Not to burst any bubbles but this is a 30 year old kit.  It was considered state of the art back then.  Having built this kit a couple of years ago for a GB on another site, the moulds are REALLY showing their age.  It was a dog to build with huge troughs, not gaps.  You would never confuse this kit with a Hasegawa offering.

I think that the original molds for the original Monogram issue of the P-38J is even older still, Murph. They date to 1964 and the tooling have remained virtually untouched over all that time. The first kit included all the extras we still enjoy today, like the parts to build the Droop Snoot or the version with the poor crewman jammed into the nose gun compartment. The kit has its problems, to be sure, but it's been one of those projects that has become almost a rite of passage among modelers because of those challenges.

But, I have to agree with you - there's no comparison with the Hasegawa Lightnings. They're a heck of a lot of fun to build, particularly after earning one's stripes with the Monogram/Revell offering.

Ha ha, I don't know for sure when the kit was first molded but I have one I built in 1966.  Looks good to me as a keepsake!

Hey don't bash her! This was my first 'real' kit back as a kid in the early '80s. Maybe my first car was a PoS but I still have a soft spot for both her and this old P-38! 

I think it is interesting that no one has mentioned cost. The RM kit cost half what the Hasegawa kit does. If you have acess to a Michael's store, with a coupon you can get one for a quarter of the price of a Hasegawa kit. When you have built both kits, and they are sitting side by side; is that Hasegawa kit going to look twice as good? BTW, I have two in my stash which cost me $9.70 each!

Sure, it's an old kit.  But it's not a bad kit.  I do recommend buying an older boxing, though, like one from the Seventies.  The newer pops may tend to have some issues.  But you can still build it into a nice model of a Lightning.

I like the Academy P-38. The decals are trash but the fit is exceptional and the detail is second to none. I used aftermarket decals on this 1/48 P-38.

Pricewise is cheaper than Hasegawa. 

Ranger_Chris61

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHH3lM3fA1g[/media]

So after a couple year hiatus from posting here I am finally back with the first review video to get posted here in a long while. In this video we will be taking a look at Revell's P-38J kit in 1/48th scale for this week's review

 

This kit is old as it get's. I've built it more than once, in all the versions,photo-recon,nightfighter etc. I guess a review would be helpful to younger guys in the hobby. The Hasegawa and Academy kits are better....you get what you pay for

plasticjunkie

I like the Academy P-38. The decals are trash but the fit is exceptional and the detail is second to none. I used aftermarket decals on this 1/48 P-38.

Pricewise is cheaper than Hasegawa. 

 

 

That is a very cool lightning. Your rendition is one of the best I've seen.

Here are just a few of the fit issues with this kit and the end result.  To answer shippwreck's question; Yes...the Academy and Hasegawa kit will look better than the Revell / Monogram Lightning.

Always enjoy when these things creat great conversations. A large reason I do these videos is becuase alot of the things everyone has brought up in the hopes of letting people know before they buy. At the end of the day our hobby is a very large luxry. That being said, such as is the case with this kit, chosing to save some money and put in the effort to fix the issues that exsist will be appealing to some, where as for other it would be more appealing to go with a kit that does not and is more of a shake and build kit, and other still will simply want it for the option parts to do as part of a franken build, etc. This is why I do these videos to bring to light kits new and old so people can make an informed decision as to how they want to spend their hard earned money.

As for this kit yes, its old and the molds seem like they have not aged well so it is probly not a kit for people who are looking for a super accurae no problem build, but it is more then likely perfect as a starter kit for someone who is not as concered about the detail (such as you young kid). Regardless I think it is still a good kit to look at and consider for it's merits both good and bad.

crockett

...This kit is old as it get's...

Maybe not.  I have a kit in my stash, a Nichimo boxing, if I remember correctly, that I think is a copy of an American maker's kit of the P-38.  I think it's Aurora but I need to check.  I believe it was issued before Monogram came out with theirs.  The kit has the old idiot marks for decals, and it has post-war USAF national markings with the red bar added.  It also has a clear base for in-flight display, with globe detail on it.  I'm saving it for a nostalgia build.

I found one of the 1960's kit at a garage sale for $0.50. I built it as the droop snoot.

I also have one of the 1980's version with the nose guns that I built about 8 years ago.

Nicely done, Wolfman!  Aah-ooooooh!

I built the Hasegawa kit about 14 years ago, I remember it was quite straightforward but I didn't add enough nose-weight and had to glue it to a base :)

There's another 1/48 P-38 kit from Hobby Boss. I understand there are a few minor inaccuracies but it's really easy to build, as the upper wing and booms are all one piece.

An oldie but goodie.
Since i have a stash of kits I had accumulated over the years I have found great use for them by having my 11 year old son build them.

He built a couple of the Monogram 1/48 P-38's, he did a pretty good job.

I highly recommend introducing youngins to the joy of the hobby using this method.

First these kits can be cheaply had, they are great for getting little ones into building models and it's no big deal if they mess up because, they are not building one of your 50$$$ plus kits.

My son has built almost( and this is NO exaggeration) about 60 kits !!

I have a huge stash in the attic I built up over the years and didn't get around to doing anything until he got me back in. Lots of SMER, Russian stuff old AIRFIX, OLD REVELL and MONOGRAM. Supermodel even Japanese companies long gone.

I have a new attitude. Just build them don't worry, be happy.

He did want to build some nice "new tool" stuff so i bought him the 1/72 AIRFIX DeFiant and some HobbyBoss and he has done a pretty good job.

It takes time for kids to learn how to use the glue properly and that's where the old kits come in.

But I digress.

That p-38 is O.K. for the times in which it was built. I did manage a bunch of 1/48 Hasegawa P-38's at a close out for under $10 each and I had Joey have a go at one of them.

For those that posted pictures very nice work.