Lifelike Decals

1/72 P-47D Thunderbolt Part 5 decal sheet

Decal sheet product # 72-016

Product Article by Steve Bamford on Sept 28 2010

 

This latest release from Lifelike Decals features three different P-47D's.  This is Part 5 of  a series dealing with the P-47D in American service during December of 1944 in Europe.  These planes were all based in France at the time. 

The 3 aircraft are all late war 354th FG natural metal P-47D's with noseart on each plane.  The three planes include the following:

  • P-47D-30 "GQ U" flown by Capt. Lowell Brueland with the 355th FS/354th FG from Rosieres-en-Hayes, France in December 1944.  The paint scheme is overall bare metal with an olive drab anti-glare panel and light blue and white checkered engine ring with artwork on a flying bomb and the text "Wee Speck".  This Thunderbolt has quite a few victory markings.

  • P-47D-30-RE "AJ K" flown by Lt. Robert J. Klopotek with the 356th FS/354th FG from Rosieres-en-Hayes, France in December 1944.  The paint scheme is overall bare metal with an olive drab anti-glare panel and black engine cowling with white stars and aircraft artwork on the nose with text that reads "The Mad Pole".  This plane also has partial lower D-Day stripes.

  • P-47D-28-RA "FT J" flown by Lt. Chuck A. Olmsted with the 353rd FS/354th FG from Rosieres-en-Hayes, France in December 1944.  The paint scheme is overall bare metal with an olive drab anti-glare panel and yellow engine cowling with artwork of a black skull and crossbones on the nose with text that reads "Polly".  This plane also has partial lower D-Day stripes.  On the right side of the nose is artwork for "double trouble" is a pair of dice super imposed on a black letter "A" on a yellow background.

Click on images below to see larger images

  

  

The quality of these decals is of very good quality.  The decals themselves are clearly printed and in perfect register.  Some decals come in 2 layers to ensure perfect registration.  D-Day stripes are not included....but these are usually easier to paint.  The instructions omitted to show some stripes on the lower fuselage in the bottom side profile but these stripes are showing in the side view profiles, but it is easy to figure out.  There is a separate page of instructions that show stencil placement.

You can purchase these decals either directly from Lifelike Decals at fax number is +81-3-5680-6733, and e-mail is lifelike@eos.ocn.ne.jp. or from HobbyLink Japan.    

Other shops that stock Life like Decals are *Hannants/UK, *Mister Kit/Italy, *Revi (publisher)/Czech Republic, *SkyGrid/Canada, *Roll Models/USA, *Great Models Webstore/USA, *FlightDecs/Canada, *Victory Models/USA
*M & Models/USA, *
Zed Hobbies/Australia, *AB &S Enterprise/Australia, *Desert Miniature/USA 

This sheet captures 3 very shape looking P-47's from later in the war.  They all have noseart, so the big question is which one of these beauties are you going to build first?

Steve

I would like to thank Lifelike Decals for providing me with this review sample.

Photos and text © by Steve Bamford