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Zotz ZTZ48/037 1/48 Last Ever Thunderbolt decal sheet (Pt 2 of 4)

 

 

 

 

 

Zotz ZTZ48/037

1/48 Last Ever Thunderbolt decal sheet

(Pt 2 of 4)

 

 

Kit no: ZTZ48/037

Sheets: 2

Scale: 1/48th

Recommended Kit: Academy P-47N and Tamiya Bubbletop & Razorback

Colour Schemes : 5 USAAF

US $20.00 / UK £15.95 + shipping

Direct from Eli - PayPal address is This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .or from his distributers

Product page: http://www.zotzdecals.com/reviews/Zotz48037/zotz48037.htm

 

 

 

 

Zotz time again, this is the second in four sheets I am reviewing in 48th scale, the thirty second sheets have been covered now it's time for the smaller scale guys to get their turn. Some of these have been produced in 32nd and even 24th scale for some of this sexy nose art series, and boy it is nice to see nice jugs on jugs!

 

Anyway I will dispense with the pleasantries here and get down to the reviewing, the research Is the same but the decals are slightly different in smaller scale, but only in a tiny way, so hats off to Zotz for making such a good replication on a smaller decal – the art here is amazing. Where the research is the same the text is , but the decals themselves are different and so is the review of that part.

 

 

I will go through each and hopefully show you some of the originals….

 

 

 

 

 

 

· P-47 "Miss Second Front" C2 X Serial Number 275325 with sexy noseart and D-Day stripes.

 

This really well documented aircraft may be better know to some of you as the aircraft in the "Time" picture. "Miss Second Front" is n olive drab machine with a black canopy frame, invasion striped on the bottom of the rear fuselage and under the wings are provided in a white decal that is good strong colour. The cowl flaps are black, white and O/D , Zotz have provided an oversize national insignia on the starboard underside wing. The wheels with hubcaps have a triangle decal on each of them. Lastly the pylons have an unusual "X" on the front of each of them..

 

Miss Second Front herself – well she is sexy – and she does match the picture I have exactly , but it's to the credit of the people who did the artwork that these sexy ladies are reproduced so accurately – I suppose there are worse things to replicate.. Credit to the 359th website for the piccies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

· P-47 "Chicken Bones" 6C 7 Serial Number 419561 with artwork and chequered rudder.

 

 

Piloted by Lt. Eddy was a P-47D-27 350th Fighter Group, 346th Fighter Squadron . Buzz numbers 6C7 emblazoned on the nose cowl with a massive red lettered "CHICKENBONES" on the port side."Chicken bones" was the nickname given to Lt. Eddy's wife on account of here being very thin in appearance.

The rudder is NMF with black checks supplied on the sheet, two kill swastikas are provided for the port under cockpit, these victories were indecently against Italian pilots from the ANR.

There are two emblems of what looks clearly like goofy flying a whisky barrel and C-ration crates ! Goofy's plane is very well rendered in miniature you can clearly see what looks like paint brush strokes on the flack of the emblem. These are just as clear in 48th as they are in 32nd so hats off to the artists here again!

 

 

 

A picture of Lt. Eddy can be seen at the bottom right of this page

 

 

 

· P-47 "High Cover" 75 with sexy noseart with black and yellow stripes on tail.

 

P-47N "High Cover" - no 75 from the 7th air force's 333 fighter squadron, 318th fighter group in Le Shima in the Ryukyu archipelago in 1944-5. It's another in the black and Yellow tailed machines that flew out to attack Japan's mainland in defence of the bomber forces in early 1945

 

The tail was indeed black and yellow striped in what the crews called "Zebra stripes" Kudos to Zotz who included them and gave you the option where as other manufacturer make you mask your own and don’t give you a choice. Here we have a picture of the nose art with the "High Cover" with a brunette covering her modest with a powder puff.

 

 

 

 

 

· P-47 "Josephine/My Flying Machine" LM X Serial Number 421199 with sexy noseart and camo with yellow rudder and red engine cowl ring.

 

Leo Butistes "Josephine My Flying Machine" Ocean Grey and Dark Green camouflage with red nose and yellow codes with a yellow rudder. This "Hot Rod" M model has not to my knowledge been done in 48th scale before. This aircraft is in RAF paint colours with bare metal wing leading edges. The shame about his is the picture I have of this kite has its cowling taken off the side the writing is on! The nose art however on the port side looks very well done and reproduced finely in 48th scale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

· P-47 "Some Punpkins" No*85 with sexy noseart with black and yellow stripes on the tail.

Another plane from Le Shima I must say thanks to Eli from Zotz who sent me the only pictures i have ever seen of this bird - what he has done has proved by these pictures his crew's research is again spot on and the art work reproducing the nose art is terrific!

 

I can as well comment on the decals which are finely printed in register and correct in colour hue. This is a NMF bird with the "Zebra" yellow and black stripes on the tails. The "85" number on the cowling is replicated on the main wheel covers which is correct after they had been given the striped tail the wheel numbers were added at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do We Think?

Great to see some of these in 48th scale, I would like history with decals but Zotz isn’t in the book making business they are in the very nice deal business! I am just nit picking now – great decals well researched and well reproduced nose art make these a must have for 48th Jug fiends – I bet you will see some more on the show tables soon.

9.5/10

 

Thanks to Zotz for the review sample – contact them directly HERE to get yours

Adam Norenberg