1/48 Academy F-5E Lightning

[Stikpusher]

Very nice! The cockpit looks great! I didn't know that this version of the P-38 was called the F-5E.

Yes, the F-4 and F-5 WWII USAAF photo recon aircraft were based off of the P-38. The difference being the base model. Any suffix to the F-5 nomenclature differentiate further Lightning sub variants.

Here is a list and article on all USAAF WWII F types.

https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/sto ... -fighters/

[Medicman71]

Interesting. Learn something everyday.

[KSaarni]

Interesting. Learn something everyday.

- Kari

[BlackSheep214]

Make that times three.... Interesting indeed.

[silentbob33]

When I bought the kit, I didn't realize it was the photo recon version, so when I got home and saw "F-5E" on the box I did some digging and learned about all that.

Here's a pic of the inside of the nose with my makeshift cameras inside (they're just some leftover bits from some Warhammer 40K kits).


I put some fishing sinkers and some bb's in the ends of the nacelles to keep it from tail sitting and closed her up.

[KennyX]

That’s coming along real nice!

[Stikpusher]

Put weights into the front end of the spinners as well. I did that on my P-38 build. The nosewheel too if need be. The center of gravity on a P-38 Model is way aft, so to balance it out, you have to weight down every forward area possible. I don’t know how I’ll do that on a Droop Snoot P-38....

[BlackSheep214]

P-38 Lightning kits are one of the few that are notorious tail sitters. I remember having done one in my youth years. Weights in the nose is not always enough as I’ve learned the hard way myself.

[LyleW]

Nice work!

[silentbob33]

I finally have paint on. The bottom had some kind of strange wrinkling on it, I'm not really sure what was going on there but I've fixed it the best I could. At least it's on the bottom where not too many people will be looking at it. I primed with flat black, then sprayed Testor's silver out of a rattlecan. After that dried I picked out a few panels with a couple shades of silver and aluminum. Since this plane was in the South Pacific at the end of WWII, I'm chipping a bit more paint than I usually do since those birds really took a beating from the elements.



I also got the props done as well. There's still a little bit of touching up to do here and there.