I am bidding on this Hasegawa kit on Ebay and was wondering if it is a good kit or not? I don’t want to pursue an auction if the kit is not that good.
I appreciate your input guys.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5908436824&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT
Thanks
Mike
There was a great deal of criticism of those Hasegawa P-38 kits when they came because they had awful fit problems all over. The detail and engraving are beautiful, though. My build of a Hasegawa J was a nighmare, but I made it worse by adding every aftermarket gadget – cutting open access doors, etc. – you could possibly put in or on that kit. The Academy – or was it Minicraft? – somebody help me – was widely recommended at the time. I recall reviewers suggesting you buy that one, with its good fit and accurate lines and reasonable price, and add aftermarket details if you wanted. I don’t know about the latter from experience, only reviews and talk around the LHS.
Tom
gggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…Mike, i built the Hasegawa P-38H…
the engineering was atrocious…[:(!]
the elements fitting into the MLG w/w’s was, at best, poor…[:(!].
the w/w fit to the booms…was poor…[:(!]
the booms to the wings fit was…worse than poor…get ready to fill and sand…
the underwing filet’s areas…[:(!]
aside from those elements…for me the only redeeming value of the kit was that at the time it was the only “H” on the market in 1/48 and the surface detail was well rendered…
i can only imagine the rests of the that line will be the same…
best of luck to ya…if your winning bid is around $.50…it might be worth the effort you’ll put into it down the road…
i had an easier time backdating a Monogram P-51D to an “A” and repositioning all the flight controls…than struggling with that Lightning.
JUST FINISH THE ONES YOU HAVE PLEASE!!![;)] lets see, if you have tamiya’s F-15 and you are thinking of buying the P-38…according to my calculations, that should last you for the rest of you natural born life as far as building goes!!![:P] looks like a pretty cool kit from my house mike, though i’ve only assembled one hasegawa kit. the fit was good and the detail was good too. man, i’m gonna have to start shopping at ebay too. later.
Thanks for the input guys.
It looks like it is another not so good kit so I am going to hope the bidding goes higher and I will let it go.
I appreciate your help.
Mike
the revell P-38J was crap to, i just finished mine out of the box and from where the parts don’t fit to each other, you could stand 15 ft away and it still doesn’t look good, the canopy was the worst. im just counting down the days to scratchbuild the heck out of that thing
I remember first opening that Hasegawa P-38 and was absolutely thrilled at how many sprues full of nice, detailed parts they crammed in there. And the kit color scheme was great, with that Colubia blue trim all over NM surfaces. But the aftermarket sets from Aeromaster and many others were even better. Lots of good pinup girls, etc. But then I started to build, and long before you get to the boom-to-wingjoint step, you know you’re into potentially build-ending trouble. Considering how many test shots they build before making a worldwide release of these major-manufacturer kits, it is unforgivable for Haseqawa to release that kit as it was. The HAD to know the problems, and it was expensive enough that we should have paid for fit quality in the deal.
my cousin got I belive a revell of germany a P-38b and he did a good gob on it.If you are still looking for a P-38 then there is a web site calle www.hobbylinc.com it is a web site with name brand modle kits reduced in price! that is were I got my B-26 marauder for $16.00 retail is $25.00! I got a good deal maybe it will come in handy with other modlers
Speaking of that ancient, immortal Monogram P-38, where you can build at least a semblance of every single version ever made, I’ve seen people work miracles on it before we got state-of-the-art kits. Bill Koster of KosterAeroEnterprises made simple vac-formed detail and correction kit for the Monogram model and it absolutely transformed that kit. Wheel wells with detail, different P-38 versions in corrected form, I could go on and on. And it was (still is?) very reasonably priced. But then, Koster, in my opinion, is the best bargain in all of modeling considering all the mixed media parts, huge, beautiful decal sheets, careful research and engineering… This little company is what modeling is all about. And if you haven’t used Bill Koster’s products, you’re really missing out on one of the great little secrets of modeling. No, I’m not a paid shill for Koster. But I’ve spoken to him on the phone a few times. If you have a problem or a question, he’s more than happy to take time out to give you a hand.
Ummm Mike not sure if ya noticed…maybe you missed it… but thats a P-38 not an F15 [;)], just go back a few more years and ya got a DR1 [^].
-Jeff
Mike, the Hasegawa 1/48 P-38 kits are more detailed & accurate OOB than the Academy or Monogram kits, but it is a difficult build. If you decide to build one, I strongly suggest you pick up Bert Kinzey’s Detail In Scale book on the P-38 as it has some very helpful advice on assembling the Hasegawa kits and will make the build a little easier.
Regards, Rick
The hasagawa P-38 does have some fit problems especially where the booms attach to the wings but with some work it can be made into a nice model 
That would explain why it doesn’t have jet engines then! [:p]
DR.1? Why do you like that ugly airplane? My pick-up is faster. [(-D]
Mike
Thanks Rick.
So is the Hasegawa the best P-38 out there or is there a good one?
Mike
Is there a twin-boom aircraft model that does not have fit problems? My build of the elegantly simple little 1/48 Hobbycraft Canada de Havilland Vampire was held up for a week due to fitting, sanding, refitting, sanding, filling, ad nauseam, on the boom-to-wing joints. Come to think of it, I’d like to do another one. Is it still out there? And does Monogram Black Widow have this same problem, it being ancient as it is? (I fournd an original ad for it, their Vietnam Navy Skyraider and TBD in a 1971 model magazine.)
I was outbid on that P-38 kit so I guess I will not pursue it.
I won another kit auction anyhow…an Academy SU-27 [;)]
Mike
Hi. I have build both the Hasegawa and the Monogram models; I’m not an expert modeler but I like the Hasegawa for the detail, though it takes more time building it. But I add, I own Monogram’s old models in all the offered versions in the box (J “Marge”, Dropsnoot, Night Fighter and Photo recce)and I’m very happy with them. The only minus I got is the lack of landing bay details. In the other hand, You can get them new for less than $10.