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  1. The P-38 in 1/48 scale will be my next project. For this I will use the Eduard kits https://www.eduard.com/Eduard/Plastic-kits/Limited-edition/Aircraft/1-48/Pacific-Lightnings-1-48.html https://www.eduard.com/Eduard/Plastic-kits/Limited-edition/Aircraft/1-48/P-38F-G-H-Early-Lightnings-1-48.html Together with this kits I use https://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/ref/kag/book_kag_15033.shtml My intention is to build the P-38 P-38G, 42-2197, 80 FS/8 FG, 3, Dobodura, New Guinea, 1943/44, 'Nulli Secundus / X-Virgin' P-38L, 44-26176, 36 FS/8 FG, A, le Shima, 1945, 'Vagrant Virgin' I will start on Monday. Happy modelling
  2. Hobby 2000 from Poland is to rebox the 1/48th Academy P-38 Lightning kit. - ref. 48027 - Lockheed P-38J Lightning - ETO 1944 Sources: https://www.mn-modelar.com/148-p-38j-lightning-eto-1944-129012 https://hobby2000.pl/index.php?id_product=98322&rewrite=p98322-hobby-2000-48027-p-38j-lightning-eto-1944&controller=product&id_lang=1 - ref. 48028 - Lockheed P-38L Lightning - 80th Fighter Squadron Sources: https://www.mn-modelar.com/148-p-38l-lightning-80th-fighter-squadron-129013 https://hobby2000.pl/index.php?id_product=98323&rewrite=p98323-hobby-2000-48028-p-38l-lightning-80th-fighter-squadron&controller=product&id_lang=1 V.P.
  3. HI everyone!😀 this is my 1/48 P-38 LIGHTNING this TAMYA kit is just awesome!! I use some aftermarket products and decal.. alway like P-38..somehow the oliver drab is a tricky color for me😅 try to paint this beauty as best as I could.. hope you guys like it!
  4. Source: http://modelweb.modelforum.cz/2013/09/23/novinky-rs-models-na-rijen-2013/?lang=CS New RS Models 1/72nd Lockheed P-38D Lightning kit - ref.92154 V.P.
  5. Hobby 2000 from Poland is to rebox the Dragon/Cyberhobby 1/72nd Lockheed P-38 Lightning kit. - ref.72041 - Lockheed P-38J Lightning - Europe 1944 - Limited Edition https://ksmodel.pl/sklep/szczegoly/hobby-2000-72041-p-38j-lightning-europe-1944-limited-edition-1-72-24284/ - ref. 72042 - Lockheed P-38J Lightning - Pacific 1944 - Limited Edition https://ksmodel.pl/sklep/szczegoly/hobby-2000-72042-p-38j-lightning-pacific-1944-limited-edition-1-72-24285/ - ref. 72043 - Lockheed P-38M Night Lightning - Limited Edition https://ksmodel.pl/sklep/szczegoly/hobby-2000-72043-p-38m-night-lightning-limited-edition-1-72-24286/ V.P.
  6. Model Number 5 - best build by far - cannot express how good this kit is - it was a little expensive, but the reviews were right - easily the best fitting model so far, the detail is insane and you can barely see any seams between the panels, in-fact there was very little glue needed the fit was that good. Very clever how the kit is put together overall, Tamiya really seem to have thought about the method of construction - there was serious engineering put into this! an absolute joy to build. Not a bad effort, but overall I wasn't that happy with the finish - this is of course no detriment to Tamiya - the model is excellent, its my crappy paint job - just think i dint know when to stop, i may retouch this one at some-point.
  7. Hello! Just wonder wich is the best P-38 kit in 1/72 today? Academy, HobbyBoss? It's seems that the P-38 is one of those rare kits being built compared to P-40, P-47 and P-51's... Cheers / André
  8. Hello everyone, and a happy New Year to all fellow plastic-botherer's. Here's my Tamiya 1/48 P-38 for inspection. Lovely kit which is beautifully engineered and goes together without any drama. I added a basic Eduard set (cockpit details mostly) and seatbelts. I have to say I don't think it needs the internal extras - what's in the kit is pretty good, and the instrument panel can't be seen without an endoscope anyway. I also added a Brassin gunbay and ammo belt for a bit of extra interest/challenge. The kit comes with decals for the gun barrels which is novel, but I wasn't convinced and decided I needed to change the barrels at least. I know the wheels are wrong by the way; I foolishly used a (well recognised) restored aircraft for reference until I realised it was actually a different variant - Doh! Unfortunately Tamiya only give you three halves of the wheels, so I couldn't make up the correct ones as well as these spoked versions. I prefer the look of the spokes over the flat panels though so I'm happy. I painted it with Humbrol enamel on the underside and Tamiya Olive drab (lightened a bit) on the top, over hairspray and rub n' buff silver wax paste. Weathering is oils and pastels. Tamiya also provided the oil barrels and jerry cans (not in the P-38 kit - from their separate accessories set). Figures are from ICM's ground crew (including virtualliy free P-51!) and the Jeep is by 4D models from China - a bit basic and needed a bit of improvement, but for £2.65 unbeatable value! The diorama base is plaster filler and tile grout with 2mm static grass and a few bits of coffee stirrer and tea bag fabric soaked in PVA for the assorted junk. WIP can be found here.... Thanks for looking.
  9. Hello guys! While I am in qarantina,-at work place (1150 kms away from home) I am not able to paint my kits So, I left my 1:72 Airfix B-17G aside and focused on my 1:48 P-38J. There are lots of negative commends about the kit but I wanted to give it a chance. Mine was moulded in 1993 therefore I found out that my decals are dead! I didnt decide which paint (OD-NG or metallic) yet. I am open to any ideas I intend to use Eduard's zoom set at cockpit. first; my poor B-17g (fortress mk.III) waiting its fate... sexy box art. So far, dry fits seem ok. Some modellers say 'it is ok when you dry fit the booms, but the party starts when you glue in the wheelbays' so I am a bit scared. I stolen wheels from Tamiya's kit. Tamiya is slighty bigger and looks much better.
  10. P-38 Lightning Brass Undercarriage (for Tamiya) 1:48 Aerocraft Models To the joy and surprise of modellers Tamiya recently gave us a new tool of the iconic twin boom Lockheed P-38 Lightning. Ali at Aerocraft had the same feeling, and has been busy at work creating this set to replace the kit parts in tough brass to alleviate our concerns. The set arrives in an unassuming ziplok bag, with three parts inside, all made from brass. With two main gear legs and the nose leg. Preparation of the brass parts will involve removal of the casting gate with a file or a motor-tool at very low speed. The moulding marks on the top and bottom of the part should be similarly easy to remove using a small file with sanding sticks used to smooth it out once the task is complete. Conclusion This set not expensive by any stretch of the imagination, and guarantees resilient gear legs for years to come, providing you use either super-glue or epoxy to attach it to the plastic. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  11. The last few years I’ve been on a bit of a WWII Pacific modelling spree and I felt it was time for a change. Why not build one Lightning when you can get two at twice the effort? As it turned out, both kits would require more effort than I had anticipated. RS Models P-38F This kit is part of my ‘Hellcats over the Pacific’-themed collection. Hellcats was a Macintosh flight sim from the early 90s, at the time a very realistic game. I racked up 100s of hours in it. My goal for this theme is to build all the planes in the game in 1/72 in color schemes related to the Guadalcanal and Leyte campaigns around which the game is centered. I picked the F-model for this theme because I think the early variants of the P-38 are the best-looking ones. On opening the box first impressions are favorable. Nicely detailed parts, subtle engraving. However, on putting it together it appears almost none of the parts fit without serious sanding or fettling. Not a single seam escapes the filler/sanding/filler/sanding treatment and this obliterates much of the detail, requiring re-scribing. Getting the tail booms aligned is a major challenge and I never got it quite right. It doesn’t help there are no locating tabs to strengthen the joins, I really should have used some plasticard here. The boom to wing joins must have split at least a dozen times during this build. Landing gear bays are a lousy fit and require much filler to blend in with the rest of the plane. Also pay attention to the parts numbering on the tail booms as they are handed which is not entirely obvious anymore after you’ve removed them from the sprue. What else? Canopy requires blending in with filler, oil coolers need drilling out, cockpit tub needs thinning on the underside, prop spinner diameter is a smaller than the nacelle, main gear attachment points are spurious, cannon and machine gun holes need drilling out, gear doors are a bad fit… I found out some of these things after painting which caused a lot of grief. Final assembly off the small parts took me five nights. Painting was straightforward, I used Gunze acrylics, and some water colors to do a panel line wash. Added a mix of light grey and Tamiya smoke to dirty up the radiators and exhausts. RS have squeezed in five very attractive decal options on a tiny sheet. The decals are nice and thin but they settle down very quickly and then refuse to move, even with decal solutions. Get them as close as you can to the right place when sliding them off the sheet. Not a world beater but altogether I’m happy with the result. It took me two years from start to finish to get it done, a considerable time of which it spent on the shelf of doom because it was so much work to get the airframe together in an acceptable fashion. Not an easy kit but with patience still a worthy addition to the collection and as far as I know still the best F available in this scale. Hasegawa F-35 Lightning II The perfect companion to the original Lightning! I was actually slightly disappointed when opening the rather massive box, at first glance I thought this was a quick-build kit. Rest assured it is not – Hasegawa has struck a superb balance between detail and ease of build. The cost of this is of course that the weapons bays are closed and cannot be opened. Building up the main airframe is a single short evening of work. A few small dabs of Mr. Surfacer are required to hide some small seams but that’s it. So how did it take me two years to finish such a simple kit? Hear my story of woe… From the start I struggled, as many others have, with the Have Glass coating. I thought my problems were solved when I read about Hataka’s Have Glass paint. I got a bottle at ESM2018 and proceeded in good spirits with the painting. The Hataka paint and I did not get along very well; no matter what thinner I used, it clogged up my airbrush. After spending an entire evening on it I got a good coat on it. I took a step back, looked at the finish and immediately had my doubts. The paint looked to me far too metallic. Looking at some photos of the real thing you can find pretty much anything between flat grey and shiny metallic so I decided to push on, against better judgement. The second hurdle was the RAM coating. Hasegawa provides some of the RAM paneling as decals but it has you spray the larger areas yourself. I tried to find a grey paint in my stash as close as I could to the decal grey and then spent two nights masking. I sprayed the grey, took off the masking and I was utterly dismayed. The colors clashed horribly. I left the kit for a few days to see if I could convince myself it was acceptable but I couldn’t. I removed the paint with thinner and the kit moved to the shelf of doom while I considered the next step. Over the next few months I looked at a lot of photos of the plane and other peoples’ models and read about paint mixes to mimic the Have Glass coating. I also found out the newer F-35s rolling of the production line had significantly toned down RAM strips, which made for a vast improvement in its appearance in my eyes. So back to the workbench it was. I had decided my way of doing the Have Glass would be to take FS36118 and add some silver into the mix. I prepped the kit for spraying. Before my first attempt I had sprayed the wheel wells in white and stuffed them with blu-tac. However due to the cleaning the white paint had been damaged and I had to remove the blu-tac before respraying. Disaster struck. The blu-tac had hardened and was almost impossible to get out. As a result, the back of the gear well came loose and disappeared into the kit’s innards. I tried to get it out but it was impossible to fit back in place without opening up the fuselage. I tried to open it wide enough to at least get the part out and the whole kit exploded into a dozen pieces – and not along any of the original mating surfaces… One of the top wings got torn clean in half, as did the stabilizer. The right intake was in smithereens and all the mating surfaces where a shambles. I don’t think such an easy-fitting kit has ever been subjected to so much violence, despair and tears by anybody over the age of 8 as this poor F-35. I spent 10 minutes being very angry and sad with myself, then took out the glue and started over. I got all the bits together apart from a tiny piece near the stabilizer, which I filled with card. Lots of gluing, filling and sanding later and the kit, minus some lost engraved detail, went back to the spray table. I applied my metallized 36118 and again took a step back. And again, I didn’t like what I saw. By mixing in silver with the grey, you put metallic parts into the paint but it doesn’t recreate the sheen you see in some photos. You just add glitters to what is otherwise a non-metallic surface. I spent another evening looking at photos (like the one below) and came to a realization that the sheen only appears in sunny conditions and even then it’s not always visible. As such, I argued, it is not dissimilar to the shine you get from sunny reflections on a polished or gloss surface, which you don’t try to mimic in paint either. I figured I could do without any of the metallic effect completely and still get a convincing model. I resprayed the kit in straight 36118. I decided not to use any of the RAM decals as they were the wrong color compared to the lighter shades of grey visible on some areas of the newer paint scheme and masked the lot. I added some white to the 36118 to paint these areas. On removing the masking I found the difference to be too subtle so remasked most of the areas, added more white and resprayed. I finally got a finish I liked. Decaling was quick and easy. I used FlevoDecals promotional sheet for F-001, the first test model of the Dutch Airforce, but changed the 1 and 0 around to make it into the recently delivered F-010, which of course sports the muted RAM taping. I used the Hasegawa decals sheet to source the stencils. All the other parts went on very quickly. The gear is nicely detailed and sufficiently complex to look convincing but still easy to put together. On mounting the canopy I found the sil part interfered with it getting a good fit with the fuselage. I could probably have avoided this by test fitting earlier in the build process but I solved it by just getting rid of it entirely. It’s not visible anyway with the canopy closed. So there we are. Two years of on and off building, filling, sanding, masking, spraying, stripping and cursing ends with a double Lightning strike.
  12. I dip in and out of modelling and it's been ages since I last built anything. My wife bought me the new Tamiya P-38 kit for Christmas and I wanted to start building the moment I opened the box. The kit is so well engineered that it's easy to build with no filler anywhere! I feel like I've had to learn how to use the airbrush again but the Vallejo ModelAir and Tamiya acrylics are very forgiving. As other builders have said, the kit decals are quite thick - which also meant they stood up to me moving them round a lot! - but they settle in with softener. There is a bit of silvering on the tiny stencils but I can live with that. I tried using hairspray for the first time to get the wear on the wings around the cockpit - perhaps a bit much given the lack of wear on the rest of the aircraft. I used oils to accent the panel lines and to give a bit of depth to the colours (using dots of colours and then pulling them over the model with a tiny amount of thinners on a wide brush). Overall I'm quite pleased with how it has turned out. Photos are done on the workbench so not brilliant... I'll do something better ones when the weather is good enough for decent light. Comments welcome!
  13. Used the last day of my chrismas holidays to complete these 2 planes, I have use decals from Super Scale, otherwise build out of box, and it is nice set fit is good goes nicely together. Cheers Jes
  14. Good morning from chilly but sunny South Central Texas! I just now found this footage, and thought some of you might enjoy looking at it. The P-47 razorback footage shows the aircraft in their early markings, and you will notice that many appear to have been waxed, which was fairly common early on for more speed. I think these are early P-47D's from the 56th and 4th FG's. The P-38's I think are from the 55th FG. I have also posted a link to a very nice website that has details of the production variants of the P-47D and other reference material that might be useful for modelers, as well as a third link that has footage of P-38's, P-47's, and P-51's beating up Luftwaffe airfields after being detached from the bombers. Mike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz4i1l10OvE http://www.368thfightergroup.com/P-47-2.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEJa9iBPYb0
  15. Bought this really old kit dating back likely 30 years. The kit is so old it has some mold growing on some plastic parts. The decals are really old and the thin covering sheet has stuck to the decal. See the brown fuzzy stuff. I tried to peel it off but it is stuck fast. Sometime during the last decade it must have gotten wet.
  16. This is my first posting on this site. There are some great builds and articles here. I thought I would show my Trumpeter 1/32 scale P-38L back dated to a YP-38 (except for the boom intakes - my limited attempts at that surgery didn't work out. Thanks for looking...
  17. Hello again, Here's one I finished last year, Monograms 1/48 P-38 Lightning from the 1960's - updated and marked in my favourite scheme for the type, the flying Dragon! The kit was rescribed, worn area of wing riveted, all flight controls and flaps had to be defined/rescribed in order to stand out, all engine scoops on the engine nacelles and the supercharger were opened up, and a scratch built gunsight, instrument panel, engine controls and wiring were added to the cockpit. A modified Ultracast seat was used. - Bazooka's and wheels are spare from and Academy kit - Landing gear detailed, oil coolers in nacelle, and radiators /interior structure added to radiators on tailbooms, brass tubing for guns. - Dragon faces and mouths were masked and painted, green color custom mixed to match decals, Aeromaster decals for the rest of markings, - Painted with Tamiya acrylics using "hairspray" technique for worn/chipped paint area's, weathered with oils and acrylics. Lots of work, but I enjoyed it and the model won Gold at our local Winnipeg IPMS contest, and "Model of the Year". I'm quite proud of it, hope you like. Again, hope you like Colin
  18. Just finished these today. 1/48 RAF Kings Cliffe 20th Fighter Group P-38s. Now ready for a diorama... All comments appreciated. Thanks for looking.
  19. Dear fellow Britmodellers, this is RS Models 1/72 F-5A Lightning, the recce version of the P-38G. I added Brengun photo-etch and painted with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics, weathering with artists oils. I found this kit pretty challenging, with fit issues galore. It can only be recommended to experienced modelers. According to the kit instructions, this particular aircraft belonged to 12th PRS, based in Florennes, Belgium in October 1944. This information cannot be confirmed, as the 12th PRS flew F-6 Mustangs at that time (not Lightnings) and was never based in Belgium: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_Reconnaissance_Squadron If anyone can provide further details about this aircraft, infos are most welcome. All photographs by Wolfgang Rabel. Thanks for your interest, best greetings from Vienna! Roman
  20. Hi mates, This year's "Greatest Show on Turf" didn't feature as many aircraft as some previous years (quite a few that were scheduled were scratched in the days preceding due to mechanical and logistic issues), but we were treated to the return of the P-38 and Lysander (which hadn't visited in many years) and most exciting - the de Havilland Mosquito, one of only two (I believe) flying examples of the Wooden Wonder. One thing that never changes year over year is my inability to pose as a good photographer. So apologies in advance for the poor in-air shots - I don't know if it's me, my camera (which is nothing fancy), the hot and humid western NY weather (about 90 degrees F), or some combination of the above, but I can guarantee that Life magazine won't be calling me anytime soon! The show is put on by the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group from Geneseo, NY, which is just south of Rochester, NY. The show is dedicated to warbirds, and almost always with propellers! The landing strip is natural turf, and the setting is bucolic, nestled in the rolling farmlands of the upper Finger Lakes region. So on with the pictures! First, the Lysander: The Stinson Reliant (check out the cockpit photos later on!): Rob Holland MX2 Aerobatics (I have no clue how an airplane can be made to do the things he did, or how his brains stayed inside his head during these maneuvers - amazing pilot!): Lockheed P-38J Lightning: Two P-51 Mustangs and an F4U Corsair that are annual visitors to the show: The Lightning, Corsair, and Mustangs formed up for the traditional "Missing Man" flyby, in honour of our veterans: Back on the ground, "Whiskey 7" (the C-47 owned by the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group) is back from her visit to Normandy for the D-Day activities: And she was joined by another example from Canucks Unlimited in Canada: Next on the flightline was the Mosquito! Flight crew preparing for her demonstration: But first, the parade of antique cars! Away she goes, with me just about to get hit with the prop wash as she makes her turn onto the "taxi-way" - hang on to your hat: Also starting up was the B-25: The Mossie in the air: The B-25 making a watermelon "bombing run" Another annual visitor is this replica Val, which was used in the film "Tora, Tora, Tora:" On display was this An-2: B-25 taxiing back from her bombing run: And the Corsair as well: Some shots of the P-38: I thought it was odd that the exhaust staining was a different colour on port and starboard engines: I wonder if this was what is meant by the lyric "o'er amber waves of grain" Gotta love those high-speed, low altitude passes: The Grumman Avenger was back this year, sporting some new nose art: Several Stearman biplanes flying and on display: Some more shots of the Lysander: Someone will have to tell me what this is (the nice young lady was doing her make-up, and I didn't want to interrupt her to ask): The Stinson Reliant, 1930s-style luxury flying (I love the red leather upholstery and the mahogany instrument panel): Chrome boarding ladder! Lots of chrome upfront, too: I'm also not sure what this is: Or this one: Another plane that is new to me - but the nose art is catchy! As always, many T-6 Texans and Harvards visited the show, and here are just a few: Whiskey 7 and the Liberty Jump Team provided a paratrooper drop, just like the ones they did over in Normandy: And, of course, an airshow would not be complete without vendors to sell us all this cool stuff! And lastly, I need Harry Lime to translate this shirt for me! I only captured a small part of the overall show, but I think this gives you an idea of the calibre of this show. If you ever find yourself in western New York in July, this is one airshow that's really worth looking for! Cheers, Bill
  21. In 1947, civil war looked imminent in Paraguay. President Higinio Morinigo sensed rebellion in the air and thus decided to bolster his air arm, as this consisted mostly of WW2 unarmed training aircraft. Open Civil War broke out on March 7th 1947, by this time a dozen surplus P-38J's with mercenary pilots and ground crew recruited in the US were on their way. Most of the former Paraguayan air force sided with the Communist rebels, but the hastily repainted P-38's served pro government forces well, shooting down most of the rebellions aircraft, while carrying out bombing and strafing runs on insurgent positions. By August 20th the rebellion had been violently put down. This kit is the old 1970's Revell mold. It's not a great model, I started it as just something to tinker on between projects and it had been sitting 95% complete for the last month. I did plan on doing a Cuban machine, but I decided against using a nice decal sheet on what is a pretty poor model. Thus, I made up this little story. The P-38 did not see action in the Paraguayan Civil War.
  22. Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my 1/72 Academy P-38J Lightning in markings of 20th Fighter Group. Painted with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics and Alclad II lacquers. Add-ons: CMK cockpit & wheels, Quickboost Engine Air intakes, Master gun Barrels. Decals from Tally Ho. Photographed by Wolfgang Rabel of IGM Cars & Bikes. Best wishes from Vienna and thanks for your interest.
  23. Recently I came across this American WWII training movie explaining turbochargers: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKTSCXRjcmQ. The didactic qualities of these movies (including the cartoon elements like the mountain goat at 3:44 to make things more entertaining) are always remarkable. AFAIK the USAAF was the only air force during WWII to use turbocharged as opposed to crankshaft-driven superchargers on a large scale. The B-17 and B-24 had them and the unusual size of the P-38 and P-47 is explained by the volume and weight of the available turbochargers. Now I wonder, why did the USAAF make this choice and did it pay off? I assume that the availability of heat-resistant alloys needed for an exhaust gas-driven turbocharger played a role. The Americans usually had a much better access to raw materials than other states. At least in the case of the failed German FW-190 C the lack of raw materials is said to have been decisive. But what about Britain? I think in the case of the Spitfire, the small airframe spoke against a bulky turbocharger and in favor of the two-stage supercharger. In the long run turbochargers seem to have beaten superchargers (for example in car engines), but I assume turbochargers were not superior during WWII. At least the 8th Air Force ultimately replaced the turbocharger-equipped P-47 and P-38 in the high-level escort role to a large extent by the Merlin-driven P-51 which had a two-stage supercharger. Even though the turbocharger was thought to be the key to superior high altitude performance, the P-47 and P-38 were pushed into the low-level fighter-bomber role. The situation might have been different with bombers. Maybe the turbocharger was essential for the B-17 and B-24. What do you think?
  24. Hello All. I've had a few laidback months modelling wise and have been slowly chipping away at Airfix's HE 111 which has suffered a series of setbacks, namely a warped canopy straight from the box, which means I cannot continue until hopefully Airfix kindly send me a replacement... Nevermind! After seeing @The Spadgent getting stuck into his P-38 I thought I'd shelve the Heinkel and start a WIP with an MPM P-38 in 1/72, which has been in the drawer for months: When I bought this, I grabbed a set of War Birds decals which contained Col. Olds Scat II: Col. Olds is a legend and started his combat career in WW2 where he flew P-38's and P-51's and I've always wanted to pay homage to this incredible man. A particular story which has always stuck with me was where Olds shot down an enemy fighter whilst in a glide. This excerpt from Wikipedia details the story: "On an escort mission to Wismar on August 25 1944, his flight was on the far left of the group's line abreast formation and encountered 40-50 Messerschmitt Bf 109s near Wittenberge, flying north at the same 28,000 ft (8,500 m) altitude in a loose formation of three large vees. Olds turned his flight left and began a ten-minute pursuit in which they climbed to altitude above and behind the Germans. Over Bützow, undetected by the Germans, Olds and his wingman jettisoned their fuel drop tanks and attacked, although the second element of the flight had been unable to keep up during the climb. Just as Olds began firing, both engines of his P-38 quit from fuel exhaustion; in the excitement of the attack he had neglected to switch to his internal fuel tanks. He continued attacking in "dead-stick mode", hitting his target in the fuselage and shooting off part of its engine cowling. After fatally damaging the Bf 109 he dived away and restarted his engines. Despite battle damage to his own plane, including loss of a side window of its canopy, Olds shot down two during the dogfight and another on the way home to become the first ace of the 479th FG." Anyway, let's get stuck in! I started with the office, cleaning the parts and preparing them for my own mix of US interior green, Tamiya XF-71 and FX-4 at a 2:1 ratio: I then painted the radio sets and various controls with a matt black: Dry-brushed grey and silver then picked out the various knobs and pipes: Assembling begins with the seat onto the cockpit floor and I made some harnesses with Tamiya masking tape and sandwich bag ties stripped and bent to make buckles and harness fittings: These were then painted: Fitting the cockpit walls and test fitting into the main fuselage completed the work for today: Sadly that'll probably it until next weekend as the working week beckons. Hope you've enjoyed! JB
  25. Okay, what exactly am I looking at here? Are these P-38's painted sort of dark grey tops and bottoms, sort of a 3-tone paint job, or am I seeing reflections of the mountain range in O.D. camo? Note that the patterns vary, particularly on the tail planes. If multi-color, any guess what the lighter grey looking one might be? Hello Dana Bell -- or anyone else -- feel free to opine! ` Ed
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