Hobby Master 1/48 P-47D Thunderbolt "Tarheel Hal" Lt. 'Ike' David, 366 FS, 358 FG, May, 1945

Limited Edition

The 358th Fighter Group was activated in 1943 and deployed to England in early 1944, operating from RAF Leiston. Its rugged P-47s excelled in high-altitude bomber escort, ground attack, and interdiction missions, leveraging the aircraft's heavy armament and durability. In the latter part of 1944, the group adopted distinctive markings, painting the entire rear tail section of their aircraft in a bright orange color and earning the nickname, "Orange Tails."

Lt. Ike Davis' P-47D #44-33240 featured this strikingly colorful paint scheme. While many pilots named their aircraft after their girlfriends, legend has it that Davis couldn't easily do this because he had two different ones at the time! Instead, he chose the name "Tarheel Hal" after his younger brother, Hal, from North Carlolina (The Tarheel State).

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.