Hi All!
I’ve been lurking and absorbing here for quite a while now. I have a question but first, I need to thank everyone for all that you do to help each other in so many ways. I am amazed at how much I have improved my skills just by reading all the tips and tricks you all so freely offer. I am retired now and have come back to modeling after leaving it back in my teens for family and career. I love it all over again even though my skills are middling (but improving) at best. I am regularly stunned by some of the work I see displayed in this and other groups. While maybe a bit intimidating, it makes me want to hone my skills that much more. On to my question…
I am currently building Tamiya’s wonderful P-38J. I have chosen the camo paint scheme of Maj. Joseph Myers of the 38th FS, 55th FG, out of Nuthampstead air base, which is where my father was based when he flew as a bombardier aboard a B-17G. I like to think maybe they crossed paths at some point, maybe even enjoyed a beer or two. Anyway, I am trying to do this kit (and Maj. Myers) justice, which leads me to wonder how the wheel bays were painted, if at all. I’ve searched through photos and though it looks like the inside of the gear doors may have been painted chromate or interior green, I have no idea how the rest of the inside surfaces were treated. If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
Chris
Hi, Chris! Sorry, I can’t help with your question, but I just wanted to welcome you. Have you done your dad’s B-17 yet? I, for one, would be very interested to see it if you have!
Hi Schmidty13. I don’t have any photos of any of the planes my dad crewed on. As I understand it, in early 1945 they were assigned whatever aircraft was serviced and ready. I recall reading that nose art was on the decline during that period as well, probably because of the “revolving door” situation with aircraft. My dad didn’t talk about his service much and I always sensed that it was maybe too sensitive a topic to broach. I do plan to research his service more when I go back to the wonderful 8th Air Force Museum in Savannah. They have an extensive research department there that I’d like to take advantage of. If you haven’t been there, I’d urge you to see it. I am attaching a photo of one of the stateside training aircraft his crew posed in front of. Thanks for your reply. Chris
Oops, forgot to mention, that’s my dad, bottom far right.
What a great picture!
Well, I guess you’re in a similar situation as I am with my dad. (he was a mechanic on U-1A Otters in Viet Nam). They weren’t assigned to any single aircraft during their service, so we are allowed some latitude as to which aircraft we “assign” to them! 
This is from the IPMS Stockholm site regarding interior colors on the P-38
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Recent research claims that early production P-38Es and F-1s had Olive Drab cockpits.
Later down the production line, for the P-38F to H, the colour was changed to Interior Green. Instrument panels, control columns, rudder pedals and electrical boxes were all black.
Some evidence suggests that some (possibly subcontracted) components, notably pilot seats and the rear armour plate attached to it continued to be delivered in Olive Drab through a long time after the transition to Interior Green was made. With the arrival of the P-38J, the shape of internal armour plate was modified – and it seems to have received Interior Green finish matching that of the rest of the cockpit.
Wheel wells and interior of the well doors of camouflaged aircraft were painted in Neutral Grey with selected structural elements in Zinc Chromate Yellow. Undercarriage legs were painted in Aluminium lacquer.
Thank you for this information. I did see a photo that showed NG on the lower surface of the boom and outer doors with chromate at least on the inner doors. This may have been more recent restoration though.
Looking forward to seeing a build thread on this bad boy Chris. These Tamiya P-38’s always seem to turn heads.
BTW-Welcome aboard man. 
@Binspin Welcome back to the hobby! I did something similar with regard to taking a break from when I was younger, but I managed to get back into it while in the midst of career and family.
Here are the links to the pages that @stikpusher referenced. I’ve found these references to be critical on many of the US builds I’ve done over the years.
https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/interior-colours-of-us-aircraft-1941-45-part-i/
https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/interior-colours-of-us-aircraft-1941-45-part-ii/
https://www.ipmsstockholm.se/home/interior-colours-of-us-aircraft-1941-45-part-iii/
Thank you for this. Very interesting read.
I will post pics when I am finished. Warning: my builds tend to be “Monets”…look good from a distance but show a lot of “warts” up close. Regardless, the more I do, the more I love this hobby. Miniature anything has always fascinated me. At one point, I had aspirations to build an HO train layout, but space limitations put an end to that. The level of realism achieved by some of these train folks is just astounding to me. YouTube videos are a great rabbit hole to dive into for these things.
Keep at it bro and don’t be afraid to show your work. We all started from somewhere and are here to help Chris. Keep at it man…we’re all in this together.
You and me both. I’ve even considered making a go at a N scale, but that seems like a lot of work. Haha. Maybe in my retirement.
Here are a few original WWII color photos of P-38s from the Life archives. You can’t see the main gear wells due to shadows, but the nose gear strut is definitely Neutral Gray