Platz

1/144 P-47D Bubbletop

Kit Number: PD013

Reviewed by  Jim Pearsall, IPMS# 2209

MSRP: $23.95 Imported by Dragon USA ( www.dragonmodelsusa.com ) The Plane: I've been a fan of the Thunderbolt since I read Robert Johnson's book Thunderbolt! (with Martin Caidin) back in high school. All that horsepower, all those guns! P-47s were able to take a lot of punishment, as well as dishing it out, so it's no wonder the Jug was considered our best fighter, until we got the P-51s. The Kit: This isn't the first Platz 1/144 kit I've bought. It is, however the first one I've gotten around to building. I bought several of their P-51s, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the molding. I have built the Revell P-51D, and had to make a new cooling scoop for under the fuselage. The Platz kit is much nicer. If you noticed the MSRP, this is not a cheap kit. I think this may have more to do with the dollar vs yen than with anything else. You do get 2 of everything, except markings, which you get 3. The markings are for Hub Zemke's P-47M, Glenn Eagleston's P-47D and Benjamin Mayo's P-47D. The noticeable external difference between the two P-47Ds and the P-47M is that the M had an extension in front of the fin. The part's in there for the M. The 8 .50 caliber machine guns are on the wings. There's a seat. It's pretty darned good. Build:

This kit was not built under the best of circumstances. My mother fell and broke her collarbone, and I was her caregiver for 2 weeks. Since I flew, I could only take a few of the crudest of tools and modeling supplies, depending on the local hobby shops and craft stores. As it was, my luggage was searched by TSA going both ways, probably because I did take paint brushes, a knife with #11 blade, fine pointed tweezers, and decal scissors with me. I was able to buy Testors ® liquid cement, paints (spray can and bottles of enamel) and putty at a craft store. I found lacquer thinner and an assortment of fine sandpaper at an auto parts store. I got white glue and some cheap clamps (think "chip clips") at a "dollar store". So I begin. The parts were flash-free, and came off the sprues pretty well. I was a little concerned that the sprue connections for wings and horizontal stabilizers came right into the leading edges, but they cut loose easily, and sanded down to a quite reasonable shape. I was gratified that the fuselage connections were on the bottom, and were where the wing would cover any problem. There was a fit problem at the wing roots, but I rarely see a kit which doesn't have some sort of a problem there. I would have loved to have Squadron ® Green Putty or DuPont ® Acryl Putty, but since I knew I wouldn't be able to take the supplies home on an airplane, I stayed with the much less expensive alternative. I also had to deal with a rough spot on the top of the fuselage in front of the canopy. Both of these problems were really minor, the photo shows the kit before sanding. I used plenty of putty, because I didn't want to have to redo it. While the interior is sparse, there is a seat, and an instrument panel. The panel is just a clear piece, but if I had been at home, I could have made a decal to really jazz up the interior. I was impressed at the thought that went into the machine guns. The wing leading edge is cut back so that the seam misses the guns, and you don't have to worry too much about damaging them when fixing that seam. I was also happy with the way the landing gear and tail wheel fit. Making the tail wheel doors and the mount for the tail wheel as a single part simplifies construction and makes a solid assembly. Painting I have had an airbrush for over 40 years. It's been so long since I used a spray can that I really had to think about technique before I started. Nevertheless, shake, rattle and spray worked on this kit. I painted the entire aircraft silver. I used a brush to paint the cowling yellow and when dry, masked the cowl flaps and painted them black. Yes, it is FAR easier to get a good straight line with masking tape than using the paintbrush and eyeball. Decals The decals are printed by Cartograf of Italy. Super detail (look at the ½ kill on Eagleston's plane, below), easy to apply, and stick nicely. I did use white glue under the decals to make them easier to move around. I did cheat and use a bit of Micro-Set ® to get the invasion stripes to snuggle. The decals really are complete, including the black stripe down the fuselage spine on Eagleston's plane, as well as the stripes for the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. With only a little working and very few bad words (Mom was listening) I got those stripes to not only line up with each other top and bottom, but also straight with the centerline. Overall Evaluation: This kit is so good that it came out looking splendid in spite of the "primitive" methods I used for construction. If you're going to build a 1/144 P-47, you want this kit. There are others out there, but the differences in quality, buildability, decals, detail and fit make this the choice. Platz uses 21st Century technology to deliver a superior product. Highly recommended. I plan to build the other one as Zemke's, and put an instrument panel in it. Thanks to Platz, Dragon USA and IPMS/USA for the chance to build

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