Aerotech models: P-47 Thunderbolt

Model Airplane News, Oct 2000 by Sandquist, Jim

"If you wanted to have your picture taken so you could send it home to your girl, you sat in the cockpit of a P-51 Mustang. If you wanted to survive in combat, you climbed into the cockpit of a P-47 Thunderbolt." This wisdom reflects the rugged dependability of the P-47 that brought many pilots safely back home after sustaining battle damage that would have destroyed almost any other fighter. The Thunderbolt could dish it out as well; it was the most heavily armed single-engine fighter in WW II. It had twice the firepower of most Mustangs and SO percent more than the P-SID Mustang, P-40 Warhawk, F6F Hellcat, or F4U Corsair. Though the Mustang was sleek and certainly had considerable eye appeal, some believed that the appearance of the large, rugged Thunderbolt better exemplified what a fighter should look like. As a modeling subject, the P-47 may be one of the most popular and best flying airplanes you could ever consider building. Because of many variants and armament configurations, your model is sure to look different from any other P-47 that might show up on the flightline.

AN EXCEPTIONAL KIT

The Aerotech Models* P-47 is available in either B or D configurations. I chose the D version, but I have also had a chance to fly the B version. The planes fly virtually the same. When you open the box, the first thing you will notice is the high quality and completeness of the kit. It comes with molded scale stoops, hoods and inner gear doors, Robart retractable main gear and tail gear, an engine mount, a

For taxi and takeoff, the P-47 has a nice, wide-stance landing gear. This airplane has excellent ground-handling characteristics, and it is very difficult to ground loop. From the centerline, a gradual application of power will send the plane down canopy, a gas tank, a radial dummy engine, 5 1/2-inch scale wheels, servo trays, 3-view drawings, all the hardware needed to complete the kit, thorough instructions and a 2 1/2-hour construction video. You will be stunned by the accuracy, quality and level of detail that is molded into the airframe. Aerotech designed this P-47 as an exact scale representation, including rivets, Phillips-head screws, dzus fasteners and all panel lines. All of these details are molded into the silver gelcoat surface of the carbon-fiber fuselage. I built my model in about SO hours, and the fully painted model was in the air after about 80 hours! If you like great-looking model airplanes but don't think you have the time to build one, this model will be a pleasant surprise.

WINGS

When you take the wings out of the box, you will see that the molded ailerons and flaps have been cut, hinged and installed in the wing. This is almost worth the price of the kit alone. The ailerons use Robart Large Point hinges, and the flap hinges are an exact-scale miniature re-creation of the flap mechanism that was used on the full-size aircraft. The Fowler flap mechanism has to be seen to be fully appreciated. It is the neatest setup for a flap that I have ever seen.

The mounting locations for the aileron and flap servos are premolded into the surface of the wing. You cut out the openings with a hobby knife or a Dremel tool. The part you cut away serves as the hatch cover when you complete the servo installation. After you've cut the openings, the wooden mount for the servo is visible and ready for the installation! It is really nice to have the servo mounts pre-installed and in a way that is not only functional but also maintains the scale outline required for competition.

The next step is to mount the wings to the fuselage. This process is somewhat tedious; it isn't difficult, but to ensure that you install the wings accurately, it is important to take your time. Each wing half has two aluminum spars that slide into an aluminum channel that you mount into the fuselage. The bulkheads that these channels are mounted to are also pre-installed in the fuselage, so it's quite simple to find where to attach the channels.

After you have mounted the wing to the fuselage, the last step is to install the Robart retractable main gear into the wing. As you did with the servos, cut away the area for the retracts with a hobby knife or Dremel tool. The metal landing gear plate is already mounted and cut to size for the retracts. To mount the retracts, you will have to drill and tap four 4-40 holes in the plate for each of the main gear. If you have had difficulty with previous retract installations, you will be pleasantly surprised by this one. You cannot install the gear incorrectly!

FUSELAGE AND POWERPLANT

The difficulty with almost any scale model is having good access to the interior of the fuselage while retaining all of the scale outline and detail. The P-47 doesn't have this problem. A self-locking belly pan on the bottom of the fuselage extends from the firewall all the way back to the tail gear. When it is removed, you'll be able to get both of your hands and arms into the fuselage. This is very helpful when you install the servos, tail gear, pull/pull system for the rudder and the cockpit interior.