Valiant Wings Publishing continues to expand its “Airframe and Miniature” series. This installment, number 25 in the series, is devoted to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The book is divided into the following sections:

Airframe Chapters

1. Evolution – Prototypes to P-47C
2. Main Production – P-47D to M
3. The Long Range Thunderbolt – P-47N
4. Camouflage and Marking and Colour Profiles

Miniature Chapters

5. P-47 Thunderbolt Kits
6. Building a selection
7. Building a collection
8. In detail: The P-47 Thunderbolts

Appendixes

1. P-47 Thunderbolt kits
2. P-47 Thunderbolt Accessories & Masks
3. P-47 Thunderbolt decals
4. Bibliography

The first section of the book (Airframe) describes the evolution of the airplane, focusing on the main variants but not necessarily including all the “one-offs” for each variant. It does, however, include a brief reference to the XP-47, which was a lightweight interceptor with an in-line engine, more akin to the Mig-3 than to the final P-47. The lightweight, in-line engine-powered XP-47 was rejected and redesigned into a heavy fighter with a radial engine which became the mighty “Juggernaut”.

The first section also includes a list of US Units that used the P47 across many theaters during WW2, and a gorgeous chapter on camouflage with close to 100 color profiles covering service in the US, France, Mexico, United Kingdom, Bolivia, Brazil, USSR, etc. The research that went into all those profiles needs to be commended. In addition, for many of the profiles, a black and white photograph is included.

The next section (Miniatures) is written with the modeler in mind, and it has full build sections (with in-progress pictures) for the following kits:

• 1/72 Tamiya P-47D bubble top
• 1/72 Academy P-47D razorback
• 1/48 Dora Wings P-47C with ferry tank
• 1/48 Miniart P-47D-30RE Thunderbolt “Basic Kit”
• 1/32 Trumpeter P-47D razorback

All the construction articles include plenty of details, tips, and advice on how to build and paint those kits. This section also includes an in-depth look at airframe evolution. Probably every single “one-off” ever built is listed here. In the section “Building a Collection” you have every difference and modification of the airframe relative to a previous airframe, so if you are ever trying to make a conversion, or to improve a kit out of the box, this section will tell you exactly what part (or parts) need to be modified. Have you ever heard of a P-47 with 20 mm cannons? It existed, and it is included in this book.

Next, there is a very detailed walk-around chapter with plenty of pictures and diagrams to help super-detail your next project. To round off the book, there is a series of appendices that list all the kits, decals, and accessories ever produced (or close to them, as it is virtually impossible to know if any aftermarket detail was potentially left out).

Finally, a set of fold-out drawings in 1/48 scale are provided, including the P-47B, P-47C, P-47D (Razorback and Bubble top), and the P-47N. These have left, right, top, and bottom views included.

This book is highly recommended for modelers and aviation enthusiasts alike. I must say that after finishing reading the book, I started rummaging through my stash and pulled a few P-47D kits out, trying to decide which one would be among my next builds.

I would like to thank Valiant Wings Publishing and IPMS/USA for the review sample.