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Dennis, I just viewed that video and the kit looks good.
Not having see either the Academy or Hasegawa kits. How would you rate all (3)?
Bob
Hi Bob, and Everyone Else!
I've read every single review, and I've viewed every one of the videos pertaining to the new 1/48 TAMIYA P-38F/G Lightning kit- TOP MARKS on all! I'm quite sure that TAMIYA's initial 1/48 P-38 kit will sell very well!
I happen to have and have built one each of all of the various AND different types of 1/48 ACADEMY/MINICRAFT and HASEGAWA
P-38 kits out there. The 1/48 MONOGRAM/PRO-MODELER P-38 kits are basically re-boxes of the HASEGAWA P-38F/G/Hs, with a slightly better instructional-base and a few extra parts, including a couple of bits and pieces to build an "H"-model, as well.
With the ACADEMY/MINICRAFT kits, there is more of a variety to choose from; a P-38E, a P-38F/G, P-38J/L, a "Droopsnoot"-type, a "Pathfinder", the Photo-Recon F-5E version and the P-38M Night Fighter (Dual tandem-Cockpit for the Pilot and the Radar Operator).
The old mid-1960s ORIGINAL MONOGRAM 1/48 P-38 kit was really the "Granddaddy" Lightning kit of all. The original MONOGRAM Lightning kit went together pretty well, with the EXCEPTION of the Gun Bay, which would give relatively inexperienced and even EXPERIENCED modelers fits. I managed to build several of these original MONOGRAM Lightning kits in my youth, but even by that time, I had already gained enough experience and had learned that THE BEST way to put the MONOGRAM P-38 together was to forget all about an "open" Gun Bay. Lots of fitting, puttying and sanding was required to close up the Gun Bay, ESPECIALLY if one was building an overall Natural Metal P-38. The original and a few of the subsequent releases of the MONOGRAM P-38 (NOT the latest REVELL kit), included all the parts to build a J/L-version, the "M" Night Fighter, and the quasi-"Droopsnoot/Pathfinder/Photo-Recon"- version. There were some inaccuracies, but what-the-hell, they were P-38s, so that made them OK. Lots of extra "ordnance" was also included, so one could build different planes. Very shortly, came MONOGRAM's P-47s and P-51s. YAY!!!
AURORA made a "1/48" (kind-of) P-38J/L kit waaaay back in the late 1950s, but as far as I'm concerned the AURORA kit was/is of no real value, EXCEPT to the collectors of vintage-model kits...
Now, for the "meat-and-potatoes" of my reply to you:
The 1/48 TAMIYA P-38F/G is the new "King of the Hill", incorporating astonishing accuracy, DETAIL, excellent fit, and fidelity to the actual 1:1 Air-frame, i.e, it is typical of the very latest TAMIYA aircraft kits. (see the various 1/48 TAMIYA kits: F-14A, F-14D, Bf.109G-6 and Spitfire Mk.Ia- Their P-47D "Razorback" and "Bubble Top" kits are excellent values, as well)
I rate the ACADEMY/MINICRAFT P-38 kits AHEAD of the HASEGAWA Lightnings, because the HASEGAWA kits ALL suffer from POOR-to-LOUSY parts-fit, yet and YET, the HASEGAWA P-38s, (and the MONOGRAM/PRO-MODELER P-38F/G/H re-boxings), have better detail, throughout. It's very frustrating that HASEGAWA, which is very comparable to TAMIYA in the ways of quality and detail, could have screwed-up so badly with their P-38F/G/H and J/L kits. Sad...
The various 1/48 ACADEMY/MINICRAFT P-38 kits DO have less detail than their HASEGAWA counterparts, BUT! The ACADEMY/MINICRAFT Lightnings make for MUCH MORE enjoyable builds than ANY of the HASEGAWA kits do, HANDS DOWN. I know, because I've built them, and believe me, I have had experience in building some of the worst trash out there.
Don't get me wrong, though. If you're long on patience and have a tolerable resistance to frustration, the 1/48 HASEGAWA P-38s can STILL be built into very fine models, indeed.
For MY money, the new 1/48 TAMIYA P-38 kits will easily be THE BEST LIGHTNINGS that money can buy!!!
However, I must say with all honesty, the ACADEMY/MINICRAFT P-38s will also cost your wallet FAR less moolah (about one THIRD of the money) than the up-coming TAMIYA P-38F/G kits. This WILL NOT deter me, though!!!
I happen to be a "Quality/Detail SNOB", so the TAMIYA P-38F/G will be getting my extra-Dollars, even though I've built nearly all of the other kits. I already have one on "pre-order". I will probably be buying another one, sooner or later...
Sort-of "Off-Topic":
No doubt, EDUARD will be coming out with multi-media and PE "detail-enhancement" sets for the new TAMIYA P-38 kit. This, is almost a "given". EDUARD has already produced several "detail-enhancements" for their own 1/48 "Limited Edition" "Chattanooga Choo-Choo" P-51D-5 (Late), and their up-coming P-51D-5 (Early) "Filletless" Mustang kits, so I'm on board for the "extras". EDUARD says that there will be a D-10 coming out soon. EDUARD has also done a few "enhancements" for the latest 1/48 TAMIYA Spitfire Mk.I and their excellent Bf.109G-6 kits, so it stands to reason that they will also follow suit with the new TAMIYA P-38s.
It is also a testament to the "potential" of the 1/48 ACADEMY/MINICRAFT P-38s that EDUARD went so far as to issue very involved "BRASSIN" multi-media" detail and conventional PE and "ZOOM" detail sets for these P-38 kits. I'm sure EDUARD will be doing the same for the TAMIYA P-38s...
I sincerely HOPE TAMIYA will release a new 1/48 P-38H, (The "H" was the first P-38 variant with Dive-Brakes, in order to counter "compressibility"), and even more so, a P-38J/L kit very soon. The J/L-variants were the most numerous Lightnings built, and seem to be the most popular among modelers at this point in time. The new F/G from TAMIYA may change that, due to the notoriety(?) of the "Yamamoto-Interception"-mission, but this remains to be seen. It would make a lot of sense for TAMIYA to release a
P-38J/L, since their P-38F/G has already met with so many favorable reviews by top-modelers, and these F/G kits aren't even officially on the market outside of Japan, yet!!!
I very much hope that I've explained some of the differences between the various 1/48 P-38 kits out there plainly enough for all...
Thanks for reading!
VR, Dennis
