Airfix 1/72 P-38 Lightning at RAF Warmwell

[null_null981707818191]

As previously mentioned, I'm making a start on another RAF Warmwell aircraft, this time a P-38:

It's going to be 42-67799 of the 429th FS, 474th Fighter Group, code 7Y-P, based at Warmwell in 1944.

The rather quaint instructions suggest adding nose-weight: "suitable weight such as Plasticine should be added to nose" - but it doesn't give any actual weight. Anyone got any suggestions as to how many grams might be needed?

[paul71]

I built this some time ago and forgot to put the weight in the nose, so i would say put as much weight as you can get in as the tail is heavy compaired to the nose as i found out the hard way mine now has a bit of sprue under the tail to keep it up

paul

[Hurricane Boy]

NN98

not sure of the weight but I did build this kit about 60 years ago…I really like the clean lines of the early variants.

I will be interested to follow your build.

Tim

[Sailorman]

It's always difficult to balance tricycle aircraft. What I do is add lead weight to the nose then tape the fuselage together. I then add the wings, tail drop tanks etc using masking tape..... no glue at this stage. It is important that anything of significant weight that goes behind the position of the main wheel is added on.

I then use PVA to glue three lengths cut from toothpicks into the locating holes for the undercarriage. When these dry enough for the model to stand on them I check whether it balances correctly. If it is still a tail-sitter I simply open up the fuselage, add more weight and tape it together again.

It's best to err on the side of safety and add a tiny bit of extra weight to avoid any errors.

On thing to watch out for is that the toothpick "legs" must be at the same angle as that of the undercarriage legs. Some aircraft have their main gear leaning forwards. In the case of these aircraft keeping the toothpick legs perfectly vertical will give you the wrong result.

Good Luck

[Sailorman]

This is one I built many years ago.

[Sailorman]

I built this one some 50 years ago! It's the Revell kit. Lovely rivets don't you think!

As soon as Airfix release a new-mould kit of this plane I'll be buying it. Just love the aircraft!

[SD45elect2000]

Was it indeed the P-38 F model at RAF Warmwell ?

Edit: I found a photo online of 7-YP crashed and it’s a J model, possibly an L model.

Here is an F ( I think )Might be an H. Anyhow I confirm I do not have a Warmwell P-38

and a J ( pretty sure)

Randall

[Hurricane Boy]

Hi Randall

I was going to say that the Squadron Letters + Aircraft Letter are not really bullet proof for determining the type of aircraft and sub variant ….. for example, during WW 2, 419 Sqd RCAF lost almost 200 aircraft in about 3-1/2 years of combat so the Lancaster Mk X KB726 coded VR-A, that has as a tribute one of two flying Lanc’s in the world could have 7 other VR-A aircraft to share that code with and likely many more… Halifax’s and other Lanc’s.

Having said that, I googled Lockheed Lightning 42-67799 …. And you are absolutely correct…. A P-38J..

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/108592

Cheers,

Tim

[null_null981707818191]

Thanks for the advice regarding adding nose-weight - sounds a bit complicated, so I might simply add as much Liquid Gravity as I can fit in the available space and hope for the best!

And thanks for posting the P-38 pictures Randall and Sailorman. And I thought the Hurricane IIB had a lot of rivet detail!

I've found several pictures on various sites of 474th Fighter Group aircraft taken at Warmwell - albeit that most of them are indeed P-38-J planes. I can't find any in colour, and the b/w pictures suggest that spinners were painted other than olive drab or black. I did find a picture with a key that stated the serial numbers were in yellow, so I'll have to see if I can order some yellow numbers from Hannants.

[SD45elect2000]

Hi Randall

I was going to say that the Squadron Letters + Aircraft Letter are not really bullet proof for determining the type of aircraft and sub variant ….. for example, during WW 2, 419 Sqd RCAF lost almost 200 aircraft in about 3-1/2 years of combat so the Lancaster Mk X KB726 coded VR-A, that has as a tribute one of two flying Lanc’s in the world could have 7 other VR-A aircraft to share that code with and likely many more… Halifax’s and other Lanc’s.

Having said that, I googled Lockheed Lightning 42-67799 …. And you are absolutely correct…. A P-38J..

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/108592

Cheers,

Tim

 

 

Hi Tim,

 

 

I certainly see your point and it is something worth remembering. My logic was that the US squadron wasn’t in Warmwell that long , certainly not as long as the RAF groups. My thinking was that there just wasn’t enough time to suffer that many losses that quickly, I would think the P-38 would have been withdrawn from the theatre if that was the case.

 

 

Thanks for the tip!

Randall

[SD45elect2000]

Thanks for the advice regarding adding nose-weight - sounds a bit complicated, so I might simply add as much Liquid Gravity as I can fit in the available space and hope for the best!

And thanks for posting the P-38 pictures Randall and Sailorman. And I thought the Hurricane IIB had a lot of rivet detail!

I've found several pictures on various sites of 474th Fighter Group aircraft taken at Warmwell - albeit that most of them are indeed P-38-J planes. I can't find any in colour, and the b/w pictures suggest that spinners were painted other than olive drab or black. I did find a picture with a key that stated the serial numbers were in yellow, so I'll have to see if I can order some yellow numbers from Hannants.

 

 

I just tape a dowel to the mostly assembled model and pile on the weight until it’s nose heavy. Then I glue them in forward cavities. Nose cone, engine nacelles etc.

 

 

I have a number of P-38s in my unbuilt collection, I am interested enough to do some research of my own.

 

 

I don’t have any P-38s with yellow codes, worth looking into, mine are all white.

 

 

Randall

[Sailorman]

I try to avoid putting excessive amounts of weight as this will over time distort the landing gear legs and spread the wheels out. Very much so in the case of the P-38 as the wheels are stuck off centre on the landing leg. This happened to my Revell Lightning and I ended up having to cut off the landing gear and scratchbuild a new one.

[null_null981707818191]

Thanks Patrick - a very good tip, I think. I'll try by just putting it in the space indicated in the 'instructions' and see how it balances.

[null_null981707818191]

So now I have a dilemma. Further research leads me to the conclusion that the P-38s in use at Warmwell were indeed the 'J' variant, whilst the Airfix version that I managed to find is an 'F' version (the main visual, external difference would appear to be the engine air intakes). So do I ditch the model - at least as part of the ongoing Warmwell project, or carry on, knowing that I'm going to upset the purists? That's the problem with building a particular (rather than generic) aircraft as a scale model. Still, that didn't seem to bother the designer of BT-K....

[Ratch]

You're building for yourself so do what makes you happy. I've built things that I later found was wrong. It didn't spoil the enjoyment I got from building them, but gave me an excuse to build another model.

[SD45elect2000]

So now I have a dilemma. Further research leads me to the conclusion that the P-38s in use at Warmwell were indeed the 'J' variant, whilst the Airfix version that I managed to find is an 'F' version (the main visual, external difference would appear to be the engine air intakes). So do I ditch the model - at least as part of the ongoing Warmwell project, or carry on, knowing that I'm going to upset the purists? That's the problem with building a particular (rather than generic) aircraft as a scale model. Still, that didn't seem to bother the designer of BT-K....

 

 

Im posting my collection of P-38s, perhaps that will help you make a choice. There are several noteworthy differences between the F and the J model,

 

 

 

 

Randall

[peebeep]

Your build, your rules. For any purists observing, it's actually none of their business.

[Dominic Thomas]

It’s all a case of how you market it.

If it’s meant to be a precise replica, then everything has to be spot on.

If it’s an example of a particular type, then you build what’s available and you qualify it with an explanation in some form.

As peebeep says, ‘your build, your rules’.

[Matthias Muth]

What about this?

The plane was on a training flight and landed in Warnwell, only 9th AF was there, no other US units.

Matthias

aka modelldoc

[null_null981707818191]

"Your build, your rules" seems to offer some comfort! I think I'll finish the build and apply the decals that would be appropriate to the 'J' version that was actually at Warmwell - I know it'll be inaccurate, but hey-ho....

As I mentioned in another reply to Randall's excellent pictures of his P-38 collection, I think in future I'll stick to more easily identified and sourced RAF aircraft!

But as Ratch wisely says, I'm building for myself, so hopefully the final outcome will make me vaguely happy.

[null_null981707818191]

I'm sure that there are other differences between the 'F' version of the P-38 (the Airfix kit that I'm struggling with at the moment) and the 'J' version (which is what I wanted to build) but the main visual one seems to be the air intakes. I've agonised over whether to bother finishing it, as I wanted it to be as flown from RAF Warmwell, and I think I might have found a solution, in the form of Quickboost 'Correct air intakes for a P-38J'. So I'm going to try a little surgery - it might all go horribly wrong, but who knows. Here are a couple of pictures of the current intakes, and a picture of the resin part!

[null_null981707818191]

Stage 1 of the air intake conversion surgery is now complete - quite pleased thus far - waiting for the CA to cure completely before getting stuck in to the filler. Milliput or Plasto? Not sure yet...

[SD45elect2000]

Quickboost also makes the entire engine nacelle. Many of my J models have been changed to the Quickboost parts.

In my collection there are two makes; I have Academy/Italeri with the incorrect nacelles and Dragon with the correct shapes. With the Quickboost parts they all match.

Randall

[null_null981707818191]

Unfortunately, there is no QB part made for the Airfix kit! I'm making an attempt to create something that looks more like a 'J' than the 'F', really so that I can use the decals and decorate it as planned. As I said in an earlier post, hereafter I'm going to stick to British/RAF aircraft!

But it's an interesting experiment in terms of conversion surgery, which I haven't attempted before, so even if it doesn't look perfect, I'll have learned something along the way.

[null_null981707818191]

I decided to go with Milliput rather than Plasto, because it's got to stick to plastic as well as resin. No pictures of this stage, because it's just a yellowy-grey blobby lump on each nacelle!