P-47 Kit Comparisons

[MESHER]

Looking for feedback on what P-47 kits are more accurate or nicer Hasegawa 1/32 P-47D/M or Tamiya P-47D/M. I know they are different scales but there are a couple things I noticed. The Tamiya P-47RB and D kit has different cockpit floors, the Hasegawa D/M have the same cockpit floors. The Tamiya M kit has different head rests and the Hasegawa M only offers one. The Hasegawa M kit has a cover plate that goes over the top of the instrument panel which will be under the front windsheild, the Tamiya M kit does not have this part also, the gun sight in both M kits differ quite a bit.

Can anyone explain to me the difference between RE-20/25/27/30/40? It is frustrating that neither the Tamiya or Hasegawa kits indicate what decal option is a RE-25/30/40? Also I find frustrating the the Tamiya kit offers 3 different propellers and the Hasagawa has 4, which is which and is appropriate for each RE type as the instructions don't provide the name for the propellers.

[GGoheen]

Sorry but I can't really help on this one as Luftwaffe is what I concentrate on anymore. You can get in touch with Larry "Miccara", Paul "Huey Gunner" or "Jennings"....to name a few, as they can surely answer your questions better and do so nicely even.

Greg

[Chuck1945]

Both of those kits are the wrong scales for me, but for general P-47 info here goes.

RE denotes Republic Evansville built, RA is Republic Farmingdale. P-47s used four different props. Early razor backs had cuffed narrow bladed Curtiss Electric props. These would not be seen on later bubbletop T-bolts. Around subtypes 17/18 padddle bladed props began to be used, two types initially, Hamilton Standard, and Curtiss Electric. The HS props were un-cuffed, the CE were cuffed and symetrical. While initially these props were determined whether Farmingdale or Evansville but once in theater, changes were made. HS or CE is not an indicator of sub-types. Around the D-30 subtype, the cockpit floor was changed from the corregated floor previously used to a smooth one. Also by later bubbletop versions, you could also see the 4th prop, a cuffed, assymetrical CE type.

While this is not precise, it does give some explanation for the variation and choices you see in the kits.

[TuveB]

Do a search on this site. I asked a lot of questions about 1½ years ago that might answer some of your questions. Tamiyas M pit is correct for D-30, D-40 and M. I checked it against the D&S book and it looks like it. I have never seen the Hasegawa pit.

[Jennings]

You said 1/32, but if that's what you mean, then you're mixed up. Tamiya has no 1/32 P-47 kit. If you meant 1/48, then Tamiya's is by far the better of the two. Hasegawa's P-47 has a fuselage that is too skinny (in side view). Tamiya's Jugs are probably some of the best 1/48 models ever made, and 100% out of the box will make stunning replicas.

Don't get too twisted about sub-types like the -27, etc. Most of the changes aren't visible externally. Pick an airplane you want to model and build it. The Tamiya P-47M kit has all the parts you need to build any variant of the bubble top P-47 anyway. The razorback allows you to build almost any razorback, except for those few that had the blown Malcom hood fitted (why they didn't do that is beyond me). IIRC that canopy is available from Squadron however.

Re the props: There are four types of props fitted to P-47s. Three are made by Curtiss (the ones with the somewhat pointy hub), and one by Hamilton Standard (the more dome shaped hub). While there is some tie-in between the dash number subtype and the prop fitted, that's not always true. The props could be and were frequently changed in the field, so what it left the factory with might not be what you see in photos of it in service. The types of props are:

1. Curtiss Electric 'toothpick' bladed. Found on all razorbacks (from the factory)

2. CE symmetrical paddle bladed. Found on most bubble tops, and retrofitted to many razorbacks

3. CE asymmetrical paddle bladed. Found mostly on M and N models, but occasionally seen on bubble top D's. I've seen one photo of a razorback D that was a squadron hack in the Philippines in 1945 that had this type prop fitted (as well as the wheels from an N!).

4. Hamilton Standard hydromatic. Easy to tell, as it has a different hub from the others.

J

[MESHER]

Crazy I know, but just to clarify I am trying to compare the Tamiya 14 P-47 to the Hasegawa 1/32 P-47. I have both the M kits from each manufacturer and was just comparing the parts and instructions and that is what lead me to start this thread. One thing that stood out between the 2 kits was the Hasegawa M kit has a shelf insert that goes on top of the instrument panel under the windsheild this is the same insert as in their P-47D kit. But the Tamiya M and D kit does not have this insert and I was trying to figure this out.

[Ham]

I highly recommend Squadron-Signal's most recent (2007) P-47 Thunderbolt in Action book. It differntiates all the sub-types. Also, I found this link that has lots of good information on P-47 propellers. There are photos of each type.

Clicky

[Huey Gunner]

Echoing what Jennings said. Most of the block changes (-27 -30 blahblabbityblah) were mostly internal except for -30 which was (I think) dive flaps and the block 40 which might have been the addition of the stubs for rocket installation. Don't have my T-Bolt books handy so I could be off.