1:48 CBI P-47D Thunderbolt Mk.I/II, 1944-45

An American fighter with a British name

The Royal Air Force received more than two hundred Thunderbolts and designated them in its own way. The version with the spine carried back behind the cockpit became the Mk.I, while later aircraft with a bubble canopy and a cut-down spine were designated Mk.II. Both variants served alongside each other in the squadrons, so aircraft with a distinctly different silhouette stood side by side on one airfield while carrying the same type designation in British paperwork.

The white bands of Southeast Asia

The most conspicuous feature of these aircraft is the broad light bands across the wings and the horizontal tail. They were introduced so that anti-aircraft gunners and Allied crews would not confuse them with the Japanese Nakajima Ki-43, whose outline was misleading at a distance. The roundels lost their red center for the same reason. British Thunderbolts flew mainly in support of ground troops, with bombs on the racks over the Burmese jungle, where the weather and a shortage of maps were the main enemy.

Before you reach for the scissors

Plan the layout of the bands in advance, because they are sprayed and masked before the markings go on. The set itself carries only printed motifs; the kit to go with it is your own choice. Let the decal loosen on its paper after wetting, move it into place with a brush and blot the excess water away with a soft cloth rather than wiping it sideways. Only once it is fully dry does the sealing coat follow, otherwise moisture stays trapped underneath and shows up as a pale patch.