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P-47Ns & HVARs


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Planning a build of the Trumpeter 1/32 P-47N and would like to do the scheme shown on the Revell/Pro-Mod box art with the blue trim using the CAM sheet, but from what I've been able to gather from the web, the zero length stubs for HVARs were not factory installed on the first batches of P-47N.

I've found pix of another P-47N Ie Shima squadron (with the black & yellow tail stripes) that show HVARs loaded.

I've also found a nice color shot of a P-47N in the blue trim having its guns boresighted that clearly shows no rocket stubs.

Does anyone know if the rocket stubs were retrofitted in the field like P-51D tail filets to earlier Mustangs or gun noses to Pacific B-25Js?

Or am I gonna hafta give up on the nifty blue trimmed scheme and do the black & yellow tailed P-47N if I want to hang the HVARs under the wings?

Usually I like to model fighters as fighters, but the P-47N looks so cool with all the HVARs and bombs.

Thanks for any info anybody can share.

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Initial blocks were intended for very long range escort for B-29s. The potential for other uses was overlooked, probably because it was intended as a long-range P-47M (pure fighter, only) and in the end it was used extensively as a ground attacker.

Of the 500-and-change N-1s built, I don't know how many were retrofitted with rocket stubs, but I HAVE read that the N-1s retrofitted with the stubs were supposed to be called N-2-RE's.

Knowing how common it was to retrofit new developed features onto existing models of P-47s, I imagine it was widespread. There were only 1600 P-47Ns built, give or take, and 500+ of those were N-1s. I've seen photos of hundreds upon hundreds of them lining runways at fields where they ran thousands of ground attack missions, and I simply HAVE to believe a large number of those were N-1s retrofitted with rocket rail stubs, otherwise they wouldn't have had enough N-5s to go around.

IMO I think most N-1s were eventually able to take rockets.

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Of the 500-and-change N-1s built, I don't know how many were retrofitted with rocket stubs, but I HAVE read that the N-1s retrofitted with the stubs were supposed to be called N-2-RE's.

IMO I think most N-1s were eventually able to take rockets.

This is correct, the retro fitted -1's were supposedly redesignated -2's....these are the ones you see in the Pacific that are carrying the rock stubs.....you really have to find a picture of the individual aircraft that you are building to be sure though....I'm currently building "Chautauqua" and the pictures I've found show her without the rocket stubs...however, the decal sheets I've bought for her have her listed as a -2....so I'm thinking the photo I have was an early photo of her as a -1 and she may have been modified in the field later...

Corey

Edited by Corey
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Thanks for the help, gents--from what you've written, I've been able to discover that the P-47N shown on the ProMod box art was a -2 (at least according to Revellogram), so I feel comfortable hanging rockets on another P47N in the same squadron.

Interestingly, I also found a shot that shows another P-47N from this same squadron loaded out with only the two inner rockets plus a bomb on the pylon--the underside of the wing doesn't show the outer three stubs even installed. All I can guess is either the stubs were in short supply at that point or the crew hadn't had time to install all ten stubs before it was needed on a sortie.

Thanks again, fellow P-47N geeks!

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This is all conjecture, but it's based on some logic, so take it for what it's worth.

They didn't always load out all 10. I mean, surely it was common, but most times when heavily loaded they had to save weight elsewhere. Often I have read many squadrons cut down ammo AND removed all but 2 of the 50cal guns because they were hauling lots of ord from a rough strip with trees at the end of the runway. It's possible they just had a long sortie and only needed so much firepower, so they loaded less. Or it's possible it was a free-hunt type of mission for targets of opportunity, and they wanted to be able to strafe targets or attack fighters with their guns afterwards -- so they loaded less weight to carry the proper 50cal loadout.

Again, pure conjecture, but I could see a few different logical reasons for such a loadout.

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This is all conjecture, but it's based on some logic, so take it for what it's worth.

They didn't always load out all 10. I mean, surely it was common, but most times when heavily loaded they had to save weight elsewhere. Often I have read many squadrons cut down ammo AND removed all but 2 of the 50cal guns because they were hauling lots of ord from a rough strip with trees at the end of the runway. It's possible they just had a long sortie and only needed so much firepower, so they loaded less. Or it's possible it was a free-hunt type of mission for targets of opportunity, and they wanted to be able to strafe targets or attack fighters with their guns afterwards -- so they loaded less weight to carry the proper 50cal loadout.

Again, pure conjecture, but I could see a few different logical reasons for such a loadout.

Makes sense, but would the load be so critical that even the stubs would be removed too? The shot I saw showed no stubs outboard of the bomb pylon--we can only speculate. Wish every photo from that era had detailed captions for us modelers. I did see shots of the bee striped tailed P-47N squadron loaded out with all ten rockets, so an accurate model can be built that way.

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