderbolt cost $83,000 in 1945 U.S. dollars. A total of 15,636 Thunderbolts of all types were built.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Fighter-bomber
Manufacturer: Republic Aviation
Designer: Alexander Kartveli
First flight: 6 May 1941
Introduction to service: November 1942
Retired: 1966, Peruvian Air Force
Primary users: U.S. Army Air Forces, Royal Air Force, French Air Force
Produced: 1941–1945
Number built: 15,636
Unit cost: U.S. $83,000 in 1945
Variants: Republic XP-72
THE KIT:
Revell and Monogram are both old prolific model companies that merged. They each manufactured all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a P-47N shooting down a Japanese Zero above the clouds.
The P-47N is overall bare-metal with a blue spinner, cowling front and band around the nose. There is a naked gal on the side of the nose with "DRINK'N SISTER" by her.
Under the cockpit there is a yellow circle with a black rooster on it with a black wide border with white stars all around it. The tips of the rudder and elevators are also blue. It has a black anti-glare panel and spine. There is a black serial no. 487911 on the rudder, with a 04 above it on the blue tip.
One side panel has a color photo of the P-47N in the box art scheme and a 2nd photo of it made up overall bare-metal with a yellow spinner and yellow and black diagonal stripes on the rudder.
It has a gal in pink leotards with red "Sack Happy" outlined in black on the sides of the nose and a red bull holding a bomb and riding a yellow cartoon character of an airplane with a face on it under the cockpit.
This is followed by a one-paragraph history of the P-47N in English and French.
Revell and Monogram are both old prolific model companies that merged. They each manufactured all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a P-47N shooting down a Japanese Zero above the clouds.
The P-47N is overall bare-metal with a blue spinner, cowling front and band around the nose. There is a naked gal on the side of the nose with "DRINK'N SISTER" by her.
Under the cockpit there is a yellow circle with a black rooster on it with a black wide border with white stars all around it. The tips of the rudder and elevators are also blue. It has a black anti-glare panel and spine. There is a black serial no. 487911 on the rudder, with a 04 above it on the blue tip.
One side panel has a color photo of the P-47N in the box art scheme and a 2nd photo of it made up overall bare-metal with a yellow spinner and yellow and black diagonal stripes on the rudder.
It has a gal in pink leotards with red "Sack Happy" outlined in black on the sides of the nose and a red bull holding a bomb and riding a yellow cartoon character of an airplane with a face on it under the cockpit.
This is followed by a one-paragraph history of the P-47N in English and French.
The other side panel has a color photo showing both schemes built up as above views. Followed by a suggested paint color listing and a 1-800 phone number to use to get service assistance for the kit. Revell-Monogram's office address in Germany is shown and "Plastic model can be painted to match photos on the box. Paint not included. Model cement not included, but these are needed for assembly. Length of the finished model is 9 1/8" and the wingspan is 10 3/4". The kit contains 99 parts, pictorial instruction sheet provides assembly instructions. Kit is for age 12 to adult, in English and French.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 4 medium-gray trees in a sealed cello bag, a clear tree in another cello bag, the decal sheet and the instructions,
The instructions consists of a staple-bound booklet of 20 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a very dark and inky repeat of the box art, over the history of the P-47N and Revell-Monograms' address in Morton Grove, IL, copyright date of 1997 and MADE IN USA.
Page 2 begins with READ THIS BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions, over international assembly symbol explanations and a suggested paint color listing in multiple languages, including English.
Page 3 through 17 gives 47 un-numbered assembly steps. I counted them. The steps are accompanied by 21 inky black and white walk-around type photos of P-47N's in various museums.
Page 18 shows a 3-view of the box art scheme (already described above).
Page 19 shows a 3-view of the side panel scheme "Sack Happy" (also described above).
Page 20 shows an above view of both schemes.
Part trees are not alphabetized.
The 1st medium-gray tree holds: the fuselage, elevators, cowling, engine cylinders, propeller shaft etc. (9 parts)
This kit contains 4 medium-gray trees in a sealed cello bag, a clear tree in another cello bag, the decal sheet and the instructions,
The instructions consists of a staple-bound booklet of 20 pages in 8 1/2" x 11" page format.
Page 1 begins with a very dark and inky repeat of the box art, over the history of the P-47N and Revell-Monograms' address in Morton Grove, IL, copyright date of 1997 and MADE IN USA.
Page 2 begins with READ THIS BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions, over international assembly symbol explanations and a suggested paint color listing in multiple languages, including English.
Page 3 through 17 gives 47 un-numbered assembly steps. I counted them. The steps are accompanied by 21 inky black and white walk-around type photos of P-47N's in various museums.
Page 18 shows a 3-view of the box art scheme (already described above).
Page 19 shows a 3-view of the side panel scheme "Sack Happy" (also described above).
Page 20 shows an above view of both schemes.
Part trees are not alphabetized.
The 1st medium-gray tree holds: the fuselage, elevators, cowling, engine cylinders, propeller shaft etc. (9 parts)
The 2nd medium-gray tree holds: landing gear legs, main wheels, cockpit walls, control levers, wheel pants, wing pylons, bulkhead, seat, air intake, wing machine guns, more engine cylinders, pilot (divided into upper and lower body and one arm) etc. (41 parts)
The 3rd medium-gray tree holds: rockets, drop tank, bombs, propeller, nose, dashboard, foot pedals, tailwheel etc. (47 parts)
The 4th medium-gray tree holds the wings and their flaps (5 parts)
The clear tree is in it's own clear sealed cello bag. It holds the canopy and light lenses (6 parts)
The decal sheet completes the kit's contents. It is by Scale-Master Vitachrome and includes stencil markings.
Detail is engraved. The rudder and elevator flaps are molded solid.
Highly recommended.