**** DONE: GB-49 1/48 P-38M Lightning - WW2 Night Fighter

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Davecww1

Airman 1st Class
236
470
Jan 31, 2021
User name: Davecww1
First name: Dave
Category: Advanced
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer/Model: Monogram P-38 J Lightning
Extras: Koster vacuform conversion, True Details Wheels, Ultracast seat, leftover Eduard photoetched bits

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This is the 1/48 scale Monogram kit with the 1964 issue date still on the inside of the wing and on the bottom of the tailplane. It's been reissued in the Revell box and contains parts to build several versions. Here are various photos of how I prepared the upper wing and attached the radar operators compartment and hollowed out the scoops on the upper wing. Next I took a file to the bottom side of the wingtip to give it the swept up appearance that the kit didn't get right. I like making simple improvements to the original kit.
 

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Would have but I started this about a month ago and just joined the forum 2 days ago, it would be unfair to put it in the group build as the rules state you must start it February 1st.
 
Also drilled out the scoops on the booms and hollowed them out with a sharp #11 X-acto blade. Also cut out the solid air intakes and put some brass screen inside. Not to scale but will look OK with a coat of black paint. I also thinned the rear doors behind the radiator and added a piece of sheet plastic inside to avoid seeing through the front scoops. All interior of the radiators was painted flat black before gluing the booms together.
 

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Thanks for the detailed photos Mlflyer. I have a little help to improve on the back cockpit that I will show later. Do you have anything showing the rear seat? I have read somewhere that there was no seat, just a board on the floor, but the photo you posted shows the seatbelt harness, unless it's just hanging over the armored plate and there is no actual seat.
 
There are 2 main deficiencies with the Monogram kit, the wheel wells are flat and smooth, unlike the actual landing gear bay built by Lockheed. The second was the lack of detail for the radar operators compartment. I have an old Koster vacuform conversion set for the P-38 that addresses these problems. Unfortunately it is discontinued and Bill Koster passed away last year so they are getting hard to find, but needed if you want to detail the Monogram kit.
 

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