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Monogram P-38J Lightning to F-5E Conversion: another Lazarus build


DMC

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I did a little work on both of these kits last year and then got side-tracked on another couple of projects.  They were gathering dust on a shelf until resurrected after Johnny suggested perhaps starting up a P-38 "thing".   The Minicraft kit will be, upon completion, back-dated to the XP-38 and the Monogram kit an F-5E.  I borrowed the F-5E nose from the Minicraft kit as the Monogram/Revell kit only had the "droop snoot" and night fighter options.   I'm going to concentrate on the Monogram kit first as the XP-38 will require quit a lot of plunge and vacuum

moulding and I'd like to at least try and get F-5E finished first. 

SNB10284.jpg

 

The Minicraft nose is a close fit on the Monogram kit after a little surgery.  Same with the boom intakes which IMHO have a better shape than the originals.

SNB10285.jpg

 

Out came the clay again as I needed a couple of spinners to mate up to the Minicraft boom intakes. 

SNB10286.jpg

 

I had to dis-member the Monogram prop to fit the blades into the new spinner.  

SNB10287.jpg

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

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6 hours ago, Crossofiron1971 said:

Nice start sir!

Can't beat a good modification!

 

Many thanks, Young Sir, you are a gent.

 

Dennis

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The coolant radiator inlets on the kit are in need of a little modifying,  There is a narrow gap between the cowling and the boom and then the larger opening to the radiator.

Once again I borrowed from the Minicraft kit and after a little work with a scalpel and file, it fits and is a big improvement.  Three more to go and then it's the outlets, not forgetting the radiators which can be seen through the openings.  Apparently, the outlet door is closed in flight and opened while on the ground.

 

SNB10289.jpg

 

Cheers,

 

Dennis

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You are making this look far too easy,..... certainly way above my own skill level!! Good luck and I`m looking forward to following your progress,

Cheers

          Tony

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Just not showing the bits that didn't quite work out the first time.  Thanks, Tony, determined to finish this one.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

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15 hours ago, Thom216 said:

Dude, seriously?! Not good enough?? That painting looks awesome. And to tell by the work you're putting into this model, it could have only gotten better!

 

Thanks for that, then, Thom(?).  It's just one of those things: when you know, you know.  I always held up my work against one of the more successful artists and I was seldom satisfied.  Really appreciate the comments.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

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Looking at the wheel wells, it's quite obvious no wheel would ever fit up in there.  So a couple of strips of styrene to act as guides and a few passes with the scriber and we've opened things up a bit.  I don't intend to go crazy here, just a little wiring and piping and we're done.  I think I will spring for resin wheels, however. 

SNB10182.jpg

 

Cheers,

 

Dennis

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On ‎12‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 0:50 AM, Thom216 said:

Nice start on the mod.

 

Well, Thom, thanks again. Favourable comments, and likes, are always appreciated.

 

Cheers,

 

Dennis

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The turbo I scratched for the XP-38 Minicraft  conversion is a bit big for the Monogram kit.  The Minicraft boom is that mucht too wide.  Started on a couple of smaller ones to fit the Monogram kit today.

SNB10291.jpg

 

Dennis

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In the reference books I'm using there are several good photos of the F-5E's camera bay.  I thought that I might open the hood and make an attempt to replicate the look of the K-17 and K-22 cameras and accessories.  This the nose from the Minicraft kit, a close fit but it needed a little work to get it right.

SNB10293.jpg

 

The hood from the Minicraft kit is a little thick so out came the clay and balsa again.  The styrene is .030 and is just about thin enough after moulding.  A second moulding will provide for the internal bracing. 

SNB10292.jpg

 

Decals for the photo reconnaissance P-38s, or F-5Es are pretty thin on the ground.  Still looking, however.

 

Dennis

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  • 2 weeks later...

I don't seem to be able to finish one piece of this kit without seguing over to another part.  I realized that I wouldn't be able to close up the top and bottom fuselage without doing something about the cockpit.  That lead to the kit canopy which is a bit crude and a poor fit.  Out came the clay and balsa again and I fashioned male and female moulds of the three pieces that make up the canopy.  I plunge moulded each piece using plain white .030 styrene.  The styrene is reduced in thickness to about .020 after moulding so it's not too thick.

SNB10297_1.jpg

 

Using white styrene gives me some idea how good the moulded pieces are.  In this case I think I lucked out and won't have to bother with making any more moulds.

SNB10298.jpg

 

The cockpit sides of this Monogram kit are curved and have a slight dip in profile.  They should both be dead straight and the roll-up window(?) flat.  I used a bit of scrap from the kit to flatten out each side and eliminate the dip.  I'll be leaving the window down and the hinged middle section open in order to see down inside.  Not much to see, however, even in 1/48th scale.

SNB10299.jpg

 

Cheers, and thanks for looking

 

Dennis

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This is coming along brilliantly,....as for decals,.... there was an Aeromaster sheet for Photo Recce F-5`s, Mossies and Spits in 1/48th, Rising Decals did a similar sheet but I think that it was only in 1/72nd. It might be worth asking here on BM whether anybody has the F-5 option from this kit going spare?;

Image result for 1/48 lightning photo recce decals

 

Don`t know whether these are still available?;

http://fineartofdecals.com/goodies/148-treasures-allied/

Image result for 1/48 lightning photo recce decals

 

 

Cheers

          Tony

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15 hours ago, Victory-is-in-the-Kitchen said:

Nice work, the new canopy mock-ups look like they fit exceptionally well. Looking forward to watching this develop. Cheers, JB

Thank you, JB, good to read a positive reply

 

14 hours ago, bcmmodels said:

Nice kit-bashing, and well done on the scratchbuilding in the interior.

Wow!, all the way from Kansas yet. Thank you.

 

14 hours ago, tonyot said:

This is coming along brilliantly,....as for decals,.... there was an Aeromaster sheet for Photo Recce F-5`s, Mossies and Spits in 1/48th, Rising Decals did a similar sheet but I think that it was only in 1/72nd. It might be worth asking here on BM whether anybody has the F-5 option from this kit going spare?;

Image result for 1/48 lightning photo recce decals

 

Don`t know whether these are still available?;

http://fineartofdecals.com/goodies/148-treasures-allied/

Image result for 1/48 lightning photo recce decals

 

 

Cheers

          Tony

Thanks, Tony, there's one on eBay even as we speak.  Terrific decal link.  Spent some time drooling over all the options.

 

And for anyone interested in recon P-38s there are these:

 

http://www.33rdprs.photorecon.org/html/aircraft/P38intro.html

 

http://www.modelingmadness.com/others/conversions/gar38rec.htm

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

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Well, I really let myself in for a lot of extra work when I decided to open the hood on the camera bay and show (as best I could) the Fairchild aerial cameras.  The pressed reinforcement web is non-existent on the Minicraft hood and completely wrong on the Monogram one.  Nothing for it but to carve out one from a .060 duplicate of the thinner .030 outer panel.  Finding a good reference photo of the complete inner panel took almost as much time as carving it out.  Should be able to do the starboard panel in about half the time, however.

 

The blister came out pretty good but I doubt I'd be able to do a neat job of fitting a sliver of "glass" in the opening.  I've plunged another blister out of PETG clear sheet and I think that will work out okay with a bit of tape to mask off the clear opening.  I've also plunged all of the canopy sections out and I'll post a photo of the results as soon as Photobucket stops messing me about.

 

SNB10300.jpg

 

Cheers,

 

Dennis

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Darn!, Photobucket can be infuriating.  I had to sneak this image thru the back door using my old PlayBook.

The windshield came out okay but you don't get very crisp edges with plunge moulding.  I tried cementing a length of copper wire around the edge and there was some improvement but I reckon to get a really good edge I'd have vacuum-form it.  And, besides,the wire came out when I removed the clay mould from the styrene.  I've a spare windshield moulding so I might try sanding it to improve the edges and then try polishing it out.  All good experience.  Except for a little dust pimple on the aft part, the rest of the canopy came out pretty good. 

 

IMG_00000344.png

 

Cheers,

 

Dennis

 

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:blink2: Wow...

Dennis, I've learnt more about scratchbuilding techniques from your build threads than I've ever learnt from books.

Watching at your build threads is like reading an encyclopaedia on scratchbuilding techniques. :lol:

Thanks for sharing, my good mate! :cheers:

 

Unc2

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2 hours ago, Uncle Uncool said:

:blink2: Wow...

Dennis, I've learnt more about scratchbuilding techniques from your build threads than I've ever learnt from books.

Watching at your build threads is like reading an encyclopaedia on scratchbuilding techniques. :lol:

Thanks for sharing, my good mate! :cheers:

 

Unc2

 

Hello Uncle, thanks for tuning in.  Pleased you like my work but to be honest, we are learning together.

Cheers

Dennis

 

29 minutes ago, Victory-is-in-the-Kitchen said:

Great work! Those clear parts look pretty damn good.

I'm using postimg.cc now. Far less advertising and much nicer to work with than Photobucket.

JB

 

Thanks, JB.  Really should do something about photo posting.  Looked at most of the options some time back but it seemed like a case of "better the devil you know".   Now I'm not so sure.  Took a long time to get the these last two photos posted.   I'll look into postimage.org, again I think.

Cheers

Dennis

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  • 1 year later...

Had a look at my P-38 builds that I set aside a year ago last April.  Can't remember why I stopped work on it but it might have had something to do with that Photobucket self-harming business.

 

Anyway, started tinkering with the bits and ended up spending a few hours (days) on refining a few things.  First up was a reworked turbo.  The grey one is from the Minicraft kit and the black from the Revell.  As the cooling fan that sits on top of the turbo has blades that would be impossible for me to replicate I removed it from the Revell turbo and cemented it to new turbo disc..  A bit of spru formed the tube-like forward part and the waste gate was shaped from styrene tube.

 

Reworked the webbing that fits inside nose panels and tacked the bulge onto the left-hand panel.  Might test fir a clear bulge onto a spare panel and then tape off the little window and prime it just to see how it comes out.  

 

Started work on the cameras that will fit inside the bay.  I've found a few photos that show other installations but not this particular set-up.  I'll keep looking but will probably improvise.

 

Turbo looks ok in the boom.

 

Quite a nice build of a recon p-38 in 1/72 scale:

http://www.drivefly.it/gallery/lockheed-p-38-lightning.php

 

Black and white photo is of the XP-38.  Amazing looking airplane for its time.  I expect most P-38 aficionados know the story of this airplanes ultimate demise on a golf course in New York after  attempting to set a coast to coast speed record.  Can't begin to imagine what Lt Ben Kelsey felt like when he was given the keys to this beauty and told to try for a record.  Kelsey survived the crash but of course the P-38 didn't.

 

Kelsey had an interesting life.  Flew anything going it seems.

 

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/lockheed-xp-38-lightning/

 

I've fitted the streamlined cowling and extremely pointed spinner (looks as thought touching the point could draw blood).   The XP-38 was buffed to a chrome-like finish. Not sure of the best way to achieve that look but I been looking into various NMF methods.  I'm quite keen to complete this build.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

 

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c2fd739c-8e9a-4f21-a6b0-e5024ee414bc.JPG

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