TFC Thunderbolts, question.

Suspect it is as detailed above; for instance the MkXIV Spitfire has the later Griffon engine, but the MkXVI, later numerically, has the earlier Merlin engine.

The Spitfire XVI is essentially a IX with a Packard-built Merlin, not a Rolls-built unit, hence the different mark number.

The same concept applies with the yak family of aircraft:

Yak 1
Yak 9
Yak 3

The Yak 9 came befor the yak 3.

The RAF C-130K Hercules pre-dates the RAF C-130J by decades !!

That’s because the K was a country-specific letter, whereas J is sequential.

Same goes with the F-15 – A, B, C & D are sequential, I, J, S etc are country-letters.

All designed to confuse. :diablo:

Ken

Just realised the grammatical implication of what I have just posted. Perhaps I should have put pre-dated.:D:D

Another example. The Meteor NF13 predated the NF12 and NF14.

It was the standard practice for a different letter to be allocated to aircraft built by a different manufacturer, e.g., P-51B & P-51C, P-51D & P51K, B-25C & B-25D. The reason being that, although they were supposedly identical aircraft, they could and did differ from each other. For example parts might be sourced from different manufactures, one part might be casting at one plant but be pressed at another. If it should turn out that a batch of parts used at one plant were faulty it would be easier to locate which aircraft might be affected. The next part of the designation is the block number which indicated what changes had been incorporated. The full designation ends with two letters indicating the production line, e.g., P-47D-1-RE were built at Farmingdale, P-47D-3-RA were built at Evansville, P-47G-1-CU were built by Curtiss.

Thanks for the info.
Is this out of sync model designation just at the whim of the manufacturer and something common to allied aircraft.

Just an example dear to my heart, the Gannet Mk.3s were built and serialled well after the Mks 4 & 5, it was specified earlier though.

The Germans could be ‘illogical’ too; the first model of the Panther Tank was the model D…..this was followed by the model A! :confused:

(I couldn’t think of an aircraft example. :o)

I would think it was to do with when the various contracts were placed, ie the Wright contract was possibly placed after the initial Republic one, early P-47Ds are earlier in serial sequence to the P-47Gs, but the bubble canopy P-47D-25s were all later.

Thanks for the info.
Is this out of sync model designation just at the whim of the manufacturer and something common to allied aircraft. You don’t tend to get an Me109-G comming before an E for example (or maybe you do?).

Indeed, the G model denotes a Curtiss built aircraft, and all these were razorbacks, the Curtiss models were similar to P-47C to P-47D-10 variants as built by Republic. From the P-47D-25 models on the bubble canopy was fitted.

Edit, Pagen beat me to it!

P-47D models could have both the framed and bubble canopy types, ie the -15 & 20 have framed, from the -25 onwards bubble canopies were fitted, the prototype for the bubble canopy variants was actually the P-47K.
The P-47G (framed canopy) were Curtiss Wright Buffalo produced, and despite the later designation letter were built in earlier serial blocks than the P-47D-25s.
There was information about the canopy in another thread, believe the original aircraft had a canopy swap.

Suspect it is as detailed above; for instance the MkXIV Spitfire has the later Griffon engine, but the MkXVI, later numerically, has the earlier Merlin engine.

TFC’s earlier Thunderbolt was a P47D and had a bubble canopy.
Their latest Thinderbolt is a P47G with a Razorback canopy.
So why is the earlier mark equipped with the later canopy and vice versa?
Also, and something that ineterests me as a model maker. Why is the front canopy painted green and the sliding canopy unpainted? If it’s a resource, time saving thing why not just leave the whole canopy unpainted?

I’d imagine G would be because it is a Curtis built model, not Republic and was therefore given a different designation to differentiate it from Republic made aircraft.

The canopy being silver could be that it was replaced at some point and they never bother to paint it? Although that’s pure speculation.