Republic P-47 Thunderbolt "Zombie" Okinawa 1945 - 1/72 Scale Diecast Metal Model by Atlas

1:72 Scale  Diecast Metal  - Republic P-47 Thunderbolt – Length: 6.25"  Wingspan: 6.75”

This P-47 model is a single seat airplane. The cockpit is glue shut. It has no pilot figure included. The landing gear is modeled in the retracted position. A display stand is included.

This is really a "no-play" model or a "display-only" model. It is mostly metal and very heavy. It also has a number of antennas which look great but are very fragile. If you have small kids that like to play with your models, save yourself some frustration (and money) and wait till later to get a model like this one. The box is labeled as not suitable for children under 14.

The maker of this model did a good job with this model, specifically the color scheme and the markings are very crisp and clear. The panel lines and hatches are very nicely done (engraved).

The box measures at 7.5 inches by 7.5 inches by 3.25 inches.

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is one of the largest and heaviest fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single piston engine. It was built from 1941-1945. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to eight tons, and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack roles could carry five-inch rockets or a significant bomb load of 2,500 pounds; it could carry more than half the payload of the B-17 bomber on long-range missions (although the B-17 had a far greater range). The P-47, based on the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine — the same engine used by two very successful U.S. Navy fighters, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and Vought F4U Corsair, itself the first to fly with Double Wasp power in late May of 1940 — was to be very effective as a short-to-medium range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air combat and, when deployed as a fighter-bomber with its usual "double quartet" of heavy-calibre M2 Browning machine guns, proved especially adept at ground attack in both the World War II European and PacificTheaters.

The P-47 was one of the main United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighters of World War II, and served with other Allied air forces, notably those of France, Britain, and Russia. Mexican and Brazilian squadrons fighting alongside the U.S. were equipped with the P-47.

The armored cockpit was roomy inside, comfortable for the pilot, and offered good visibility. A modern-day U.S. ground-attack aircraft, the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, takes its name from the P-47. Orders for an additional 5,934 were cancelled when the war ended.