**** DONE: GB-50 1:48 P-38F-15-LO - Zombie Build

[Crimea_River]

Username: Crimea River
First name: Andy
Category: Judge – Non competing
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Academy
Model Type: P-38E
Aftermarket addons: Sky Decals, probably resin wheels

This build will be a continuation of a P-38F-15-LO, s/n 43-2166 flown by the 1st FG, 27th FS, Tunisia, 1943. Profile courtesy of Eduard.

This project was started 6 years ago for GB#24 and the thread can be found here: 1/48 P-38F-15-LO – Mediterranean Theatre of Operations

The Issue that caused me to move on to another project was that I ended up running out of time in the GB after having to form and pour my own resin upper engine cowl and it wasn't going well. The last update says that I poured a whole new cowl part, which I must have since installed at some point as there is no extra part in the box and the mould is empty. The resin part that is now on the model seems to have shrunk and so I added some putty and surface primer and, when I had a few minutes, I set about sanding the parts smooth, losing some surface detail in the process. Hopefully I'll now be able to move ahead with this build and give it a well-weathered paint job.

The overall model and the cowl look like this at the moment and I'll post further pics as and when there is progress.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Airframes]

Should be a good one - looking forward to the progress.

 

[rochie]

Nice one Andy

 

[fubar57]

Beauty

 

[Gnomey]

Good work so far Andy!

 

[Ralph Haus]

So much for limited bench time!!. The P-38 has always been my favorite US craft. Don't know why I never built one? I'll just have to settle, for now, with this vicarious build.

 

[imalko]

Great choice.

 

[T Bolt]

Good one Andy

 

[le_steph40]

Andy

 

[Wayne Little]

Nice Andy, have a Tamiya P-38F and the Eduard decal set to tackle this same aircraft at some stage...

 

[Crimea_River]

Thanks guys. Nothing going on as yet.

 

[Zippythehog]

Andy, the pics all look good. I'm curious as to why you needed a resin cowl?

 

[Crimea_River]

I bought the kit from a seller at a model show who assured me all the parts were there. The Academy kit boom halves include the cowl up to the prop but at the cutout for the wing there is very little plastic so one of the cowl pieces had broken off and disappeared. Fortunately each cowl is exactly the same so I built up the good one and used it for a mould to make the other that was missing one side.

 

[Wayne Little]

Question Andy...does this bird have Red wingtips or not , the new decals dont' show it and I can't tell on others from this squadron....?

 

[le_steph40]

Question Andy...does this bird have Red wingtips or not , the new decals dont' show it and I can't tell on others from this squadron....?

I don't know about this specific aircraft but it seems that the later P-38s of this unit wore red wingtips: P-38s 27FS
Other info, it seems that this aircraft was 43-2136, not 43-2166 43-2136

HTH

Edit: it seems that others aircrafts of the same group but other squadrons had painted wingtips (in other colors...?) 1st Fighter Group | American Air Museum in Britain

 

[Wayne Little]

Thanks Steph, saw that later pic in a search, but couldn't find anything definitive on the F's

 

[le_steph40]

I just edited my previous post

 

[Wayne Little]

Cheers Steph.

 

[le_steph40]

second row and third photo from the left
Hard to read the serial...