Curtiss P-47G Thunderbolt – War Eagle, Capt Julius P Maxwell, Co A Flt, 84th Fighter Squadron, Duxford 1944

Corgi Aviation Archive 1/72 scale AA33826: Curtiss P-47G Thunderbolt in the highly attractive livery of ‘War Eagle’ Capt Julius P Maxwell Co A Flt 84th Fighter Squadron Duxford 1944. Corgi Collectors Club model. Limited edition of only 500 pieces, now hard to find.

PLEASE NOTE: Boxlid has a light crush on the lower left corner. Model is new

Unveiled in 2011 and scheduled to fly for the first time in 2012 P-47G ‘SN AFU’ is set to become the UK’s only airworthy P47, and one of the very few early ‘Razorback’ P47s flying anywhere in the world. Built not by Republic but by Curtiss, hence the ‘G’ rather than ‘D’ designation, this aircraft flew with a number of training squadrons across the United States before being struck off from the USAAF’s inventory in June 1945. Post war it flew as a warbird in the United States before arriving at The Fighter Collection for a fresh restoration to airworthy status. This aircraft is painted in the famous colours of ‘SN AFU’, a 78th Fighter Group aircraft based at Duxford in 1944 and the aircraft features the distinctive chequer board cowling used by the 78th. The original SN AFU was written off after a wheels-up landing in December 1944.

Designed by Alexander Kartveli meeting a USAAC requirement for a heavy fighter, the P-47 was first flown on May 6th, 1941. Later models featured a “bubble-top” canopy rather than the sharply peaked “razorback” fuselage which resulted in poor visibility for the aircraft’s pilot. The P-47, a deadly pursuit aircraft, featured 8 x 12.7mm machine guns; all mounted in the wings. Even with the complicated turbosupercharger system, the sturdy airframe and tough radial engine, the P-47 (“Jug” or “Juggernaut” as it was nicknamed) could absorb damage and still return home. Built in greater quantities than any other US fighter, the P-47 was the heaviest single-engine WWII fighter and the first piston-powered fighter to exceed 500 mph.