Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

[Second Air Force]

In my ongoing quest to "clean up" the backlog of partially started kits in my collection I've decided to begin work again on this P-38. It is the old Hasegawa E/F/G/H kit from the 1990s. I picked this one up at a hobby shop when we lived in Texas and paid less than half price for it because someone returned it complaining of a "warped wing". This problem was quickly fixed when I got it and then the whole thing was placed in storage until a few weeks ago.

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

When I fixed the wing issue in 1995 I also assembled the two booms. My current start began with the cockpit and central pod:

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

I'm planning on markings for a P-38F that my father photographed in North Africa when he was getting a haircut at an Allied desert airstrip.

[No.1]

Thats the way mate- make the piece of history

[Second Air Force]

Progress on this one is pretty easy--the two booms were already built and filler applied to them eighteen years ago. It was a simple matter to finish the central pod and assemble the main elements:

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

[No.1]

[draken35]

[Second Air Force]

First application of primer and re-filling of a couple of spots.

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

[No.1]

Just in front of windshield, good work

[Second Air Force]

Hasegawa molded the windscreen and part of the fuselage in one piece and it doesn't match up to the gun bay doors perfectly. That's why you see the extra putty there. Overall this old kit fits fairly nicely but the seams where the booms meet the wings take some extra work.

[draken35]

[Akinator98]

 

[Second Air Force]

So my backlog of half-finished vintage kits is now dwindling a little more. I've managed to finish this old Hasegawa Lightning over the past few days.

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

Hasegawa P-38F 1/48

When I began this thread I mentioned that I had a family connection. When my father was in North Africa after Operation Torch he decided to get a haircut at an Allied airfield. (He told me they had a "real" barber there!) He had a little camera of some sort and took a couple of photos, one of which had several P-38s in it. One of them was the subject of this model. Tangerine was flown by Lt. E.C. Ethell and later was lost on a mission with another pilot flying it. The airplane was assigned to the 14th Fighter Group, 48th Squadron. My second connection was actually son-to-son. I corresponded a number of years ago with the late Jeffrey Ethell, warbird researcher, author, pilot and photo guru, pertaining to some B-29 research. It turned out his father was the pilot of Tangerine, so his dad and my dad were stationed in near proximity to one another in 1943. So, I built this in memory of all three men.

[No.1]

Top work mate and I like story with this build

[Second Air Force]

Yes, but a little sad also. Jeff Ethell followed in his father's footsteps and flew many WWII airplanes but was killed in a P-38 in 1997. We had corresponded the year before that and he was a really nice fellow, sharing several photos and other research material to assist me on my project.

[draken35]

Great!

[Nico Braas]

At least Jeffrey Ethell has left us some very nice books!
I have his excellent work on the Me 163 Komet.