Hobby Master Archive

Hobby Master 1/48 Air Power Series HA8450B P-47D Razorback 42-7945, Steve Pisanos, 334th FS/4th FG, USAAF, England 1943 THIS RELEASE IS NOT AUTOGRAPHED BY THE PILOT (PISANOS) HA8450A IS AUTOGRAPHED

1/48 scale pre-finished Die-cast metal with a minimum of plastic. Professionally painted. All markings pad applied for superb results. Cockpit slides open. Comes with a pilot that can be removed. Comes with display stand. Can be displayed with landing gear up or down.

The Republic Aviation P-47 “Thunderbolt” entered service in May 1942 with the introduction of the P-47B. It had a “Razorback”, a high dorsal spine behind the side-ways opening canopy that reduced visibility. As improvements were made a “D” variant was produced with 12,602 being manufactured. The British developed a sliding bubble canopy for their Typhoon and this was adopted by the USAAF starting with the P-47D-5. With its ability to survive enemy fire along with impressive armament and bomb load the P-47 excelled at ground attack roles.

Spiros Nicholas Pisanos (Pissanos) was born in Greece and arrived in America in 1938 settling in Plainfield, New Jersey, found work and took flying lessons. In October 1941 he joined the RAF and was assigned to the 268th FS but later transferred to the 71 Eagle Squadron flying Spitfires. In October 1942 he transferred to the 334th FS/4th FG USAAF and scored his first victory on May 21, 1943 flying P-47 “Miss Plainfield”. In March 1944 “The Flying Greek” Pisanos scored his 10th victory in a P-51.

Republic Aviation P-47D specifications Number Produced - 12,602 most numerous variant Crew - 1 Dimensions Length - 36 ft. 1 in. (11 m) Wingspan - 40 ft. 9 in. (12.42 m) Height - 14 ft. 8 in. (4.47 m)

Performance Engine - 1 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 twin-row radial, 2,535 hp (1,890 kW) Maximum Speed - 433 mph @ 30,000 ft (697 km/h @ 9,145 m) Service Ceiling - 43,000 ft. (13,100 m) Rate Of Climb - 3,120 ft/min (15.9 m/s) Range - 800 mi. combat, 1,800 mi. ferry (1,290 km combat / 2,900 km ferry)

Armament 8 x .50 in. (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns w/ 3,400 rounds Maximum 2,500 lbs (1,134 kg) of bombs 10 x 5 in. (127 mm) unguided rockets