1:48 P-38G Lightning 3D-Printed & coloured Interior on decal paper (Hasegawa)

The machine from Operation Vengeance

On 18 April 1943 sixteen twin-boom Lightnings set out from Guadalcanal on the longest interception of the war in the Pacific so far. After a flight of more than a thousand kilometers just above the water, the group caught a formation of Japanese bombers; in one of them sat Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto. The G form was then the freshest production version of the type: under its cowlings it had Allison V-1710-51 and 55 engines, a reworked supercharger drive and stronger pylons that could carry large-capacity drop tanks. More than a thousand of them were built, so for a number of months it was the most common Lightning in the theater.

A cockpit that cannot be overlooked

The pilot's compartment sits in the short nacelle between the engine booms and is covered from above by substantial glazing, so the eye falls on it before anything else. The set here deals with it by means of a colored layer printed in relief: the bezels of the dials are raised, the switches stand above the panel and the lettering stays legible without a magnifier. The base remains decal paper, so the element is soaked briefly, slid off the backing and pressed against the plastic, where once dry it follows every edge.

The shapes are taken from the kit of the brand Hasegawa in 1:48 scale. The plastic under the elements need only be painted over in a dark shade and rid of grease. Do not use decal softener or setting solution; they would damage the printed resin. Right at the end comes a thin coat of matte clear. The glazing is fitted only once the whole cockpit is finished, otherwise dust will get under it. Anyone who wants to go further can add drawn-out securing straps and small handles of photo-etched metal; they get along with the printed layer without trouble, because it stays thin and does not get in the way of seating the seat.