1/72 Lockheed XP-38 Lightning Prototype Kit Bash

[TheRealMrEd]

Hello again.

 

Having now finished my F-100A Short-Tail Supersabre build over on the Century Series Group Build, I can now resume normal, or at least "no rush to complete" modeling.  I decided to finally bite the bullet and start on one of those models that I had always wanted, a Lockheed XP-38.  I understand that RS or someone had done a resin one in 1/72 several years back, but that was while I was out of modeling, and I missed out on grabbing one.  I have been trying for years to figure out how to build one, and I think that finally, all the pieces have come together and it's time to give it a go.

 

I looked around on-line for the earliest version of the P-38 that I could actually get into my hot little hands, in this case the RS Models Lockheed P-322 1 version. More info on this version can be  found HERE.

 

Of course with no turbochargers and both props rotating the same direction, more "stuff" was needed -- enter the old MPC boxing of the P-38F, which I seem to recall was a re-boxing of an old Airfix model -- could be wrong.  Anyway, the culprits:

 

 

I didn't feel too badly about finally gutting this old, rivet-studded kit, since I had already stolen the nose gear leg, main gear doors, and the tail mass balancers for an Anigrand XP-49 that I am also currently building, and those parts were missing when I got the kit from an earlier owner.  There were also numerous warped parts, as is common on those old, early generations' resin kits.  I will post up some pictures of that when it's done, but no build thread, as it is a fairly straight-forward build, problems mentioned above notwithstanding...

 

Now, back to the XP-38.  I begin with some of the easier tasks, modifying the front engine nacelles.

 

 

Above left, the old P-38F intakes (marked "F") have to be filled, and the long bulges along the bottom sides (marked "X") have to be removed.  Also, (not marked) the little exits at the lower rear of the nacelles must also be filled.  Above right, the dirty deeds have been mostly accomplished.  The item on the right is a shaped woodworker's sanding block (convex and concave), which when used with sandpaper wrapped round it, are perfect for sanding curved surfaces, especially tapered curved surfaces.  I begin with a sanding stick to remove most of the material, and then use the sanding black for the final finishing. Helps keep one from flattening the curves.

 

Since more sanding will be required on these when they are joined to the rest of the airplane, it behooves one to mark the location of the retractable "sugar scoop" air intakes, as I think they are called:

 

 

After measuring the 3-view drawing, a piece of 5mm square masking tape was affixed in the correct location, and the sides and rear edges of the tape were scribed to clearly mark the locations.  These scoops will be added later in the build, made up from thin plastic card.

 

My the way, the only place I found the needed drawings was from an old Detail and Scale book, I think labeled the early versions volume 2, or something like that.  Would you believe that even though I had it in my hot little hands a few days ago, I now cannot find it?!!  Did I also mention that I hate getting old...?

 

Anyway, if anyone out there has a copy of the subject book and can mention the correct name of the book, I would appreciate their doing so, as I'm sure would many others. The drawings  simply say XP-38 1/72 scale five view drawings copyright by Lloyd S Jones.  Fortunately, I had scanned copies years ago, in anticipation of this very project, so I had them to hand.

 

Next up, adding turbochargers to the P-322 1.  Not only do the turbochargers have to be added, but they also have to be reversed, front to rear.  I originally had envision simply carving out the correct shapes into the top of the booms, and adding plastic card for the bottoms.  However, everything in the turbochargers (technically "turbo-superchargers", but I'm lazy) cutouts are tapered every which a' way, so total replacement/implant was the way I decided to go:

 

 

Anyway, starting from a point right at the end of the extended upper "flap" line on the wing, the tops of the nacelles are razor sawed straight across the booms (marked "X").  The nacelles aft of this line will be cut off.  MPC wing is shown only for comparison.

 

Hopefully, this will be enough to whet your whistle enough to tag along for the ride.

 

See you later,

 

Ed

[billn53]

Another Mr. Ed special!  I'm in!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Woohoo Im in the seats and not at the bar. 

[LorenSharp]

Deleted - offering up copyrighted material

[TheRealMrEd]

13 hours ago, LorenSharp said:

Ed I have both the Detail and scale P-38 books in pdf format if that would help. The views are in D&S # 57. P-38 Part 1

Hi Loren, thanks for posting the info.  The sad thing, as I've said above, I have a copy also, had it in my hands  three or four days ago, and couldn't find it when needed.  But, I'm certain others to follow will value the pointer info!

 

Ed

[LorenSharp]

Deleted - copyrighted material scanned from a publication compromises BM.

[dogsbody]

I've got this old National Geographic photo.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[TheRealMrEd]

Hi Dogsbody, thanks for posting.  However, I believe that your photo is actually of perhaps the first YP-38, NOT the XP-38.  The XP-38 was the only version of the line where the props were counter-rotating, but turned inward.  With the exception of the P-322 1 (as in the kit I'm using for this build), the later ones all had outer-turning rotation.  The P-322 1 was ordered with right-hand rotation on both sides to assure compatibility with other existing engines:

 

 

There are many photos on-line labeled XP-38 that should be labeled YP-38 instead.  The dead giveaways are 1) Inward rotation of both props, rounded, non-framed windscreen, and if you can see them clearly, the shape of the rear boom scoops on the sides.

The XP was only flown around 4.5 hours before it's ill-fated cross-country trip, which took around seven hours.  When it crashed, it only had just 11+ hours total flight time, which set the program back severely, probably leading to many later deaths that could have been avoided by increased testing of this model!

 

Anyway, while I can't clearly tell in your photo about the rear boom cooler intakes, the cockpit is correct, but the prop rotation is wrong, hence my theory that this is the first YP, with propeller rotation change, but not the others...

 

Note however, that sometime during the first 4+ hours of testing, they covered the little exhaust opening with a more conventional intake fairing (just ahead of the wing).

 

Ed

[TheRealMrEd]

Here we go again, resuming our effort to add reversed turbochargers to the model.

 

There is a line on the wing that would normally seem to be the front line of the flap, which intersects with the nacelle.  Of course the flaps on the P-38 were not really part of the upper wing skin, but that's what the line looks like it could be.  Anyway, from that line/nacelle or boom intersection, a line is drawn straight across the molded part, and this line is then sawn through, and the edges are first scribed, then sawn, to remove the needed piece:

 

 

Then (above right) a line is sawn where shown, to remove the turbocharger piece from the donor MPC P-38F kit.  The wingtip has previously been sawn off for easier access.

 

Next, the MPC part is reversed, front to rear, and glued onto the RS kit wing section, taking care to align to forward top lines, and the rear wing to edge line.  This to assure that the eventual boom assembly does not become "sway-backed", ie. everything must be level across the top surface, but the slope at the back of the reversed turbochager (TC from now on) part makes this hard to judge by eye:

 

 

The pliers are there just for the weight dear, now that Mackey's back in town... Oh wait, but you get the idea.  Don't be alarmed by the fact that the rear of the TC part is wider than the tail boom, as we'll fill and grind all that later on.

 

But, to check our work, we'll need to assembly the rear halves of the booms, and the main landing gear wells, Be aware that I'm only gluing the rear half of each gear well to the boom halves, to allow for later adjustment at the front end, when the tail booms will actually be installed for real:

 

 

Above center, the "X" shows where filling and sanding will be needed.  Note that the top front of the TC piece and the wing part are flush (near the finger).  Above right, the extra width of the TC part is shown.  The arrow shows that nothing supports the lower boom to wing join line, so that when attached for real, glue has to be applied along the join line a section at a time to assure alignment.  One of the odd things about the RS Lightning kits...

 

Eventually, both sides are done:

 

 

A good place to take a break.  Back later.

 

Ed

 

 

[dogsbody]

21 hours ago, TheRealMrEd said:

Hi Dogsbody, thanks for posting.  However, I believe that your photo is actually of perhaps the first YP-38, NOT the XP-38. 

 

I went back downstairs and dug that National Geographic issue out of the stack, to check the caption. All it said was that the aircraft was a P-38 Interceptor.

So it was my mistake from years ago in saying it was the XP-38. Sorry!

 

 

 

Chris

[TheRealMrEd]

1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

 

I went back downstairs and dug that National Geographic issue out of the stack, to check the caption. All it said was that the aircraft was a P-38 Interceptor.

So it was my mistake from years ago in saying it was the XP-38. Sorry!

 

 

 

Chris

Don't feel bad.  Over the years, I've collected as many photos as I could find, and until recently, as I was preparing for this build, I never noticed the tiny differences myself!

 

That being said, it's time to start another donnybrook  --  many years I ago, I seem to recall reading that the original lightnings had large, regular style steering wheels, which were later modified by removing the top part, sort of like on a B-17, and then in the later models, was changed to a yoke.

 

Attached is a photo stated to be of Kelly Johnson, sitting in a Lightning.  Because of the prop rotation (and logos), as well as the lack of framework on the windscreen, I also believe that it may be the first YF-38.  Is that, or is that not, a steering wheel he appears to be sitting behind?

 

 

Opinions and stone-throwing are welcomed...

 

Ed

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

41 minutes ago, TheRealMrEd said:

Is that, or is that not, a steering wheel he appears to be sitting behind?

 

 

Looks like a wheel to my old Mk.I’s 👀

[LorenSharp]

iI looked at it in a paint program. Sure looks like a steering wheel like from a late 30's Packard. Or Johnson has the funkiest shirt I've ever seen.

[dogsbody]

Now that you've mentioned it, I, too, recall reading that about the control yoke. That was many years ago and I don't remember where I read it.

I suppose I could go downstairs and start trawling through all my references. Maybe later.

 

 

 

 

Chris

[TheRealMrEd]

While the steering wheel issue is simmering on the back burner, I'll move on to the next item, the intakes atop the XP-38 booms.  They can be clearly seen ahead of the TC in the last post.  Being a cheapskate, I examined available scoop/intake making materials, and decided that the drop tanks from the MPC P-38F kit would serve nicely:

 

 

Above left, the pylons are removed from the tank halves.  Above center, to determine where to cut, the pylons were slid around on the drawing until I found a spot where enough material would be left on the fuel tank bit to more or less match the shape of the needed intake, on the drawings.  (Note that the fuel tank halves are just slightly misaligned in the photos for clarity.  This seemed to work out best when the rear end of the fuel tank half was lined up with the back end of the turbo.  I made the cut to the tank on the line where the front of said intake appears on the drawings, and the used the front halves of the tank for this scoop/intake.  Above right, when the front of the tank is turned around, it is a little longer, and a bit wider than on the drawing.  This is to allow room for the tank bit to be sanded on an angled line, front-to-rear.

 

I later found that I could trim the small end of that part a bit shorter yet:

 

As you can see, above center, that when the part is sanded on an angle (heavier on the rear end than the front) we can get the shape pretty darn close.  Above right, a sanding block of the appropriate circumference is wrapped with sandpaper, and used to thin the front of the scoop as needed.  A dowel will work as well, but these "shapes", that I have mentioned before elsewhere, make the job much easier if wet sanding, which I often do for  final sanding. A larger diameter will also be used on the bottoms, to sort of bevel the bottom edges of the scoop to fit better on the curved surface of the nacelle.

 

When done, they look something like below, although they seem a bit wide to me. After looking at the best photos I can find, I think I'll sand them a bit thinner in profile, which will also narrow them very slightly.  Modeler's choice!

 

 

See you next time,

 

Ed

 

 

[Marklo]

I really do love seeing some old school modelling  in progress. Great build so far.

[TheRealMrEd]

Hello,

 

Next up, the intakes on the sides of the boom.  On the XP, they were shorter and more of a rounded aspect on the front, as opposed to a sort of "D" shape intake of the later versions.  Looking about again, I determined that the rear  ends of the previously butchered fuel tanks would be of service.  After laying them over the drawings, I determined that an 8mm piece had to be removed from the front end of these parts:

 

 

Then I cut off for use, a 10mm section of the remainder of the tank.  In other words, you need a 10mm section, but from the right PLACE.  Above right, the sides and top of this piece are then sanded straight back, parallel ti the part, front-to-rear -- NOT along the taper.  Then, the two upper corners and the inside are sanded thinner. 

 

Below, approaching final shape:

 

 

Above right, before fitting these intakes to the tail booms, the molded lines for the original kit cooler must be sanded down, and the resultant flat depressions must be filled and sanded round.

 

Lots of tiny parts to fabricate on this model, before assembly even begins!

 

Ed

[TheRealMrEd]

Well time to beat the dog some more.  (No offense, Dogsbody...😁)

 

Yet more scoops, intakes, exits, etc.  First off the retractable vents atop each tail boom.  I started with a piece of sprue from an old Mach I kit, because it was large enough and already had one flattened side, thus saving some work.  Round sprue or scrap would suffice.

 

 

The vent itself, when viewed from the ends is concave on the bottom, convex on the top (to match the curvature of the boom top), and flat along both sides, so that it can retract.  Above right, the proper angle needs to be sawn on the vent to boom join, and what will be the open end needs to be sawn along the pencil line in the drawing.

 

Next, one vent is shown close to final shape, while the other has just been started. "R" stands for round, and the "F"'s for flat:

 

 

Above right, they will take a bit more final sanding to fit just right, but they're coming along.

 

Next, the lower retractable scoops on the bottom of the nacelles in front.  For this, I'll use two of the RS P-322 1 kit's original side boom intake parts, working with the narrow ends.  First, the sides of the part are files flat, front to rear (red lines):

 

 

next, they are sanded at an angle on the bottom side, so that the front openings will be taller, fading away to very this at the rear end.

 

Next, the are glued onto the previously-worked front nacelle parts  as shown.  After studying the photos,  I ended up making them a little wider than I had originally thought that they would be:

 

 

After some more filling and sanding, they too, are coming along.

 

Hopefully, that's all of the vents, scoops, etc. that need to be created for this build.  They were not hard to do, just fiddly.

 

Later,

 

Ed

 

[TheRealMrEd]

Now, a few fiddly bits before I can start any meaningful assembly.  First off, all the RS Model P-38 kits ask that you fabricate this bar.  Not sure why, as some of the other parts that they do mold are as thin...

 

 

Above center.  In an attempt to model the complete "steering wheel" control column, I cut off and bent a piece of .035" lead wire (from your fly-tying stockist), to the approximate size an curve of the missing part.  Above right, it is glued on with CA glue.

 

Below, the black-on-black view make this work hard to see.  If any of you ever build one of these I'd probably just recommend that you install the kit wheel upside down, and forget adding the other part,:

 

 

Here, I should add that I have no pictures showing the actual cockpit of the XP-38 or even the YP-38, for that matter.  Therefore, I decided to go with the stock RS cockpit, adding some seat belts out of painted aluminum foil, and I'll probably add a rear roll bar behind the headrest, as I seem to see that in some of the pictures.

 

Another point that differentiates the XP-38 from the production variants, is the one-piece windscreen.  This means that the two frames on the RS kit canopy will need sanding off:

 

 

Above right, a little more sanding and polishing, and she'll be right as rain.

 

It was at this point, test-fitting the upper and lower center fuselage halves, that I re-discovered the one BIG bugaboo of the RS P-38 kits -- there's not enough distance between the top of the nos wheel well, and the cockpit floor, something a wiser person than I should have checked early on, temporarily gluing those part in and checking the fit -- BE FOREWARNED!  I had no option but to get out the old razor saw:

 

 

Oddly enough, the bottom of the cockpit floor contains the well for the retracted front wheel.  It's almost as the the kit designers intended to make the cockpit floor also the top of the nose gear well (as others have done!), but switched horses mid-stream...

 

This does NOT bode well for other modelers who have a wheel-well detailing mania...

 

Anyway, I eventually managed to saw, grind and shave everything down enough to close up the fuselage:

 

 

It should here be noted that all the RS P-38 kits lack aligning pins and holes, so that each section of the join line must be glued at a time, to assure the best fit possible.  I started by gluing the whole left side, let that dry, and then used clamps and clothespins and the like to make certain that the right side aligned  properly.  Then I glued on the nose cone.

 

One other thing I should mention.  I used to build models by gluing the whole thing together, then going back and filling and sanding the hole model.  On some models, this became such a chore that I tossed them in the "someday" bin, and they became those seldom-to-never-be-completed models.  These days, I build one section at a time, keeping in mind whatever filling and sanding might be required, and after doing each section, I fill and sand as I go along.  This prevents such work from becoming a huge burden, and also allows clearance for the various scrapers, sanders and what have you, to be used more readily.  Your mileage may vary.

 

Next up, another characteristic of the earliest P-38's is the lack of fillets on the cockpit to wing join.  These fillets were actually the thing that would later cure the severe buffeting of the P-38 when at higher speeds.  Pretty much all the P-38 family were so in need of this streamlining, that the pilots could not even open the side windows in flight, due to severe buffeting.  Must have been fun in the Pacific!

 

There was also another issue "compressibility", that was solved on the later models, by adding dive flaps under the wings.  For this model, the areas of concern are here:

 

 

The outlines for the fillets can be see above right (arrows).  With careful and judicious sanding, they are removed:

 

 

You will note the scuffed up appearance of the instrument panel shroud  -- that's a story for another time!

 

See you then.

 

Ed

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

4 hours ago, TheRealMrEd said:

First off, all the RS Model P-38 kits ask that you fabricate this bar.  Not sure why, as some of the other parts that they do mold are as thin...

They probably missed it during research and possibly forgot to add it to the sprue design. 

[Jackson Duvalier]

Enjoying this build of yours as always, Ed.

 

I can't recall seeing the head-on photo before.-- am I seeing prop cuffs at the base of the blades?  It sure looks that way to me, but I've never seen cuffed props on a P-38, nor have I noticed cuffs being painted aluminium on any aircraft.  Come to think of it, the only cuffed three-blade prop I can remember was attached to a P-43 Lancer.

[TheRealMrEd]

14 hours ago, Jackson Duvalier said:

Enjoying this build of yours as always, Ed.

 

I can't recall seeing the head-on photo before.-- am I seeing prop cuffs at the base of the blades?  It sure looks that way to me, but I've never seen cuffed props on a P-38, nor have I noticed cuffs being painted aluminium on any aircraft.  Come to think of it, the only cuffed three-blade prop I can remember was attached to a P-43 Lancer.

Hi Jackson.

 

Actually that picture does seem to show prop cuffs -- not sure, because I haven't researched the YP-38 as much, which is what the picture of Kelly Johnson seems to suggest.  Anyone building a YP-38 might want to check that out!

 

The following picture proves that the XP did NOT have cuffs.  That being said the XP had some kind of earlier Curtis  props, and the YP and other versions had later Curtis props, distinguished by the style of prop logo.

 

 

Ed

[Marklo]

Great build. Very different from the production P38 but for the likes of me you’d need to show them side by side to appreciate all the work on the prototype model.

[TheRealMrEd]

1 hour ago, Marklo said:

Great build. Very different from the production P38 but for the likes of me you’d need to show them side by side to appreciate all the work on the prototype model.

Thanks Marklo, will do...

 

Ed

[TheRealMrEd]

I guess that "now" is another time.  Anyway, when I got ready to glue the canopy to the model, it seemed to fit so well that I decided to use a hot liquid glue, Weld-On #3, applied with a "Tounch-N-Flow" applicator.  However, either the canopy was off a bit side-to-side, or the tolerances were too close, but the glue wicked itself up inside the canopy windscreen on the right side, marring the plastic.  So, I had to remove the canopy and wait until the glue had dried overnight, then sand and polish the whole mess on the inside. That explains the crazed paint on the instrument panel shroud.

 

I managed to get about 95% of the damage polished out, until the canopy on the right front started to get a little thin, and I decided to quit polishing, with only a minor loss, instead of a complete disaster.  I resolved to go forth and sin no more...

 

BUT, when I went to my old go-to, R-S watch cement, even though I thought I had used a pretty thin bead around the edge of the canopy, I still got some of that on the inside again!.  Good news is, it didn't damage the canopy further.  Bad news is, I had dipped the canopy in Alclad II Aqua Gloss, and in removing the R-S cement, it also fogged up the Aqua Gloss.  I had to use alcohol to strip all that off, and re-polish the canopy yet again.  This time, holding the canopy in place  with one hand, I used the "Touch-N-Flow" applicator to run a thin bead of Weld-On #3 around the rear part of the entire canopy, excluding the entire windscreen.  When that dried, I applied a tin bead of R-S Watch Cement around the edge of the windscreen from the out side  -- just enough to fill any gaps. so that when dry, I could used 3M Primer putty in the front of the canopy, and Vallejo filler in a tiny bead around the rest of the canopy, so that the canopy to fuselage join could be sanded properly flush,  Oh, and of course, I masked off the entire canopy before the filling!  I also added a little 3M putty to the nose to sharpen it, just a bit:

 

 

 

Above right, after some sanding and a coat of Mr Surfacer 500 filler/primer, things are looking up.

 

Next, getting ready to add the tail booms to the model. 

 

In the following picture, notice the arrows point to where the nacelles (and later the tail booms) must align to each other.  This is critical to keep the booms from assuming a banana-shaped profile, either up or down. Great care must be taken to assure this, and the best way will be to glue a section of joint at a time, constantly checking for proper alignment:

 

 

Above right, as mentioned earlier, the gear wells have NOT been glued all the way to the front sides of the booms, allowing a little room to shift and align as mentioned above,  Note also, that I have painted the rudders primer white, as later in the build, I will either have to paint or (if I can find some) decal the rudders in the red-white-blue scheme prevalent on US aircraft of the time (1939).

 

Here, I will beat the drum once again for Parafilm "M" for masking.  Below, a small sheet of the stuff is laid atop the entire vertical stab/rudder and rubbed down:

 

 

The rear excess is trimmed with scissors, and the front excess is trimmed off using a new #11 X-Acto blade.  Not shown clearly in the picture is that the little (currently painted white) extensions where the horizontal stabilizer (on the inside) and their extensions (on the outside will attach.  These areas will end up polished aluminum, so that masking in those areas must be trimmed away.

 

When attempting to attach the first tail boom, it was found that the little hump protruding upwards from the rear end,at the top of the wheel well, interfered with the fit, so I had to saw it off:

 

 

Above right, this rather poor picture shows everything assembled.  After the fact, it occurred to me that I had forgotten to take any pictures of the tail boom assembly process.  My humble apologies.  I guess I got caught up in the moment!

 

Let me stress again, however, that when assembling the booms, do one side first, align and let dry.  The key points are having the wing seams line up perfectly and that the tail boom align straight across the top with the nacelle tops.  There will be a slight depression where the turbos go, but that is as it should be.

 

Below, the arrow shows where the MPC turbo-area kit parts stick out too far, but no worries, as these will be sanded flush later on.  The two sloppy lines indicate where the front and rear of the nacelle/boom surfaces must be level:

 

 

After some shilling, filling, sanding, etc., the whole thing is starting to take better shape:

 

 

Well, I shall keep sanding filling and fiddling away, and return another time.  Hope you all stay tuned.

 

Ed