AdrianMF Posted January 8, 2023 Share Posted January 8, 2023 I was building two Airfix P-38 Lightnings in parallel for the recent GB, but I had to concentrate on just one of them to get finished. So this thread is for the second one. The WIP thread is here if you want to see how it all started. Anyhow, just got a first coat of lightened Olive Drab on: I'm going to be using the Exito decals for "Babe", a P-38G flown by Lt. Edgar L. Yarberry in Tunisia, June 1943, so I'm aiming for a sun-bleached finish. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mjwomack Posted January 9, 2023 Share Posted January 9, 2023 Huge omission on my part is that I've never built a lightning- largely because I can't decide which one to do , and no I don't need Enzo's thoughts on the matter! Though this appears to be an early lightning as opposed to the couple of EE Lightnings hereabouts😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 10, 2023 Author Share Posted January 10, 2023 On 09/01/2023 at 11:59, Mjwomack said: and no I don't need Enzo's thoughts on the matter! He can't be expecting you to build all 10,037 of them, surely... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 10, 2023 Author Share Posted January 10, 2023 Right! Got it all to a nice uniform faded Olive Drab: ...so that i can mess it all up again: I will be happy with it if it looks okay in daylight. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 11, 2023 Author Share Posted January 11, 2023 Had an afternoon off and got most of the way there: It was all going pretty well until I got the crew data plate decal stuck to my finger when I was giving it "one last straighten". Twenty minutes later it was back on the model and straight. Phew! I have another half day tomorrow so I'm hoping to get it done. Regards, Adrian 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandboof Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Nice faded OD . Martin H 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 14, 2023 Author Share Posted January 14, 2023 Nearly there... Once again, I've had to add a 5-6mm extension (brass tube) to the forward undercarriage leg to get the model to sit right: It's very noticeable if not corrected. I wonder, did @Andwil have the same issue? Or is it just me?? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 14, 2023 Author Share Posted January 14, 2023 Righty-ho. Finished: Thanks, as ever, to the hosts, interested bystanders and for the kicking! Regards, Adrian 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andwil Posted January 14, 2023 Share Posted January 14, 2023 10 hours ago, AdrianMF said: It's very noticeable if not corrected. I wonder, did @Andwil have the same issue? Or is it just me?? I didn’t do anything about it so my model doesn’t have the nose up attitude of the P-38, but I can live with it. Interestingly, I also have two Hasegawa Lightnings in my collection and they don’t sit right either! AW 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 15, 2023 Author Share Posted January 15, 2023 37 minutes ago, Andwil said: sit right I'm not sure about mine either - putting the main wheel bays in the wrong way round on both kits wasn't the best start! Thanks for the info - I wondered if I had cut the parts off the sprue wrongly. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andwil Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Actually, thinking about it a bit more, I wonder whether the main gear legs need to be shortened. AW 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 17, 2023 Author Share Posted January 17, 2023 On 15/01/2023 at 00:34, Andwil said: I wonder whether the main gear legs need to be shortened. Thanks for that Andrew - you sent me off on a bit of a google quest and some measuring! I think the main wheel legs may be a mm or so too long (looking at the amount of leg visible between the lowered doors and the wheel, but the front leg needed extending by 4-5mm, so it would still be short even if you shortened the main u/c. The strange thing is that the front undercarriage bracing strut is too long for the strut as provided, but fits nearly perfectly when it has been lengthened. I'm surprised, given that the rest of the kit is so good, but there it is... Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 Hi Adrian, my head is spinning after reading this dissertation on the various merits of P-38 legs. In France we keep things simple: if they touch the ground, they are the right length. We tend to shorten everything, including people, from the top. I love your Lightning. Absolutely beautiful considering its vintage. JR 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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