P-47

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 5:35 pm

I am planing on buying a P-47 bubbletop, or Razorback.

May I bother someone for a review?

I would like to know the good and bad parts of it, and any recommedations, is it worth it?, and which is better in your opinon, the bubble, or razorback?

Thank you!

Folkwulfe · Post by **Folkwulfe** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:33 pm

I have both examples....P-47 bubbletop "Eileen" and a razorback "Jabo". Jabo is in natural metal and Eileen is OD green upper sufaces. I personally like Eileen better because 21C saw fit to put a brace behind the pilots armor that goes from side to side attached to the canopy. In order for the canopy to slide back, there is a pronounce slot cut through tha raised "razorback" for that brace to travel. That of coarse is not how the real deal works and I think it detracts from the look. Eileen, however, has a slot cut in the top of the aft fuse where the canopy slides backward over it. Not as noticable...and the bubbletop just looks right to me somehow. Just my .02c worth. I have pictures if you need them.

bhallg2k · Post by **bhallg2k** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:51 pm

I think it's a matter of preference. At some point or another, I've had two examples of each version - Checkerboard, Blond Angel, Eagleston and Eileen (which was sold).

My personal favorite is The Blond Angel. I love the bare metal look, the D-Day stripes and the wonderful nose art. Yes, as has been said, the slot running through the fuselage behind the cockpit does detract from the overall look of the plane, but it's not that big a deal to me. Just a gorgeous plane.

The Checkerboard version is nice, too. However, when it came time to put one in storage to make room for more recent purchases, it was the first to go. There's nothing wrong with it, per se. I just felt I had to pick only one Razorback to display and preferred Blond Angel.

The Eagleston version is by far the best of the Bubbletops. Its paint lines are crisp, which is not the case with Eileen - I was very thankful that someone wanted to buy that one from me.

A word of warning about any P-47: if you plan on displaying it with the gear down, know that the external fuel tank sits way too low. It will touch the "ground." I display mine with the bomb instead to take care of that problem.

Shin Densetsu · Post by **Shin Densetsu** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:57 pm

Yes, post pics please fellas!!! I am tempted to buy a bubbletop. Hopefully we get the black bubbletop in 1:18!~

Moth · Post by **Moth** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:00 pm

Fockewulf, if not too much trouble, can you post some pics?

Post by **aferguson** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:04 pm

the actual problem is with the undercarriage leg length. On the real P-47 the legs compress as they retract, becoming shorter as they enter the wheel wells. Because there was no practical way of duplicating this on the model, and in order to have the retracted length correct to fit in the wheel wells the u/c legs were molded in the retracted length and thus are a bit too short when the Jug is sitting on the ground, creating the problem of the drop tank described above.

Having said all this, war weary Jugs had a tendancy for their u/c legs to 'sag' when sitting on the ground and it was not uncommon to see drop tanks brushing against the ground.

Personally, i think 21c should have just made the wheel wells a bit longer, to accomodate extended length u/c legs which would have been far less noticable an error. However, they didn't.

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 7:09 pm

I have the bubble canopy version "Eileen" and it is a good looking model. One thing I did was glue the landing gear struts in place. The weight of the plane tends to make the gear spread out, and it looks much better with the gear legs sitting as they should.

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 8:54 pm

I like both of the P-47's. I personally would get at least one example of each.

My favorite Razor back is the Blonde Angel. My favorite Bubble top is Eileen with Eagleston's as a close second.

I FULLY agree that a the Black Bubbletop would be killer in 1:18. It needs to have the Fin Fillet added though. But I am sure that can be done?

flpickupman · Post by **flpickupman** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:15 pm

Here are a few pics of my freshly assembled Checkertail

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:22 pm

That checkerboard scheme is nice. It really fits the razorback P-47. One thing I noticed is that 21st Century used the Curtiss electric prop on its 1/18th scale P-47s, and the Hamilton standard prop on its 1/32nd scale P-47 models.

corpbob · Post by **corpbob** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 11:07 am

"Blond Angel" P47 razorback was my first 1:18 plane, but it was the only one where the oversized cockpit bugged me. It just didn't look quite right. Now I finally got a bubbletop Eagleston, and I'm in love. Go for a bubbletop Eagleston first (I say Eagleston because I'm familiar with it), and then (if you just have to) get a razorback.

parrish333 · Post by **parrish333** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 1:58 pm

The Blond Angel was also my first 1:18 aircraft, and I bought it mainly because it was on clearance many moons ago ($15!!).

I really didn't think I'd like it and figured I could always sell it if so, but it keeps growing on me more and more. It just has that large-and-in-charge look to it. The paint scheme (on the Blond Angel) is an odd mix of silver, green, white, black, blue, yellow, and red. A bit distracting to the eye at first, but it strangely works for me.

As for razorback vs. bubbletop, the razorbacks - to me- just look more rugged and mean than their bubbletop counterparts. But historically, I think the bubble canopies really helped the Jug pilots with visibility problems (especially on their rear!). Plus, the 21st bubbletops come with a bomb for each wing, which gives the P-47 an added ground attack punch, the role it was so famous for.

I'd really love a P-47 loaded up with rockets like the BBI Corsair to round out its groud attack options. It does have those triple rocket tubes, but I think I read that those had poor accuracy and range. Aesthetically though, adding the rocket tubes helps bring together that odd paint scheme on the Blond Angel - OD green on top of the engine, and below on the bomb and tubes. Because I'm sure that when your life is in danger the first thing on your mind is "am I at least going to be color-coordinated when I get shot up?"

Folkwulfe · Post by **Folkwulfe** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 3:35 pm

Here's a comparison split of Jabo and Eileen. Excuse the messy desk and don't read the warrant in the background. What are you looking at?

Both are impressive...but both have room for improvement too.

Jabo is short on clearance below, but not too bad unless the gear splays out. Eileen has overspray (especially the white) issues, but it was wartime and paintjobs were not always perfect. As a fact most were not perfect. I can live with it.

This is where I draw the line. Jabo has this HUGE gash in the razorback that shouldn't be there. Eileen has the slot on top of the aft fuse where it should be. Why couldn't 21C do a hidden sliding rail for the canopy?

My biggest complaint about Eileen is that there is no combing (upper decking) to the dash. When looking straight down through the windscreen, you can see the figures feet and the rudder pedals as well as the flat back of the panel. Hey guys!!!!DUH!!!!

Sentinel · Post by **Sentinel** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 4:47 pm

I too have made The Blond Angel my P-47 choice (x2).

I think it's the best looking of all of the available P-47's by far.

The bare metal color, D-Day stripes and artwork all go together so well to make it a winner.

Check one out - closely!

Lefty · Post by **Lefty** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:44 pm

I have 3 of each (razorback and bubble top) - my favorites are probably the Peg O' My Heart (awesome paint scheme) for the razorback and Snortin' Bull (cleanest paint of the 3 I have) for the bubble top. The others I have are the checkertail and Jabo razorbacks and the Eileen and Eagleston bubbletops.

I like them all, although I would agree with the earlier statements about the undercarriage scraping the ground on the razorbacks (doesn't seem to be as big of a problem on my bubbletops). There were also a lot of complaints about the paint on the earlier bubbletops (Eileen and Eagleston) if I remember correctly.

Also, I've noticed that a lot of the P-47s have broken/bent guns on the wings, so that's something to look out for (if they're bent, you might be able to heat them up gently and get them to straighten out).

I love the bulk and "muscle" of the Thunderbolts - especially the razorbacks. You gotta get yourself a least one Big-Azz Bird!

pokeyjtc · Post by **pokeyjtc** » Wed Apr 19, 2006 9:20 pm

There was a reference to the props used on the 1:18 P-47s. The razorback has the Curtiss electric prop and the bubbletop has the paddle blade style Hamilton prop.

The P-47 is one of my favorite planes so naturally I have a bunch (4 Razorbacks, and 4 bubbletops, 2 of which are custom paint jobs). I think the P-47 is a must have in both forms, it's really up to you to decide which paint job you like best.

flpickupman · Post by **flpickupman** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:49 am

pokeyjtc wrote:it's really up to you to decide which paint job you like best.

Or it's a hell of a canvas to create your own. Lots of room to work with.

supersonicfifi · Post by **supersonicfifi** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 7:58 am

Ah ! Fockwulfe i am pleased with your photos ! for me too : the Eileen P47 came without the top front panel wich usually hold the gunsight !!!! i was disappointed by this error + the fact that the landing gear is not very neat and bend really much, extended or can't be keeped close (spring too strong?) anyway this model is impressive + got the right proppeller ! i think it's a must have ! and it looks really cool !

Sabrefan · Post by **Sabrefan** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 10:45 am

All of the 1/18th scale P-47s I have seen have the Curtiss electric prop. Now the blades are fatter on the bubbletop version, but this is still not a Hamilton Standard prop. The prop hub is much fatter on a Hamilton Standard prop.

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Thu Apr 20, 2006 12:49 pm

The gap in the P-47 bubbletop cockpit is actually accurate - there wasn't a cover on it like the P-51 or Corsair. The 21c gap, however, is a little too large and the gunsight too small. What really annoyed me with the Bubbletop cockpit was that its way too oversized and the pilot sits far too low in the seat.

The razorback cockpit is also too large, but the pilot sits higher in it, which looks a little better to me.

I have "The Blonde Angel" and agree with the above post that this is one of the best of the razorback paintschemes. As for the P-47 Bubbletop, I like the "Eagleston" version the best.

Website · Post by **Teamski** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 7:40 am

I really hate the canopy and windshields of the P-47s. They look too toyish. I modded my display Peg by shaving down the canopy and windshield a couple years ago (already?!?!). It looks much better now.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/127 ... 8193mkOWOh

http://community.webshots.com/photo/127 ... 8193uYvfKt

I forgot who, but sombody did an amazing over and beyond and cut off a portion of the side panels which made it look even better.....

-Ski

Small Scale Military Headquarters

P-47

P-47

Thunderbolts

a

Your choice really...

Pics Added

to fockwulfe ! and my others friends !