Some kits are a joy to put together, and some aren’t. This one was a battle. Not a bad kit mind you but not an easy one either. I you just go and glue the heck out of it as is, you’re going to find out the hard way things like booms and tail planes don’t line up. You have to MAKE the thing line up and the kit seems to have a mind of it’s own and won’t. Had a lot of fun there. I won.
I used the TD cockpit set, which actually is the KMC set, repackaged as a TD set. Fit there could have been a lot better. Lots of sanding, filing, cutting and swearing to get that baby in there. It looks nice but again, another battle. I also used TD’s resin wheel set.
I drilled the front MG’s. Will someone please do the front MG’s in resin? This kit is screaming for a nice set of replacement MG’s because the kit parts are yeech! I used them because I had too. The antenna is stretched sprue and decals are superscale. The model is marked as the mount of Capt. Lawrence Blumer, 343rd FS, 479th FG, flying from Wattisham England during August, 1944.
I did the NMF by first spraying the model over all Testors silver from a rattle can. Then, I picked what panels I wanted to paint and used Testors Metalizer AND Alclad II to hi-light those panels. After all was dry and I hit it with a coat of sealer, I further weathered the model with thinned oils. I used the back side of a #11 blade to ‘chip’ the paint on the anti-glare panels. I forget how much weight I added to keep her on the nose gear but it was a lot. I like to see planes that are supposed to sit a certain way, sit that way without any prop ups.
The lighting in the pictures is a little off but that’s my horrible photography. I think the kit came out OK. Could have been better but I know more for the next one. Thanks for looking and have a great day everyone!
That’s one mean looking lightning, Freddie! I like how the NMF came out.
Have you re-touched the canopy with Future? If not you may want to give it a light go-over to add a little extra shine that will nicely contrast the weathering you;ve done.
Nicely done Freddie. The kit can be a challenge, but is the best detailed Lightning available in 1/48. As you have probably already learned, the key in construction is getting the wheel well bays correctly installed in the booms, not an easy task. Get them right & the rest of the build isn’t too bad. Get them even slightly wrong & you’ve got yourself a wrestling match.
Very nice work there. I did the same kit and fought with the boom/nancelle joint to the wings. Lots o’ sanding! Looks like a little wash seeped under your decals. I had the same problem too. It’s real noticable with BMFinishes. I always have to seal the decals before weathering.
Fjs3, I’m in the process of building the same kit with the same brand of decals and the same cockpit!!! I messed the placement of my cockpit up, and subsequently I had trouple with the middle fuselage. You’re right the guns in the kit suck. Your job looks pretty good!
reef, the windows did roll down, but the top of the canopy flipped open. Fjs is displaying his with windows down.
Hey reef-Are you building the F? If you are and have the ability to scan the instructions, well, that would make building mine a little bit easier. I lost them before I could get started.
I think the machine guns your ordered are for the tail guns of the B-17 which is the only one I have seen with the muzzle deflectors. The P-38 guns are really bare as it is. The build looks very good and I would pass on the future because the weathering goes well with the not-so-clear canopy.
