Since I decided not to seal the Alcad with their sealer before decaling, I was able to completely decal the P-38 in just two days, (off from work, what a lucky break). And since WW11 aircraft just seam to have a lot less decals, especially stencils, the job went quickly and rather smoothly.

While there is nothing basically wrong with the Academy decals, I opted for the excellent Kits-World decals to replicate Major Robert C "Buck" Rogers P-38 "Little Buckaroo" of the 392FS, 367FG. This is the 1st time that I've used their decals, but is sure won't be the last time.
The decals are just thin enough to appear painted on, yet not so thin as to be difficult to work with. I found them to settle down into all panel lines with just Micro Set. I did need some Micro Sol to help the nose numbers snug down without any wrinkles to the compound curves of the nose.



The decal sheet doesn't contain any stenciling, so I used the kit decals, and some from my spares box. The Academy decals were ok to work with, but I found that where I needed them to conform to recesses like the fuel tank caps, they just wouldn't settle in even with Micro Sol. So I had an excuse to try a new product for me; Tamiya Regular Mark Fit decal setting solution. They make a extra strong, but I haven't even bought that as yet.



I just put a few drop on the surface without poking any holes in the decal. In a few min the decals just conformed perfectly to the recessed gas caps.




Here's a few pictures of the decaled P-38.

Joel

Great work Joel! Inspiring to us all.

Mark,
Thanks so much for those more then kind words.
Joel

That looks very good, Joel. Great work so far and a really nice nose art. I have the same version on a Sky Decals sheet. But for the Lightning Campaign I have decided for a different version - without swastikas ....
Can't wait to see your beauty finished. A P-38 is always great to look at

Torsten

Wow, super clean build Joel. Very impressive!

Torsten,
Thanks so much for stopping by and your most positive comments.

I really like that nose art, and I understand why you're not using it due to the swastikas.

Joel

Brian,
Thanks so much for approving of my efforts. While not in your class (not many of us are), I'm giving it my all. I've learned quite a lot of what to do and what not to do with a NMF, so my next venture should be even better.

Joel

Joel, you are way to0 self deprecating. That 38 looks great. I've never done a NMF (successfully!) so am following this with real interest. (A few years back I tried a Fine Molds 1/48 KI-43-II in NMF Manchukuo markings and it defeated me.)

I will soon be back on the 17 despite some battle fatigue. I am hoping that the bomb bay side walls go fairly quickly, and am probably going to do everything in the space but the last actuators for the doors. We'll see. How I long for the day when I can look at a completed, glued-together fuselage!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Brian,
Thanks.

I'm quite positive that you would find painting with Alcads about as difficult as with Acrylics. As long as the plastic is smooth with no imperfections, going with just a gray base also polished out, gives you a duller finish, while Gloss Black offers a much shinier finish. I've handled the P-38 wearing white gloves just like I do a painted model, and the finish is as tough as nails.

Doing everything in the Bombay can be a major undertaking, but you do have that stick to it, to get it done. Looking forward to seeing the fuselage halves glued up myself, as it pulls all your work together. Of course you have to then deal with two massive wings, 4 engines, but the landing gear and wells should be a breeze for you.
Joel

Really really sharp. Looks fantastic from here.



Joe

Joe,
Thanks so much for your more then kind comment.
Joel

Your getting pretty darn good at this building thing Joel , she looks reaally sharp !





Terri

Terri,
'Tis really is the holiday season as you stopped by. Thanks so much for not only liking my current build, but seeing some improvement in my limited skills.

Joel

Got a little more done on the P-38 over this holiday, as I have an extra day off from work.

I really wanted to do a pin wash for the panel lines, so I thinned out Tamiya FX-24 Dark Gray to the consistency of India ink, and then carefully used the dot method working down the panel lines. As I completed various sections, like the top of a wing, one engine boom, I carefully wiped across the panel line with a damp Qtip dipped in Windex, not water nor Alcohol. Works perfectly. While it looks really well defined up close and personal, it doesn't show that well in these fast grab pictures. Hopefully, with proper lighting in the final pics, it will be easier to see. I then sealed the entire aircraft in Testors Metalizer Sealer. Honestly, I can't tell the difference from before and after.



Next up was painting the tires. I masked the wheels with Tamiya tape, then carefully traced the wheel with a toothpick followed by a sharp needle, and the end result was a perfect mask.




I then air brushed on Tamiya XF-69 Nato Black. The following day I applied a wash of Tamiya XF-57 Buff to simulate earth in the treads.



I now turned my attention to both props. I painted the 6 separate blades Tamiya XF-69 Nato Black, then the tips Tamiya XF-4 Flat Yellow. Previously I painted the hub Alcad2 Aluminum 101 and the spinners Tamiya XF-2 Flat white.



Once dry, I assembled each prop, then hand brushed on Pledge then decaled the props. I still need to airbrush them with Dullcoat, so they're still shiny.



This afternoon I finally started to install the landing gear struts. Since I was installing the landing gear, I did the same with the two wing gas tanks. Now came the moment of truth if I had added enough weight to keep it from becoming a tail sitter. Well, it tottered!! I forgot to add in the two gas tanks when I was figuring out how much weight I needed. Then I remembered that the main wheels are larger then the front wheels, so I slipped on the main wheels, and it stayed on it's tricycle landing gear. Lucky save.

I also removed the masks from the windshield and rear canopy as I really wanted to see how it looked nearly done. Here's one picture with the Lightning on it's gear. As you can see I tapped the front strut as I was just too lazy to get the wheels/tires out again.




Slowly but surely I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Joel

Very nice Joel!

Cheers Rob.

Truly a beauty, Joel.
I actually never thought there was a nice P-38 kit out there. I have the Minicraft, though I think I'll let the grandchildren have a go before I pull it out.

Well done

Joel, absolutely stunning work! Excellent scratch building in the front office and wheel wells; and the recognition lights are a very nice touch. Like several others, I too have never done a NMF aircraft and I appreciate the tips you have given on both priming, laying down the base coat and polishing. Maybe someday I will work up the courage to tackle one! Again, beautiful work all around and I look forward to seeing the final product.

Ernest

Rob,
Really glad that you like how the Lightning is turning out.
Joel

Ben,
Neither did I in 1/48 scale. I had the Old Monogram kit years ago which isn't to bad, but no way did I want to deal with raised panel lines for starters. At one point I did have Academy's Glacier Bay kit, but traded it as I really wasn't interested in tackling it back then.

Like I've found out the hard way, the Academy kit looks quite nice, but it's a ton of work to get it this far. The wheel wells are a major issue that end up having combined side walls that must be almost a scale foot thick, and look terrible. the gear doors cover most of it, but in today's CAD designed era they sure could have come up with a better way.

Joel

Ernest,
Thank you for stopping by, and liking what you've seen of my build. Believe me, anything that I've scratched, detailed, or modified, anyone can do. As for the NMF finish, it's a lot easier with Alcads then one would think. The biggest drawback with them is their price. They're certainly not cheap by any means.
Joel

Being following the build. Great work of a great aircraft. The finish and details are fantastic.

Darell,
Thanks for following along, and liking my efforts to date.
Joel

I just wanted to share a major milestone in the build. The P-38 now on it's landing gear with wheels, luckily, it's not a tail sitter.

At this point the next update will be the finished model, as it's all small details from here on out.

Joel

Well, time for my final update on the P-38 build, as I finished up adding the last of the details pieces several hours ago.

I attached the full side cockpit window, and the lowered window made from .020 sheet plastic, then the top glass access hatch. The Eduard masks made masking these complex glass pieces very easy, and the results were simply outstanding. The Quickboost resin 50 cal. guns were installed in the nose, and finally the twin antennas were fashioned out of stretched sprue.

Overall, I have mixed feelings about the Academy kit. The minuses start with those horrible main wheel wells. As they're designed you end up with double thick walls that look terrible. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do to rectify it. Thankfully, the finished model will spend it's days in a display case, so no one will really see it. The engine booms to wing fit required a great deal of dry fitting, and putty to blend it in. I had my concerns about so much putty work under a NMF fuselage, but the Alcad2 system worked perfectly.

On the plus side, the model is well detailed, the cockpit windscreen needed a little Vallejo white putty to blend it in, but the rear section fit like a glove. The side windows needed some filing for a snug fit, but the end result was well worth the effort.

I had some issues with the stencils just coming apart, fortunately, I was able to work my way around it. The Kit World decals were a joy to work with, and look fantastic once on the model. I'll be using them again.

Would I build another Academy 1/48 scale P-38? Absolutely. Next one will have to be Major Richard Bong's.

Here's a bakers dozen pictures of the P-38L.

Joel

She's a real beauty Joel. Superb build all the way around, my hat's off to you!

Ernest