September 05, 2026

Preview: MiniArt's 48th-scale P-47D-22RE Thunderbolt - The Duxford Eagles - Basic Kit...

The MiniArt in 48th scale P-47D-22RE Thunderbolt of the Duxford Eagles is their latest release. Art, decals & the real kites of this latest release in our preview...

Preview: MiniArt's 48th-scale P-47D-22RE Thunderbolt - The Duxford Eagles - Basic Kit...

P-47D-22RE Thunderbolt The Duxford Eagles - Basic Kit
From MiniArt Models
1/48th scale
Kit No: 48047
The kit contains four marking choices in the box.
Clear parts, full engine & weighted wheels are included.
The Subject: The "Razorback" Thunderbolt  - "the Duxford Eagles"
The Republic P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt represents one of the final production iterations of the iconic "razorback" design, named for the steep ridge tapering behind the pilot's canopy. Built by [Republic Aviation](https://www.republicaviation.com/) at their Evansville, Indiana facility, this heavyweight fighter was engineered around the massive 2,300-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-2800-63 radial engine. To harness this incredible power at high altitudes, the D-22-RE variant introduced a massive 13-foot Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propeller alongside a factory-installed water-injection system, which dramatically improved the aircraft’s climb rate and maximum speed. Armed with eight hard-hitting. 50-calibre M2 Browning machine guns and capable of absorbing extreme battle damage, the seven-tonne "Jug" earned an unmatched reputation for pilot survivability.

Preparatory to starting the engine of the P-47 Thunderbolt piloted by Capt. Quince L. Brown, leading fighter pilot with 13 kills to his credit. "Okie II" - one of the aircraft in this boxing.
During the height of World War II, RAF Duxford—officially designated as USAAF Station 357—served as the operational home of the 78th Fighter Group from April 1943 until the end of the conflict in Europe. Arriving from the muddy conditions of Goxhill, the American airmen utilised Duxford's brick barracks and permanent hangars as a primary staging ground for the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign. 

Lieutenant Quince Brown of the 84th Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, in the cockpit of his P-47D-22-RE #42-25698, nicknamed "Okie II", 6 September 1944.
The three component units of the 78th—the 82nd, 83rd, and 84th Fighter Squadrons—initially flew their P-47 Thunderbolts on high-altitude escort duties, protecting formations of B-17s and B-24s as they penetrated deep into occupied territory to hit vital Nazi industrial targets.

Another one of the aircraft featured in this boxing is "Rodger the Lodger", flown by Captain Gerald E. Budd (also by 1st Lieutenant Charles D. Whitefield) - this kite was shot down by flak near Düren, Germany, on February 23, 1945, after being transferred to the 9th AF for primarily ground attack missions. 
As the war progressed, the P-47’s immense payload capacity and rugged engineering naturally transitioned Duxford's squadrons into devastating ground-attack operations. During the D-Day landings and subsequent Allied pushes like Operation Market Garden, the 78th Fighter Group flew around-the-clock interdiction missions, punishing German rail systems, military columns, and airfields. Duxford's ground crews worked relentless 24-hour shifts to refuel, patch, and rearm these heavy fighter-bombers. 

Another of the kites in this boxing, P-47D-22-RE (Serial No. 42-26387), coded MX-W, "Miss Behave"
The legacy of the P-47 remains deeply intertwined with the airfield; today, the Imperial War Museum Duxford honours this history through the American Air Museum, preserving the memories and artefacts of the pilots who flew the legendary Thunderbolt into combat from British soil.

A close-up shot showing Lt Robert Bosworth alongside his ground crew sitting directly on the wing of "Miss Behave" at Duxford.

The kit's features:
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.

Included in the parts 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.
- The corrugated floor, landing gear light and Razorback cockpit features, including the transparent Razorback parts, are included on these four sprues.
- 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 as well, and two types of propeller are in sprues.

Markings:
There are three colourful and well-known versions of Thunderbolt from the 78th FG in Duxford 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...