Q: 1/32 P-38 Lightning

Big Chudy wrote:

Revell made a 1/32 P-38J. Revell of Germany put out a P-38 J/L   Can anybody tell me if these 2 kits are the same?   In want a 1/32 P-38L version. Trumpeter is out of my price range.   Thank you, Andy

Same kit.

the original moldings are coming up on around 40 years old or so. State of the art for back then, but now has much to be desired. But you can buy several of the Revell for the price of one Trumpeter. With some work it can be made in to a nice eye catcing build!

Revell's 1/32 P-38J originally was Bong's "Marge".  The boxcover art was reused for Monogram's 1/48 P-38.  I wanted to get it as I was working on all of Revell's big fighters in the '70's, but never did.  I do have the "1941" rendition of their original "Aleutian Tiger" P-40E.

Too bad you can't afford Trumpeter's P-38, it's the best of the bunch with lot of details. Here's the one from Trumpeter, but with Bong's Marge marking from Revell:

 

 

 

 

Big Chudy wrote:

Revell made a 1/32 P-38J. Revell of Germany put out a P-38 J/L   Can anybody tell me if these 2 kits are the same?   In want a 1/32 P-38L version. Trumpeter is out of my price range.   Thank you, Andy

My

Actually, there are pro's and con's to each kit.

I got both, one at a time to add to my stash from Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupons, the Trumpeter kit being under the Hobby Craft label.

Here are some comparisons:

1. Although you have the gun details in with the Trump kit, by installing them you have less convenient space for nose ballast then you do with the Revell kit.

2. Although you have detailed engines with the Trump kit, you have to cut out your own panels to show them off, which means possibile risk of losing the facility to have a clean assembled plane when you don't fell like showing the engines off.

3. With the Revell kit and its external rivets, it is easier to "weather" simply by undercoating with a metallic color, and then painting a camo color over it and by giving it a light sanding here and there, you can make the rivets show through with a metallic color.

4. Yes you have movable controls with theTrump kit, but installing the tiny PE hinges and steel rods is hardly worth it for me, as I did on an F4F.

5. Frankly, I have found that the older kits generally assemble better. As a for instance, wing tabs fit better on the old kits then the Trump/HC F4F I did. In fact they concaved the surface around the wing tab, which gave me no allowance for adding extra glue for bonding strength at that point.

6. Etc., etc.,, I think you get my drift here.

 

 Tom T