Here are some shots of Hasegawa's 1/48 P-38J Lightning that I'm building with Eduard's PE detail set.

The wheel wells are painted, washed, drybrushed, and installed. I also got the airframe together, and it's almost ready for it's protective coat of Future before I apply the Alcad shades.

The gizmos at the front and rear of the main wheel wells are just tacked in place with white glue for the pics. The actuator arms for the doors are far too fragile to install permanently before the gear is ready to go. The nose cone is likewise tacked in place. I believe I've added enough weight, but I want to make sure, so I left myself an opening through which I can add more lead.

I took the pics after I finished sanding all the seams, and I didn't do a very good job removing the dust from the wheel wells.

Many have said that installing the main wheel wells in this kit is a problem. It's only a problem if you follow the directions. I glued the wheel wells together, pulling in the front and rear bulkheads a bit. They splay out a little, and I held them in place with Scotch Frosty tape (good tack) until the CA set. I then glued together the booms, leaving the upper seam behind the wing unglued. I slipped the wheel wells through the wing openings, and slid them back until they clicked into position. A little Tenax finished the seams. No muss, no fuss, and the wells fit like Cinderella's slippers










I really like the detail of the PE gear door interiors. Bending the curve, and getting the CA to hold them in place took a lot of patience, though. I think it was worth it.

Hi Pix,

looking good so far.... The pe set looks like a challenge especially the wheel wells ...

look forward to seeing the alclad go on.


Gray

This is great Pixilater!
I'm getting ready to build this exact kit for the Duel in the Sky campaign next month so I'll be watching your progress especially close on this one. I don't have the PE set for mine but I'm particularly interrested in how well the pieces of this kit fit together OOB and how much sanding/filling I can expect to do.
I do have a few questions for you if you don't mind.

1. Are there any fit issues that you've encountered so far in this build?
2. What did you do for ballast in the nose of the plane? I've read a couple of reviews on this kit and it is supposed to be a "tailsitter".
3. Are you planning on preshading? If so I'm interrested in how this will turn out under the Alclad paint, as this is what I had planned for my build.

Thanks for showing us your progress so far and I hope you don't mind answering the questions.

Thank you HerrGray and VonCuda !

HerrGray - the PE fits the intended places very well. If you're accustomed to working with it, it's a lot of fun. The most challenging aspect of it is the number of parts, as there are four frets. Some folding to get 3D shapes is required (throttle quadrant, instrument panel, wheel well boxes), and there are some tiny levers (with spares for those "tweezerpult" moments). It's fun to watch the detail accumulate as you build.

VonCuda - the only place that could potentially cause trouble is installing the wheel wells into the booms (if you follow the directions). I explained how I assembled mine in the text accompanying the pics. I needed filler on the radiators below the props, where the wings meet the booms, and on the cockpit nacelle halves. I used Zap-A-Gap CA to fill these small areas.
I have a sheet of lead flashing that I use as ballast. It can be cut with a utility knife to any size/shape you need. I believe I have enough weight added, but I won't glue the nose cone in place until I've assembled and dryfit the landing gear. I can add more weight through the opening in the nose if it's needed.
No, I don't do preshading. I don't care for the looks of it. I've never seen pics of real aircraft (outside of a couple modern carrier jets) that look like that. Just washes for me.

Thanks again !