Tamiya P-38J "Marge" (#123)
- Thread starter Edbert
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Pantherman
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And that would be........ ? Pantherman
Pantherman
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Nope, you got me beat. Not a clue. Pantherman
Edbert
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Nailed it!
Several people are saying it is the greatest kit ever, I'm not experienced enough to validate that it is the best. I'm "in-progress" on multiple right now.
I thought the 1/32 Corsair from Tamiya was amazing, barely underway on another candidate is the 1/48 F-4B. But I see on YouTube and elsewhere that the 1/48 Lightnings are the current crown-wearer.
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BlackSheepTwoOneFour
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It's no secret Tamiya P-38 Lightning (along with the F-14 Tomcat) is one of the better aircraft kits out there…. PERIOD!!!
I am interested to see how the kit goes together for you, I have not gotten around to getting one yet, though I want too. There always seems to be something else that comes up.
BlackSheepTwoOneFour
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I've read numerous topics on the Tamiya P-38 Lightning kit. None of them mentioned it had fit issues. One of THE a best P-38 Lightning kit out there.
Edbert
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The decal (gauges) being off-center is 100% on my old eyes not the kit. I need to start using my magnifiers more I guess. It does look really good from a few inches away instead of millimeters.
Edbert
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Since you said that, I've been using them much more. It could be an incorrect impression, but since using them for a week or so, it seems my readers are worse than before.
Anyway, this kit pretty much falls together. The biggest problem I have had so far was finding sprue D (I think), I could not find it since it was a sort of addendum to Sprue J or something...LOL.
A super way of putting a weight into the nose, kit ships with three heavyish (not lead) ball bearings that fits into a molded round spot with no wobble. Nice feature for nose-wheeled planes.
The kit ships with a sheet of masks, but unlike the Eduard 1/48 kit that I am about finished with, they are printed, not cut. I think that will be fine for canopy, but not for those lights! Way too small for me to cut a circle that small out of tape. I gave up quick and used liquid mask.
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Edbert
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I was really disappointed to see the huge gaps between the wheel wells and the outer skin in this shot.
Then I remembered how well everything was fitting so I ignored it and pressed on. Of course when the time came to install the bay covers, the fit was so tight I considered not using glue. This kit is really amazing! But a great deal more "stuff" has been put in there since this shot, I'm worried about painting details inside there now.
Then I remembered how well everything was fitting so I ignored it and pressed on. Of course when the time came to install the bay covers, the fit was so tight I considered not using glue. This kit is really amazing! But a great deal more "stuff" has been put in there since this shot, I'm worried about painting details inside there now.
Edbert
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I found a flaw!
While applying masks I discovered a small bubble, more like a blob, on the rear canopy. It could be seen of course, but also felt with a fingernail. I failed to get a picture of it before filing it off with a sharp blade as seen here. That blurry spot at high 5:00 from the pilot's view.
Took only a few minutes of polishing to remove the scratches.
Then I decided while I had my compound out I'd remove the ridge/line on top of the Phantom's glass as well.
Before ^^^
During ^^^
After ^^^
While applying masks I discovered a small bubble, more like a blob, on the rear canopy. It could be seen of course, but also felt with a fingernail. I failed to get a picture of it before filing it off with a sharp blade as seen here. That blurry spot at high 5:00 from the pilot's view.
Took only a few minutes of polishing to remove the scratches.
Then I decided while I had my compound out I'd remove the ridge/line on top of the Phantom's glass as well.
Before ^^^
During ^^^
After ^^^
