January 07, 2026

Sprues, colours & markings of MiniArt's new 48th scale Thunderbolt Mk.I. Royal Air Force. Basic Kit...

We have had plenty of U.S., a free French jug & an RAF bubbletop, but now MiniArt releases their Thunderbolt Mk.I, Royal Air Force – basic kit in 1/48th scale. We have the parts, the colours & decals in our preview...

Sprues, colours & markings of MiniArt's new 48th scale Thunderbolt Mk.I. Royal Air Force. Basic Kit...

Thunderbolt Mk.I. Royal Air Force. Basic Kit
From MiniArt Models
1/48th scale
Kit No: 48033
The kit contains two marking choices in the box.
Clear parts, full engine & weighted wheels are included
The Subject: Thunderbolt Mk.I. Royal Air Force in Asia.
The Thunderbolt was one of the three most important American fighters produced during the war and saw extensive service with the United States Army Air Force before its comparatively late introduction into RAF operational service in 1944.

An early RAF Thunderbolts assembly line Featuring USAAF aircraft in the rear, plus an early Bubbletop in the foreground...
This big and strongly built fighter bomber, with its good low-level performance and long range, made an ideal replacement for the RAF’s Hurricane fighter bombers operating over Burma. The RAF only used the Thunderbolt against the Japanese in South East Asia Command.

A well-known photo of the Thunderbolt Mk I HD173 of No. 135 Squadron RAF Chittagong
By 1944 air/ground co-operation had been successfully developed into a powerful tactical tool and RAF Thunderbolts in Burma quickly adopted ‘cab rank’ patrols available to attack any enemy ground target holding up the Allied advance. Directed by ground visual control posts, the Thunderbolts, with their heavy gun armament and 500 lb bombs, created havoc amongst Japanese troop concentrations and their supply lines.

Thunderbolts of No. 30 Squadron RAF Cox’s Bazaar, India
By the end of 1945 RAF Thunderbolt squadrons were re-equipping with Hawker Tempests, but some units were sent to Batavia in an attempt to re-introduce Dutch colonial rule. Whilst there, they undertook a number of bombing missions against Indonesian guerrillas and rebel airfields.

P-47 Thunderbolt Mk I FL804 of No. 134 squadron RAF in Burma
The Kit:
There are twenty-one sprues in this basic kit. We notice that there is the corrugated floor and the earlier filling parts for the underwing (where the latter model's airbrakes go). This kit has all the stores & weapons that the other kits have.

The sprues of the kit:
The two fuselage halves in the iconic razorback shape, the wings (basic kit without gun bays) and the posable flying surfaces are the three main points of the largest sprues.
Droptanks and bombs of all the common P-47 types are included.
Three different types of main wheel spokes and flattened main wheels are provided.
The engine parts and the rest of the landing gear and smaller parts of the kit are here.
Two types of propeller, the corrugated early Thunderbolt floor, and the transparent razorback parts are all here in this group of sprues.

Markings:
There are three colourful and well-known versions of Thunderbolt Mk.I's from the RAF in this boxing. They are:
Fill stencils; internal dials for the IP & individual & national deals are provided for this kit.
That is all we know about this kit so far. More to follow in colours, sprues & other info. See more about all of MiniArt's kits on their website...