In Box Review of Monogram 1/48th Scale U.S. Lockheed P-38L Lightning
Kit no. 6848
By Ray Mehlberger
My kit is out of production. It has a copyright date of 1973. It can still be found a few places on the net for $30.00.
By Ray Mehlberger
My kit is out of production. It has a copyright date of 1973. It can still be found a few places on the net for $30.00.
HISTORY:
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is a World War II-era American piston-engine fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Allied propaganda claimed it had been nicknamed the fork-tailed devil (German: der Gabelschwanz-Teufel) by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot"
The P-38 was used for interception, dive bombing, level bombing, ground attack, night fighting, photo reconnaissance, radar and visual pathfinding for bombers and evacuation missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings.
The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the aircraft of America's top aces, Richard Bong (40 victories), Thomas McGuire (38 victories) and Charles H. MacDonald (27 victories). In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war.
The P-38 was unusually quiet for a fighter, since the exhaust was muffled by the turbo-superchargers. It was extremely forgiving and could be mishandled in many ways but the rate of roll in the early versions was too low for it to excel as a dog fighter. The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in high-volume production throughout American involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to Victory over Japan Day. At the end of the war, orders for 1,887 more were cancelled.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Heavy fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Lockheed
Designer: Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
First flight: 27 January 1939
Introduction to service: July 1941
Retired: 1965 Honduran Air Force
Primary users: U.S. Army Air Forces, Free French Air Force
Produced: 1941–45
Number built: 10,037
Unit cost: US $97,147 in 1944
Developed into: Lockheed XP-49, Lockheed XP-5
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is a World War II-era American piston-engine fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Allied propaganda claimed it had been nicknamed the fork-tailed devil (German: der Gabelschwanz-Teufel) by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot"
The P-38 was used for interception, dive bombing, level bombing, ground attack, night fighting, photo reconnaissance, radar and visual pathfinding for bombers and evacuation missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings.
The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the aircraft of America's top aces, Richard Bong (40 victories), Thomas McGuire (38 victories) and Charles H. MacDonald (27 victories). In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war.
The P-38 was unusually quiet for a fighter, since the exhaust was muffled by the turbo-superchargers. It was extremely forgiving and could be mishandled in many ways but the rate of roll in the early versions was too low for it to excel as a dog fighter. The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in high-volume production throughout American involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to Victory over Japan Day. At the end of the war, orders for 1,887 more were cancelled.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Heavy fighter
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Lockheed
Designer: Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
First flight: 27 January 1939
Introduction to service: July 1941
Retired: 1965 Honduran Air Force
Primary users: U.S. Army Air Forces, Free French Air Force
Produced: 1941–45
Number built: 10,037
Unit cost: US $97,147 in 1944
Developed into: Lockheed XP-49, Lockheed XP-5
THE KIT:
Monogram is an old prolific model company based in Morton Grove, IL. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art show the model made up against an all white background, similar to how Tamiya does the majority of their box arts too. It is bare metal with a black fuselage code KLN, yellow spinners, black serial no. 328430 on a black triangle on the outside of the rudders and a black N on the insides. Black anti-glare panel and black panels inboard on the cowlings. Black propeller blades with yellow tips and manufacturer's logos on the blades.
One side panel has a one paragraph history of the P-38, over the copyright date of 1966 and Monogram's address in Morton Grove, IL, kit made and printed in USA and a side profile of the model in the box art scheme.
Monogram is an old prolific model company based in Morton Grove, IL. They manufacture all manner of model subjects in the popular scales.
This kit comes in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art show the model made up against an all white background, similar to how Tamiya does the majority of their box arts too. It is bare metal with a black fuselage code KLN, yellow spinners, black serial no. 328430 on a black triangle on the outside of the rudders and a black N on the insides. Black anti-glare panel and black panels inboard on the cowlings. Black propeller blades with yellow tips and manufacturer's logos on the blades.
One side panel has a one paragraph history of the P-38, over the copyright date of 1966 and Monogram's address in Morton Grove, IL, kit made and printed in USA and a side profile of the model in the box art scheme.
The other side panel has 3 color photos of the model made up with "Jeanne" on the nose (more about this scheme later).
The other side panel has 3 color photos of the model made up with "Jeanne" on the nose (more about this scheme later).
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains 4 bright-silver trees, a jet-black tree, clear tree, decal sheet and instructions.
Trees are not cello bagged, alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions. This means a careful hunt for parts needed in each of the assemblies. Bad move Monogram !
Parts have broken off trees. Parts have lightly raised panel lines.
The instructions consist of a large 17" x 22" format sheet, folded several times to fit the box.
It contains 8 assembly steps, the history of the P-38, conversion instructions to make either a P-38M nightfighter, a F-5B photo-recon. version or a Pathfinder version with lots of text.
Schemes are shown for 6 different P-38's as 3-view's.
1st scheme: A P-38L fighter-bomber in overall bare metal with red 5413 on sides of the nose and a red serial no. 425413 on the rudder sides.Black anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen.
2nd scheme; A P-38J fighter-bomber in overall bare metal. This is the box art scheme (already described above).
3rd scheme: Another P-38J fighter-bomber in olive-drab over light gray undercarriage, red 378 on sides of the nose, large letter K on inside of the rudders in black, with the bottom of the rudders below the K in white. A large white circle on the outside of the rudders.
4th scheme: A P-38M night fighter that is overall bare metal. It says Night Lightning on the sides of its nose in black. Serial no. on the rudders is black 426865.
5th scheme: A P-38 photo recon version. It is olive drab overall with black and white invasion stripes around the fuselage booms and the bottom of the wings. Black anti-glare panel in front of the windshield, fuselage code black S9.
6th scheme: A pathfinder version in overall bare metal, with a black anti-glare panel in front of the windshield and black serial no. 425413 on the rudders.
1st bright-silver tree holds: halves of one of the booms, elevator, cowl fronts, fuel tanks, floor and side walls of cockpit, alternate nose cones (23 parts)
This kit contains 4 bright-silver trees, a jet-black tree, clear tree, decal sheet and instructions.
Trees are not cello bagged, alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions. This means a careful hunt for parts needed in each of the assemblies. Bad move Monogram !
Parts have broken off trees. Parts have lightly raised panel lines.
The instructions consist of a large 17" x 22" format sheet, folded several times to fit the box.
It contains 8 assembly steps, the history of the P-38, conversion instructions to make either a P-38M nightfighter, a F-5B photo-recon. version or a Pathfinder version with lots of text.
Schemes are shown for 6 different P-38's as 3-view's.
1st scheme: A P-38L fighter-bomber in overall bare metal with red 5413 on sides of the nose and a red serial no. 425413 on the rudder sides.Black anti-glare panel in front of the windscreen.
2nd scheme; A P-38J fighter-bomber in overall bare metal. This is the box art scheme (already described above).
3rd scheme: Another P-38J fighter-bomber in olive-drab over light gray undercarriage, red 378 on sides of the nose, large letter K on inside of the rudders in black, with the bottom of the rudders below the K in white. A large white circle on the outside of the rudders.
4th scheme: A P-38M night fighter that is overall bare metal. It says Night Lightning on the sides of its nose in black. Serial no. on the rudders is black 426865.
5th scheme: A P-38 photo recon version. It is olive drab overall with black and white invasion stripes around the fuselage booms and the bottom of the wings. Black anti-glare panel in front of the windshield, fuselage code black S9.
6th scheme: A pathfinder version in overall bare metal, with a black anti-glare panel in front of the windshield and black serial no. 425413 on the rudders.
1st bright-silver tree holds: halves of one of the booms, elevator, cowl fronts, fuel tanks, floor and side walls of cockpit, alternate nose cones (23 parts)
2nd bright-silver tree holds:the halves of the other boom, rockets, ammo case, bulkhead etc. (20 parts)
2nd bright-silver tree holds:the halves of the other boom, rockets, ammo case, bulkhead etc. (20 parts)
3rd bright-silver tree holds the upper wing half.
3rd bright-silver tree holds the upper wing half.
4th bright-silver tree holds: lower wings half, propellers, pilot, landing gear legs etc. (20 parts).
4th bright-silver tree holds: lower wings half, propellers, pilot, landing gear legs etc. (20 parts).
The jet-black tree holds the wheels, radar pod, superchargers, etc. (35 parts).
Clear tree holds: cockpit canopy, wing light and camera lenses (19 parts)
Clear tree holds: cockpit canopy, wing light and camera lenses (19 parts)
In addition to the markings for the 6 schemes, the decal sheet has a lot of stencil markings on it and the dashboard instruments.
In addition to the markings for the 6 schemes, the decal sheet has a lot of stencil markings on it and the dashboard instruments.
This completes the kits contents.
Nice raised detail.
Nice raised detail.
Highly recommended.