Habu12

This kit still holds up today. We’re spiked for choice on Mustangs now. Nice work, I dig!

I’ve been asked what paints I used. Ask and you shall receive: The blue is Testors MM enamel Cobalt Blue. Alclad II shades; fuselage-aluminum and duralumin. Rudder and elevators-white aluminum. Flaps and ailerons-airframe aluminum. Bottom wing plate- hi-shine plus aluminum. Wings-Tamiya lacquer LP-38 flat aluminum. All of it was primed with Mr. Surfacer Black 1500.

I did! After I took the pics and realized it was missing

TMM enamel Cobalt Blue.

The iconic Mustang. I’ve never built one, so this was a must. OOB.

I really hope this trend continues. Well, two trends. a) I hope Tamiya makes more warbirds, and b)they retool their older warbirds like they did with the Spitfire. I think the Corsair and Thunderbolt are ripe for that.

Full write up: Tamiya P-38F/G Lightning Box Packaging/Decals/Pubs: 9 Although Tamiya’s instruction sheets have been industry standard for decades, they’re due for an upgrade. More color, and 3D graphics have permeated many others by now. Having said that, the stalwart nature of the sheets make them easy to read and follow. So I might just contradict myself here. At any rate, the decals DO need an upgrade, and many would agree. Sprues: 10 Absolutely zero flash. Superbly molded, and parts gates are state of the art. However, the attachment points on a mating surface, particularly on wing leading edges can be a pain to remove perfectly enough so that you don’t have to use filler. Shape: 10 I find no issues here. Perhaps the Lightning illuminati will find something wrong, but I don’t see it. Subject/Cool Factor: 9 Second only to the Mustang, the Lightning is of course another favorite. Its importance is also not argued. Engineering: 10 Tamiya took this subject to the next level, just as they did with their Spitfire. While there’s no direct comparison to an earlier Tamiya release, it does render the old Hasegawa kit obsolete. At least for an early Lighting, so far. Not hat the Hase kit is bad at all. The fidelity of the engineering makes it a breeze to build. There’s no alignment issues at all. That’s not something that can be said for the Hase kit. The integration of ball bearing nose and nacelle weights make it easy to sit on its gear without issue, It does take away the ability to detail the nose gun bay. I imagine aftermarket companies will work on this, and make a set that incorporates noseweight. BOX SCORE: 48 BUILD Fit: 10 Absolutely superb. No issues. Detail: 10 Detail is fantastic. Without a doubt, the most detailed 1/48 P-38 to date. Most notable is the detail inside the wheel wells. More busy and accurate than any other P-38 kit. The cockpit is fantastic, and much like the Spitfire, an aftermarket option isn’t really necessary. Effort: 10 No issues. A complete delight to build.. Value: 9 $60-75 is something we expect to pay for the F-14 kit, a much larger and more complex aircraft. It’s not unexpected. Costs are just not going to go down. But when you can get a Mustang kit for $20 less that has this level of excellence.. A tick off. Fun Factor: 10 This was an absolute delight. Enjoyed every minute of it. BUILD SCORE: 49 Add it all up and the D score is…97 out of 100 Another exquisite kit from the best in the biz. What else is there to say?

OOB, Sky decals.

I told myself I wasn’t gonna do all gray, but I wanted to get it done before I left on a work trip. Sooooo....

Mr. Color lacquer 337, FS35237 Grayish Blue. It’s more gray than blue with just the right hue. No mixing needed!

I had no issues with the fit. Or with any of the build, really. No flash at all. I almost never have flash in an Airfix kit.

It is here in California!

OOB, Xtradedals.

They all had clear noses. It’s the fiberglass. Some didn’t have them painted over so as to not have the paint interfere with the radar. But underneath all the painted noses was the same material. Semi opaque fiberglass.

This kit still holds up, after all these years. If nothing else, get them for the wonderful box art! Good work!