| Vintage Fighter Series 1:24th Scale P-47D Thunderbolt Kit # 2404 Reviewed by Jay Laverty March 2008 
Without a doubt this is the most eagerly anticipated 24th scale release for the past couple of years. Originally expected to be released at the IPMS UK nationals last November this kit is finally set to make an appearance within the next couple of weeks, and pre-release test shots are available in limited quantities from both Vintage Fighter Series and Cammett Ltd. at the moment (as of March 15 2008).
Having made the Vintage Fighter Series 24th P-40 a couple of years back I have to confess to being a fan of this company as I enjoyed making the P-40 despite it's flaws, as it was allot of fun to make, and from my point of view, correcting the flaws in the kit made it that much more of a rewarding experience. I also personally feel that allot more was made of those flaws than was really necessary, and while VFS have taken all of the comments on board regarding the P-40 and made improvements with the P-47, the P-40 is still a very buildable model. Speaking of improvements lets get to the P-47...
The most important thing to keep in mind with regards to my review of this kit, is the fact that I have a pre-production test shot of the nearly finished product, and while 95% of what you see in the images accompanying this review will be what you get on the production model, there are a coupole of points that will be different. First and foremost are the tailplanes. One of the reasons for the delays in the release of this kit is the commitment to getting it right by Ray at VFS. Ray is very keen to release a product that he can be proud of and will be very well recieved, so he has paid attention to all of the suggestions made by Chris Sherland who has advised Ray from the beginning with regards to the accuracy and technical aspects of the P-47, as well as the input of those who have seen the early test shots. One of the issues that came up immediately was the one piece tailplanes, and the fact that such a large and thick lump of plastic was causing sink marks as well as pooloing on the surface of the parts. This issue has been dealt with on the production kit and it will have 4 parts for the tailplanes when released, which will solve the issue of sink marks. If you look closely at the parts in this review you may also notice some sink marks here and there, but these problems will be rectified on the production kit as well. The clear parts in my release are also not as clear as the production kits parts will be. With the advisory out of the way we can get to the kit itself.
I personally never thought all that much about the P-47 as an aeroplane until I made the 1:32nd scale Hasegawa kit recently, and fell in love with it straight away. Well...actually not straight away, rather the moment I set down the finished model to photograph it, and was struck by just how "Ugly enough to be Cool" this aeroplane was. So when I found out that the P-47 was to be the second subject Ray was going to release in the VFS line, I was very excited, as I knew just how impressive the P-47 would be when kitted in this massive scale. When I opened the box of this kit I was not dissapointed. The first thing I noticed was the barrel shaped fuselage and it was not hard to imagine how impressive this kit is going to be when it is built.
The box itself is packed full of sprues, and this is one kit that will be difficult to get all of the sprues to fit back in once the initial browse through the parts has been completed. Plenty of parts means plenty of choice, as all of the options of propellor blade are here, Curtiss Electric "cuffed" and Hamilton Standard "paddle", paper drop tanks as well as 30 and 50 gallon, bombs, and even rocket tubes. Quite a good selection of optional ordinance configurations, which will allow for a myriad of markings options without having to scratch build items like the rocket tubes.  
Considering that one of the main criticisms of the P-40 was the fact that the detail was occasionally chunky and not to scale, the P-47 is everything but.
The detail is refined and subtle throughout all of the kit parts and when compared to the Richard Caruana drawings (which are conveniently added to the box art as well) very accurate. As I mentioned earlier, VFS listened to the criticisms of the P-40 and made the necessary improvements. The panel lines are very delicately reproduced on every aspect, and while I am sure there will be quarters within the hobby who are not pleased with the recessed rivet detail, I personally feel it is all very refined, as well as being in all the right places.
 
The wheels are an interesting combination of vinyl and injection hub, with the rear part of the hub being part of the vinyl tyre, with the front being injection. This may cause some issues with the rear part of the hub becoming misshapen with the weight of the aircraft, but Cammett have released a set of resin wheels that will rectify this issue.
 
Adequately detailed throughout, the cockpit will be more than acceptable for the majority of modellers as it comes in the kit, while also presenting a perfect starting point for the modeller wanting to super detail this area. The seat is somewhat basic and could do with some sprucing up, but again this just depends on what level you want to take the model to, as it will not detract from the model should you wish to leave it as it is. The option of the corrugated floor is also offered for the interior, which is a very nice touch in my opinion.
  
The engine has to be one of the highlights of the kit, as the pistons are wonderfully done, the various details well represented, along with all of the detail forward of the firewall. The unfortunate part is that should you want to display that detail it will require some surgery and cutting away the panels in front of the cockpit, but once again Cammett have something planned for that in photo-etched.
Not satisfied with all the detail already crammed into the kit, VFS also make provision for the gun bays, complete with the gund, as well as rows of ammunition. All of which is nicely detailed, although there looks to be a couple of inconveniently placed ejector pin marks that will need dealing with if you are to open up the gun bays themselves.
 
There is no shortage of markings option included in the kit, and they are all quite interesting. With two American, two British, and two French options, you should easily be able to find something to make from the box without resorting to aftermarket decals, although I am sure there will be several sheets of exciting choices soon.
  
Overall I would rate this kit very highly indeed, and give it a very high recommendation to anyone interested in P-47's, large scale modelling, or someone looking to make something very big and impressive. This model ranks alongside anything that has been released from Trumpeter in 24th scale so far, and in my opinion surpasses them in places, and is well ahead of the Airfix 24th scale line. This kit has proven well worht the wait, and while I have yet to see how well it all fits together, some test fitting of parts has shown that this too promises to be good.
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