Lightning Strikes Twice: P-38 Edition (Photo Heavy)

WWII era planes are just the best. The P-38 Lightning is one of the coolest looking airplanes ever built.

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Dragon models - how was the kit?

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This particular kit was really poor quality. Thin plastic parts. Parts had to be really adjusted (shaved/sanded) to make things fit. I had to clamp down the top half of the cockpit to the bottom half. Then fill massive holes. Poorly designed and an unnecessarily tough build.

The box art made me buy it. Ridiculous decision.

Great work on the Dragon kit. I didn’t know they even made aircraft kits. I have a number of their 1:35 scale armor kits in my stash. I like dragon overall, and have built a handful over the years.

As for the P-38, even though it’s one of my favorite aircraft, I’ve only built this one Revell kit several years ago…



Like most Revel kits it will test your nerves due to poor quality and fit issues. I do have a couple of Hasegawa 1:48 scale P-38s in my stash I’ll get around to at some point. Right now I’m working on a Airfix 1:35 scale Pzkpfw IV Ausf. H.



I’m doing this one in a late war winter scheme.

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This particular kit was really poor quality. Thin plastic parts. Parts had to be really adjusted (shaved/sanded) to make things fit. I had to clamp down the top half of the cockpit to the bottom half. Then fill massive holes. Poorly designed and an unnecessarily tough build.

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I think their bread and butter is armor kits. Like I said, I didn’t even know Dragon makes aircraft. All I’ve ever seen from them armor. Some of the older ones can be difficult to work with. Did you happen to notice when that P-38 kit was released?

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I see you screwed up like I did on your P38 - we didn’t add enough nose weight. You had to prop up your tails, like me. I couldn’t find enough room to add the nine grams of lead. Three grams in the nose wasn’t enough.

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That little stand you see on the tail is actually part of the kit. It came already molded as part of the tail boom on the Revel kit, which is actually a rebox of the Monogram P-38 kit from the 1960s or 70s.

I think they put it there because with the guns, there is no room to put any weight in the nose.

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Did you happen to notice when that P-38 kit was released?

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1994?

Interesting. I’m guessing Dragon only briefly dabbled in the 1:72 aircraft world. As many model shops I’ve visited across the country and on-line stores I’ve looked at, I’ve never once come across any Dragon aircraft kits.

If you like building armor, the Dragon armor kits are ok. I would not rank them up there with Tamiya, Meng, or Trumpeter though. One thing I do like about them though is their tracks come in single shoe sections normally which allows for track sag and thus a more natural look. This is a Dragon Sd.kfz 251 I built almost a year ago.



And I built this SU-152 from Dragon about two years ago…



The single shoe tracks take a long time and will test your nerves. But the results are worth the effort.

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If you like building armor

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I’ll leave the tracks to you. I’ve never built any models other than WWII, propeller aircraft.
Just not interested.

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his particular kit was really poor quality. Thin plastic parts. Parts had to be really adjusted (shaved/sanded) to make things fit. I had to clamp down the top half of the cockpit to the bottom half. Then fill massive holes. Poorly designed and an unnecessarily tough build.

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I've read that Dragon kits aren't the best. You did an awesome job, though!

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What about the engine booms?

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I wish. The booms aren’t forward enough for the weight to matter.

The nose wheel bay has room and is aligned with the engine booms.

So I added weight in the nose bay and that didn’t work either.

I blew it: