Empire City Decals 1/48 French Thunderbolts Decal First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | June 2007 | Manufacturer | Empire City Decals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | P-47D Thunderbolt | Scale | 1/48 |
| Set Number | 4805 | Pros | Four distinctive P-47Ds of the French Air Force |
| Cons | Skill Level | Novice | |
| MSRP (USD) | $12.00 |
First Look
Empire City Decals is a relative newcomer to the decal market and have now released their first screen-printed (standard) waterslide decal set in 1/72 and 1/48. In this release, we have a set of four Thunderbolts as they appeared in French service during late 1944/early 1945:
- P-47D-25, 44-19591, GC III/3 'Ardennes', Winter 1944
- P-47D-30, 44-20938, GC II/3 'Dauphine', I3-Y, May 1945
- P-47D-25, 44-26520, GC I/4 'Navarre', 80, Winter 1944
- P-47D-30, 44-33397, GC III/5 'Lafayette', 9V-L, Late 1944
These decals are printed sharp, clear, and in perfect register. These are printed by AviPrint and I am very pleased with the quality of these markings. Too many companies are still trying to use a few 'tried and true' US decal printers who can no longer print in register reliably. We see these as decals that require two or more layers of decal to complete one marking. It is refreshing to see decal print quality again.
These will provide some interesting subjects for the 1/48 Hasegawa, Tamiya or even Monogram P-47D kits. Definitely recomended!
For more information about this set and the other releases from Empire City Decals, visit their website at http://www.empirecitydecals.com.
My sincere thanks to Empire City Decals for this review sample!