P-47 Thunderbolt is the first in a new Periscopio Publications series of modelling reference books, “Famous Aircraft Of The World”. Published with a soft cover P-47 Thunderbolt is a 56-page book, illustrated with black/white and colour photographs and divided into 4 sections.

Section One The main text of the book covers the history of the P-47. Beginning with the development of the XP-41 and the YP-43 Lancer through the production P-47 versions up until the final variant, the P-47N. An operational history is presented detailing the P-47’s service record during and after WW2, from the arrival in the UK of the first Thunderbolts in December 1942 to the retirement of the last serving examples from South American Air Forces in 1964.

This section finishes up with a listing of the various P-47 production batches and lists of USAAF and ANG (Air National Guard) units that flew the Thunderbolts.

Part Two - the Walkaround section. Here we are presented with 41 colour photographs of preserved examples. There are some excellent photographs here of the Pratt And Whitney engines, but unfortunately no images of cockpit interiors. As with all photographs of restored aircraft, there's no guarantee that the colours are correct, but they will prove very useful for modellers wishing to add extra details and wiring to engines and wheel bays etc.

Section Three - and the largest part of the book are the 75 colour profiles, and 4 pages showing plan views of the generic camouflage schemes. The profiles are the standard port side view, and naturally the majority of them are USAAF subjects. However, there is a large selection of profiles from other air forces including RAF, French, Bolivian, Brazilian, Chinese, Russian, Chilean, Cuban, Italian, Mexican, Portuguese and Yugoslav subjects. There are also 2 profiles of captured P-47s in Luftwaffe markings.

Section Four The final part of the book is a selection of 1:72 line drawings from the P-47B to the P-47N, highlighting some, but not all, of the major differences between the different types. A nice final touch is the inclusion of side profiles for the XP-47E, XP-47H, XP-47J and XP-72.

In Conclusion

An excellent start to this new series, well written and nicely illustrated the book offers a good general history of the Thunderbolt and will act as a firm foundation for those who wish to research the aircraft further. The walkaround photographs are of excellent quality, but that section would have benefited greatly from some cockpit photographs. The profiles are excellent and its nice to see so many of the less commonly seen subjects included.

The book represents good value for money and will appeal to all fans of the P-47 Thunderbolt.