HA8401 P-47 Thunderbolt "42-26418" Lt. Col. Francis S. Gabreski, Col of the 61st FS, Boxted, England, June 20, 1944
£94.99
Out of stock
Hobby Master Air Power Series 1/48 Scale
HA8401 P-47 Thunderbolt "42-26418" Lt. Col. Francis S. Gabreski, Col of the 61st FS, Boxted, England, June 20, 1944
Limited Edition
This model is in excellent condition, complete with all parts
During WWII Francis "Gabby" Gabreski flew 153 of his 166 combat sorties with the 56th FG. He accumulated a total of 28 aerial and 3 ground victories flying 5 different P-47s that all carried the letters HV-A. On June 27, 1944 Grabreski scored his 27th victory followed by his 28th and final WWII victory on July 5, 1944. Instead of returning home on July 20, 1944 Grabreski flew one last mission and flew too low fouling his prop and spent the remainder of the war as a POW.
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
Designed by Alexander Kartveli, meeting a USAAC requirement for a heavy fighter, the P-47 was first flown on May 6th, 1941. Later models featured a "bubble-top" canopy rather than the sharply peaked "razorback" fuselage, which resulted in poor visibility for the aircraft's pilot. The P-47, a deadly pursuit aircraft, featured 8 x 12.7mm machine guns, all mounted in the wings. Even with the complicated turbosupercharger system, the sturdy airframe and tough radial engine, the P-47 ("Jug" or "Juggernaut" as it was nicknamed) could absorb damage and still return home. Built in greater quantities than any other US fighter, the P-47 was the heaviest single-engine WWII fighter and the first piston-powered fighter to exceed 500 mph.