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P-47D-25

History

The P-47D-25 was the first bubble top version of the P47D Thunderbolt. During the summer of 1944 these aircraft began arriving in the European Theatre of Operations in Natural Metal finish. The 365th Fighter Squadron “The Hell Hawks” of the U.S. 9th air force received a number of bubbletops one of which went to the CO of the squadron Lt. Colonel Robert Coffey. Coffey decided to call his T-Bolt, Coffey’s Pot and this is the aircraft that I have modelled. Coffey was shot down by Flak while flying this over Normandy July 1944 but managed to elude capture.

The Kit

This particular kit from Hasegawa is their Nose Art kit, a fairly old one compared to the modern Tamiya bubbletop P-47D but it is still a very nice kit. Of course it is not as detailed as the Tamiya kit but it is well made with fit and finish being excellent and is a better kit in my view than the Academy kit (including the Eduard P-47`s which use the Academy kit)with more realistic oil cooler and intercooler exhausts. The kit allows you to make a D25 block aircraft but the instructions would have you more so make a D30 block with the landing light on the outside of the wing rather than near the landing gear doors (D25 block) and dive brakes. The kit actually has a couple of photo etch pieces for these dive brakes which is a nice touch. The kit also gives you the option of adding the dorsal fin which was a D30 feature.

For upgrades I used the Ultracast P-47 wheels which are excellent as well as the Quickboost landing gear covers and doors, intercooler and oil cooler inserts and Master P-47D gun barrels. The pictures of Coffey's Pot show it had a Hamilton Standard 4 Blade propeller and 108 Gallon drop tank on the centerline mount. The kit only includes the Curtiss electric props (standard and paddle blade) but no 108 gallon drop tank so I pinched a Hamilton Standard Prop and drop tank from my Tamiya P47D Razorback kit in order to get these parts. One word about the Quickboost intercooler and oil cooler inserts. Frankly, I was disappointed with these parts not because of the actual parts which are fine but I couldn't see them once I added them to the kit. In the future I won't use them.