F-5 Foto Lightning Question

[BlackAck]

The F-5 Lightning (the reconnaissance version of the P-38) isn't very well served by modelling manufacturers as a standalone kit subject in any scale scale.  

 

RS Models produced an F-5A, but by most accounts it is a really difficult kit

Italeri does do an F-5E

Minicraft did an E version too according to Google

 

What would be the best kit as a starting place for a say an F-5B or F-5C?

 

[72modeler]

A very thought-provoking query! I will confine my remarks to 1/72 scale, as those are the kits I am most familiar with. The Academy P-38 kit is the best detailed and fitting kit in the scale, but you can only build a J/L as it comes in the box. Building an F-5C or F-5E from it would not be all that difficult- for the C you just need to fill in the gunports/cartridge chutes, and file the lower nose flats and step,  or use a plasticard  piece with cutouts for the camera windows. The oblique camera ports on either side of the nose are flush with the fuselage, so pretty easy to do. For an F-5E, you would have to vacform or build the blister fairings around the oblique camera ports. 

 

For an F-5A or F-5B, it gets a little more involved. The RS F-5 kits are very accurate, but as you alluded to, are a royal pain in the a-- to put together, due to the way the kit is engineered. I have the RS F-5/P-38G as well as the Academy P-38J and Hasegawa P-38H/J kits (More on it follows.) and can offer the following thoughts:

 

The  RS kits are the only ones in 1/72 that supply the correct coolant radiators for the P-38E thru H and the F-5A/B. The old Airfix kit does not, and the Hasegawa kit, while it purports a modeler can build an early or late Lightning, does come with correct inserts for the early and late cowlings, but the coolant radiators are only correct for the late P-38J/L. That being said, you can use an RS kit for the correct radiators and cowlings, and graft them onto the Academy kit- if the cross sections are close enough, you could cut the tail booms off of the Academy kit in front of the radiators and graft on the ones from the RS kit; or you could remove the radiators from the Academy kit and fit the ones from the RS kit, but looking at the two kits, that might be harder choice.

 

Also keep in mind that the intake lips on the Academy P-38J/L kit are not correct in shape or depth- Quickboost makes correct cowling lips or complete forward cowlings to fix this error, and I have both, but prefer the entire front cowling casting, as if you just get the lips, you then have to re-profile the rest of the cowlng to match. This would also be needed if you use the Academy kit to do an F-5C/E.

 

Don't know why Academy didn't do the earlier Lightnings, either as a complete kit, or engineered  the J/L kit to do early and late versions, like Hasegawa attempted to do. With separate fuselage pods, radiator fairing inserts  on the tailbooms, canopies, and cowling fronts, they could have pretty much done them all. Hope this helps, and I'm sure others will be along shortly to lend their thoughts and suggestions, especially where 1/48 kits are concerned.

Mike

[FinnAndersen]

Inspired at what ship modellers do, I would use the RS kit and build a complete jig to make sure that everything is aligned correctly. 

 

/Finn

[BlackAck]

Tiny thread bump, any thoughts on what's best for 1:48?

[elger]

32 minutes ago, BlackAck said:

Tiny thread bump, any thoughts on what's best for 1:48?

First thing that comes to mind is Academy; the J/L/F-5E kit comes with a photo recon nose. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/academy-12282-p-38--224655  The parts of this kit are compatible with those of their boxings of the earlier Lightning types making an F-5B or F-5C possible. However, the 1/48 Academy early Lightnings have the wrong type of radiators (identical to the later J/L versions).

 

In 1/48, Hasegawa's earlier Lightnings do have the correct radiators, unlike Academy's. Perhaps it's possible to add a photo-recon nose from an Academy kit to an early Hasegawa Lightning fuselage?

[Troy Smith]

maybe worth adding to the discussion

Quote

 

 

This is the Koster Conversion set for the P-38 Lightning, originally designed for the Revell Monogram Kit. This Vac form set will produce one ( and maybe more)of 7 different options offered in the set

P38F flown by Major Cragg 80th FSF5A 3rd Photo Group in that fantastic haze blue camo

F5A Flown by CDT Saint-Exupery

P38M 418 NFSF5E 8th Photo squadron

P38J Droop Snoot 367FG

P38L Bomb thro Cloud 67 TRG

Decals for the above versions are included in this very unusual conversion set - a chance to produce a different model with Koster quality

 

Can't remember the full details, I have one stashed, but no gettable too for more info.

[72modeler]

Troy,

 

Since Blackack comments seemed to be considering 1/72 scale kits, I confined my remarks to them; I'm not nearly as familiar with the 1/48 kits, so thanks for your comments regarding the possibilities in the larger scale- I'm sure they will be helpful to him, should he decide to jump from God's Own Scale! 👍

Mike

[BlackAck]

Since the F-5 is on my bucket list of kits to have in any collection, I'm not too fussed about which scale it is.  Any information is useful

[Troy Smith]

On 02/07/2019 at 21:09, elger said:

However, the 1/48 Academy early Lightnings have the wrong type of radiators (identical to the later J/L versions).

Do you mean the boom radiators? 

Academy P-38F

 

Hasegawa P-38F/G

 

Interesting, a detail glitch I'd not seen mentioned before in discussions of various kits.

 

I don't know how easy it is to get the early model P-38 Hase kits these days, the Academy are pretty easy to find.  

[elger]

11 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

Do you mean the boom radiators? 

 

 

 

Interesting, a detail glitch I'd not seen mentioned before in discussions of various kits.

 

I don't know how easy it is to get the early model P-38 Hase kits these days, the Academy are pretty easy to find.  

Yes that's it. I didn't have that much trouble finding an early Lightning Hasegawa kit a couple of years ago but maybe things are different now.

[Geoffry M]

For the early photo Lightnings F-4-1 and F-4A Paragon Designs did replacement noses for the early P-38E/F.  I have used these and they were nice.  Quick search didn't find any available tho.

 

Geoff M