P-38 Lightning group build - Are we there yet???

Since I, too am a p-38 rookie, I picked up the Detail and Scale book.  I highly recommend it.  I have already learned a bit about what I am building.  No rear cockpit pics on the -M though.  Through the art of gizmology, I think I will make mine look good and functional though.  If the P-38 police show up at my house.... well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. 

Cheers,

Greg

Alright Vance. May be a week or two before I get started, have something else to finish up first. I vaguely remember building one or two of these in the 60's. Hopefully this one will turn out a little better...

Tony

Greg - if the P-38 police do show up, I didn't send them!

Tony - I'm in the same boat. I'm determined to finish up a couple of things first & work is interfering after-hours. Remembrance Day tomorrow, took a vacation day Friday... looking good for tying up loose ends!

Hi Greg.

There is a photo of the rear cockpit of the P-38M on page 72 of the Squadron Walk Around book, if it's not too late for you.

Cheers

Tony

Tony, thanks!  I will get that book ASAP!

Cheers,

Greg

Let me know where you find one. Squadron doesn't even have it listed.

The saying "you snooze, you lose", would be appropriate here.  I saw that Greatmodels had a copy in stock, but decided to check my local hobby shops first.  Mistake.  Now Greatmodels is out, and nobody local has it.  Oh well, there are a couple of over priced ones on ebay, so I think I'll pass for now.  Amazon has some used ones, but seeing as how they think it is cool to sell books on how to be a successful pedophile, I don't think I will EVER be giving them my business.  Not much photographable progress here.  My camera is not very good with close in detail.  I add little pieces of wire, with white glue balls on the end, for the throttles, mixture, and propellor controls.  Added wire pieces for window crank handles too.  Came out pretty good.  I've done some other odds and ends too, just not a lot.

Cheers,

Greg

Well, my Lightning's underway!

Got the various cockpit bits primed, sprayed with MM Interior Green, and got a lot of the little details painted. Then I picked up the Detail & Scale for the P-38J and up, and realized I'd gotten a few details wrong. More painting. Also installed some brass wire for the throttle/mixture/prop/etc levers.

Looking to make a bit more progress tonight and hopefully get the cockpit closer to a place where pictures might be worthwhile. That and I'm trying to sort out my plans for installing mesh behind the various boom intakes. 

I haven't started yet, but hope to anytime now. This is the Academy 1/72 P-38J "European theater", it comes with markings for Arkansas Traveller and California Cutie. Being from California and prefering the scantily clad variety of nose art I'll be doing it as California Cutie.

Bring on the California Cutie!

Technically, you could say I started my build last nite. Snipped out all but the smallest parts and got a lot of them cleaned up. Gonna be quite a few ejection pin marks to deal with and a couple sink marks but it's really in pretty good shape for a kit that was trademarked in '64. The landing gear bays are pretty sad though.  I don't know whether to box them in and add some detail or just build it and paint it.

Tony

Progress!

The cockpit's wrapping up.Still seems plain, but I don't really feel like going all scratchbuilding crazy. Gonna take a second look tonight after I box it all in.

Too late for me to join the fun?

I've already built the P-38J and the F-5 variants, and my plan for the 3rd Monogram kit is the P-38M night fighter {not started yet}.  All are 1/48th scale.

ok,, guys.. I'm wheels up... ! doing a crossover with the Weekend Madness build..

Started on the Revellogram P-38M Friday night at 9 pm EST,, pics soon!

Got the pit all glued up last night. Word of warning to anybody using the Ultracast seat with the Monogram kit - the seat sits too tall for the headrest. My file set got a good workout!

AHA - thanks for the heads-up Doogs, as I just ordered that Ultracast seat. (I know, I planned on working OOB on this one, but my local guy couldn't source the decals I wanted, so I went to Sprue Bros... now I've got a little box of goodies on its way to me )

Meshing in those air intakes seems like it has to be done. I haven't looked for any good pics of that area yet. Gotta think of an appropriate mesh option without going nuts. I'm actually thinking of using some thick styrene sheet cut to shape, then etching the pattern with a scriber, then "reverse washing" to give it some depth. Thoughts??

mph34 - never too late to join so long as you're bringing a new (or almost new) build to the table, welcome aboard. I'll add you to the list up front. Seems to be a few of us working the nightfighter option, it'll be interesting to compare the final products.

VanceCrozier

Meshing in those air intakes seems like it has to be done. I haven't looked for any good pics of that area yet. Gotta think of an appropriate mesh option without going nuts. I'm actually thinking of using some thick styrene sheet cut to shape, then etching the pattern with a scriber, then "reverse washing" to give it some depth. Thoughts??

There are some great pics in the Detail and Scale book. I spend way more time on the Jug last night than I intended, so I only got to look at the booms and think about the mesh. The challenge is going to be fact that the intakes kind of bulge out from the booms, so it's pretty much impossible to wield the contour gauge. I'm thinking about doing the opposite and cutting some sheet styrene to the contour of the outside of the intakes, then sanding and filing down until it fits.

Then I'll use the plastic as a template for some brass mesh I picked up for a planned T-34 build.

That's about the simplest way I can think of...

VanceCrozier I did something like that on my P-38 build sometime back. I cut some cardstock to fit then went to the local tobacco shop and got some waterpipe screens, was only a buck or so for a bunch of them, and they are very fine brass screen. Anyway a bit of thin superglue for the screen to cardstock then trimmed the screen to the cardstock. If you cut the screen before you glue it to the plastic it tends to unravell and fall apart.  A bit of painting and washing and they looked really good to me. I use this trick alot

hmmmm - styrene as a backer, styrene as a template - both good ideas...thanks gents,

[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]ok fellas and any ladies..

 update so far.. this is also my 48hr Madness group build entry,, I did not get it done in time.. but its close..

here we go..Ebay find... Revellogram P-38, done as the P-38M night fighter.. basicly outa the box,, I did add some screens to the radiators and intakes..

it was missing some parts and I robbed a crashed hanger queen for parts, and I had to cast in resin a supercharger[View:/themes/fsm/utility/

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I made boo boo here.. got the piggy back to far back.. my suggestion for others... use the roll down side windows as a guide on how far bacj it needs to be.. mine came up about 1/16' to short..

the cockpit had been started,, so I redid it. heres a before

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here it is redone..[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

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ok,, part duex...[View:/themes/fsm/utility/:550:0]

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fit issuse ? no way!!:550:0]

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[casting the super charger

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Holy cow - 48-hour madness or what?! GO P38, GO!!!!

Lookin' good buddy, I'm just waiting for my extras to get here before I get into it. (I've also got a few others to finish off first.)

Not to mention the fact that I'm sponging P-38 knowledge off of several people here right now!

I would like to join the build if possible.  I have already started the build, but its beatin me up and throwin unexpected curves at me.  This is gonna make a lego p38 look 1:1 scale. 

Some have already seens these.

This was one of my first improve attempt as the seat and yoke were bare.

More later....

Would like to join in with Acadamy's 1/48 P-38F Glacier Girl , although I'll be going with alternate markings.  Glacier Girl is a BEAUTIFULLY restored warbird, but I'm going to build a nicely weathered wartime bird. Will be OOB with a little dressing up where needed.

Howard 

Ripcord, showing a lot of improvising with the cockpit, looks good - welcome aboard.

Howard, good to have you in the GB as well, looking forward to seeing what the Academy kit is like compared to all these Revell kits that are everywhere. Kind of makes me wonder how many kits there really are of the P-38?

I've added you both to the build list on page 1, feel free to grab either one of those badges & add to your signature, if you're into that!

Oh, and for anybody looking for pics... I've got a book titled "Cockpits" that has a good detail view of the instrument panel & a little of the forward cockpit sides.

Vance, thanks for the invite, I need to gather a few bits and pieces together and I'll be starting at the beginning of December so yes please add me to the list on page one, hope I wont be late? I will be building the Academy P 38F, hoping to get some resin wheels and some eduard stuff.

Cheers...

Never too late, and we're keeping it pretty laid-back as well. I'll add your name to the build list. Drop in anytime, there are a few guys that have started cockpits/interiors (with pics), one who has done most of his over a 48-hour period as part of another GB and a bunch of us who are still thinking really hard about it! And feel free to grab the badge anytime you want, the more of us displaying it, the more people we could attract in the meantime. Talk to you later,

Think I'm going to be slowing down a bit, gents. Focusing mostly on the Jug at the moment, and I've decided to break down and order some pre-fit weights. I'll keep going with the bits I can tackle ahead of time while I'm waiting for the P-47 to dry as it goes through painting.

DoogsATX

Think I'm going to be slowing down a bit, gents. Focusing mostly on the Jug at the moment, and I've decided to break down and order some pre-fit weights. I'll keep going with the bits I can tackle ahead of time while I'm waiting for the P-47 to dry as it goes through painting.

are the pre-fit weights for the P-38 ?..

if so,, u can use wheel wieghts,, the lead is soft enough to cut with wire cutters, then squish them w pliers to form them,, which kit are u doing again ?