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Question about 1/48 P-38L Lightning: what is best option?


28ZComeback

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Greetings, 

 

I am contemplating a 1/48 P-38L build and was wondering what the best option is given the numerous chioices available.  My interest is in detail and scale appearance.  I understand the Hasegawa kit has some detail issues. Can the Academy/Eduard P-38J be modified sufficiently to replicate a “L” model?  It would appear then that the Eduard Special Limited edition P-38J would be the way to go. Thank you for your comments. 

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28Z,

 

It would be relatively easy to modify any of the 1/48 P-38J kits to a P-38L. Major external differences from the J-model are:

  • landing light moved from the underside of the LH wing to the leading edge
  • compressibility dive recovery flaps fitted to the underside of each wing, just outboard of each nacelle; they were split into two segments along their length and opened accordion-fashion, into  a 'vee' when extended
  • gun camera was moved  to the front of the LH inner wing stores pylon.
  • blister fairings were fitted on the underside of each outer wing panel to cover  fuel booster  pumps for the leading edge fuel cells.

 

(I have attached a link to a site with photos of a preserved P-38L; in the profile photo, you can see the extended dive recovery flap; in a few of the frontal shots, you can see the gun camera housing on the leading edge of the LH stores pylon.)

 

The second link is to a build of the old 1/32 Revell kit, but it has a lot of detail photos of the cockpit and external features of the real airplane, including at the very end of the article, the P-38L. I'm not familiar with the 1/48 P-38 kits, so I would suggest others could help you there, or you could research reviews. I would guess the Academy and Hasegawa kits would be the best, with the Monogram kit being third by virtue of its fit issues and raised panel lines,

Mike

 

https://www.eaa.org/en/eaa-museum/museum-collection/aircraft-collection-folder/lockheed-p-38l-lightning---n3800l

 

https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/review.php?rid=925

 

This just in! I found a review of the 1/48 Monogram kit that has sprue shots. You can  see the LE landing light, fuel booster pump fairings, and the gun camera installation on the stores pylon, as well as the outline of the dive flaps. If you have a Monogram kit, you can snag the stores pylon and landing light lens if you use one of the other two 1/48 kits. The fuel pump blisters can be made from plasticard, or cut from the Monogram kit if you don't mind trashing it.

 

https://modelingmadness.com/scott/allies/us/monp38preview.htm

 

 

 

 

Edited by 72modeler
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20 hours ago, 28ZComeback said:

Greetings, 

 

I am contemplating a 1/48 P-38L build and was wondering what the best option is given the numerous chioices available.  My interest is in detail and scale appearance.  I understand the Hasegawa kit has some detail issues. Can the Academy/Eduard P-38J be modified sufficiently to replicate a “L” model?  It would appear then that the Eduard Special Limited edition P-38J would be the way to go. Thank you for your comments. 

is this for the F-5G you were asking about, or just a straight P-38L? 

 

Note, Academy did a P-38L pathfinder boxing

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/930811-academy-02151-lockheed-p-38l-lightning-pathfinder

930811-15126-33-pristine.jpg

there are instructions as a pdf in the link.

 

this boxing looks to have most of the variants in one

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/107453-academy-2215-p-38-lightning

107453-12192-24-pristine.jpg

 

more googling

the above kit 

 

http://hsfeatures.com/p38fw_1.htm

Quote

Do you remember growing up when Monogram’s P-38 had the option of building any number of versions? Well, Academy has brought that concept into the new millennium. This kit allows you to build one of four versions, the standard P-38J, the Droopsnoot, Pathfinder, and F-5E Photo Recon. 

I said that you could build one of four versions, that isn’t exactly true. You can build more! The kit as boxed is actually an L model. This is a good thing. You can build any version of the J or L depending on which features you decide to leave or remove. Do nothing and you have an L. If you don’t cut the leading edge landing light and add a light on the underside of the wing and fill the adjustable trim tabs you have a J-25. Get rid of the compressibility flaps, fuel pump bulges and you have a J-15. Leave the adjustable trim tab and you have a J-10. So that gives you the option of three different versions of the “standard” J alone, making eight different versions.

 

You might want to check up what various kits have in the box, as they may have options not listed.

 

If you want an easier build.. Hobby Boss

http://www.hyperscale.com/2014/reviews/kits/hobbyboss85805reviewlr_1.htm

Quote

All major L subtype identifiers are here- external booster pump covers, dive recovery flaps, and the leading edge landing light (see Low Points for more on that).  Outboard rocket trees are also provided; if you don’t want to use them, you’ll need to fair over the holes in the wings. 

the kit has some issues,  but does score for ease of assembly 

 

I'd suggest asking on Hyperscale Plane Talking,  as they have a larger US membership,  and the various quirks of 1/49th P-38 have been discussed

for example

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hyperscale/best-p38-kit-1-48-if-you-wanted-to-build-a-1-48-p3-t244789.html

 

which may give you some ideas,   I'd use the above as a start point for research,  as I need to make dinner now....

HTH

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9 minutes ago, 28ZComeback said:

Actually the F-5G. 

I assume this is you asking here?

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hyperscale/is-there-a-current-conversion-set-for-a-1-48-f-5g--t501331.html

 

I'd suggest asking on Hyperscale Plane Trading,   as you are in the US.      We have a wanted section here, you have enough posts to ask if anyone has one of the conversions spare.

 

It would be worth doing some research to find out what the F-5G nose was based on,  

file.php?id=24270

 

if it was a whole new nose, or a conversion of the pathfinder P-38L nose?   

 

post-3-1098187557.jpg

the image of the F-5G look like a  version of a recon nose too me, with a different front section

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/280517-db-productions-db-2025-lockheed-f-5g-p-38l-lightning

 

280517-11185-73-pristine.jpg

 

that nose tip reminds me of a RF-80 nose BTW

 

RF-80A_45th_TRS_in_Korea.jpg

 

and there are conversion of this about.....  just a thought

 

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I am currently working on the Hobby Boss P-38. It is really easy to build because the entire fuselage, tail wing and main wings are split into a single upper part and single lower part. You do not have to mess with boom alignment or main wing root seams.  It has recessed panel lines and recessed rivets. I think that the raised rivets on the Monogram/Revell P-38 are way out of scale and ruin the appearance of the model. PLUS, the actual aircraft had recessed rivets. See the review below.

 

http://www.hyperscale.com/2014/reviews/kits/hobbyboss85805reviewlr_1.htm

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