Traditionally fighter aircraft
have been noted for being small agile and powerful, so when Republic
introduced the Thunderbolt in May 1941 it was at the time the
largest and heaviest single seat fighter around. Various theories
have been put forward as to how the P47 ended up being known
as the JUG but for sure the most popular reasons would have to
be it’s massive size, i.e. Juggernaut, or it’s shape,
which if stood on it’s nose looked very similar to milk
jugs of the day.
The size and weight of the Thunderbolt inevitably made the plane
a less than nimble fighter, however, in a dive it was unsurpassed.
It had an extraordinary ability to absorb damage but as the P47
was primarily designed as a high altitude bomber interceptor rather
than a dogfighter, any weakness in tight twist and turn manoeuvres,
was more than compensated for by it’s high altitude performance
and extremely effective firepower. Entering combat service in 1943
with the 8th USAAF in Britain it began escorting B17 and B24 bombers
over Europe. It’s value as an escort was dramatically increased
when they began to be fitted with drop tanks that allowed them
escort the bombers all the way to their targets.
As a fighter-bomber the P47 was an awesome weapon, and in this
role it found its true potential, bombing and strafing it’s
way across Europe and in the Pacific until the end of World War
Two.
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The “Razorback” P-47
Thunderbolt is one of the biggest scale models form Hangar 9.
This mighty “Jug” is a fantastic rendition of a Thunderbolt
flown by Captain Herschel H Green of the 325TH F.G,15th Air Force
USAAF during World War Two; the famous “Checkertail Clan”
He was appointed Army Aviation Cadet in 1941, obtaining his wings
at Foster Field in Texas, he flew P40, P51 and P47 fighters, eventually
becoming a leading ace of that era with 18 confirmed enemy aircraft
shot down.
This great model comes ready covered in
an authentic world war two colour scheme, using UltraCote®,
with the “checker board” tail already done
for you. It has a huge pre painted fibre glass cowling,
working flaps and all metal retracts engineered especially
for the P.47 with working oleo struts. A complete hardware
pack, and all the detailed scale accessories, (under wing
bomb pylons, bombs, dummy engine, machine guns, and a centre
wing drop tank)are included to complete this great model.
For ease of access to the radio equipment and fuel tank
the forward section of the top fuselage is removable for
maintenance etc and all the servos are mounted close to
the control surfaces to minimise slop giving more precise
control. The unique design of the “Ultra Tract” retracts
allow a low profile retract servo to be mounted direct
to the retract frame for easy adjustment and more reliable
operation.
This 81 inch semi- elliptical two-piece wing model
with it’s wide-track landing gear and steerable tail wheel
make the P47 a great choice for a model warbird, it looks fantastic
in the air, and has great ground handling qualities. The huge
cowling of course will accommodate a wide range of engines, including
the New Evolution petrol engines, the 26GT or 35 GT being a great
choice. |
