1:48 ockheed P-38F Lightning cockpit

The real subject

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was an American twin-engine fighter with an unmistakable silhouette: a pair of tail booms and between them a short central nacelle with the pilot's cockpit. Precisely because there was no propeller on the centerline of the machine, the armament could be concentrated in the nose in front of the pilot. The P-38F version was one of the early production forms and fought in the period when the machine was only beginning to earn its reputation. The cockpit is clearly visible on the model, and an open canopy makes it the first thing everyone looks at.

What the set offers

This is an add-on pilot's cockpit set in 1:48 scale, that is, a replacement for equipment that the kit handles only in simplified form. The parts are not polystyrene, so ordinary cement for plastic models does not work on them and they are glued with cyanoacrylate glue. Cut the excess material away with a sharp blade a little way from the part and sand the rest down. Wash and degrease the parts before painting, otherwise the paint holds poorly. The list of parts, the kit the set is cut for, and any reworking of the fuselage are given in the manufacturer's instructions.

Building tips

Finish and seat the cockpit before you close the nacelle, as afterward it is out of reach. Try the assembly dry and remove any play by sanding the contact faces, not by force. Paint the small elements before fitting them, because once the assembly is done a brush can no longer get to them.

• pilot's cockpit set in 1:48 scale
• the subject is the Lockheed P-38F Lightning
• the parts are not polystyrene and are glued with cyanoacrylate glue
• fitted before the central nacelle is closed

Terms of supply

The kit, glue and paints are not part of the delivery, unless stated otherwise.