Fellow twin engine fighter builders,
I finally finished the Revell P-38J! I picked this kit up at Michael's & used a 50% off coupon. As I walked to the register, I thought to myself: "How bad can it be?" This model will definitely challenge you. Make sure you have some putty & sandpaper, there are fitment issues.
I didn't care for the decals that came with the kit, so I purchased the Super Scale set that included "St Louis Blues" from the 433 fighter squadron /475 fighter group that flew in the Phillippines in 1944. Because this was a relatively inexpensive kit, I figured it would be a good time to try out a natural metal finish. After construction of the airframe was complete, I primed the model with Mr. Surfacer 1000. I then shot the entire plane with Alclad II white aluminum. Once dry (it dries quickly), I taped off a few panels & shot Alclad II duraluminum for contrast. Once this was dry, I was able to tape off the anti-glare paint on the nose & twin booms. I had trouble finding references for this particular aircraft. The top half of the Super Scale sheet said that the anti-glare paint was olive drab. The bottom half of the sheet said that it was black. I saw a few pacific P-38Js with black anti-glare paint & liked the look of it. I'm not sure if it is historically accurate, but I like the black.
It was a fun kit to build & definitely helps develop your modeling skills. After using Alclad II, I'm no longer afraid of natural metal finishes. This stuff was very easy to use & it looks great. My lightning has a new home on the mantle with the other WWII birds that I've built. Here are 2 pics:
