1:48 P-38J Lightning landing flaps 3D PRINTED

Landing flaps for the Lightning, version J

The Lockheed P-38 was among the most striking machines of the Second World War. A pair of tail booms, a central nacelle with the pilot and armament concentrated in the nose gave it dense fire without convergence of the gun lines. You can tell the J version by the deep intercooler radiators under the engine nacelles, which replaced the earlier arrangement housed in the leading edge of the wing.

The set replaces the Fowler type flaps with parts from three-dimensional printing. On the Lightning they extended rearward and downward, so once extended they revealed the divided structure of ribs, hinges and guide rails. It is exactly this internal structure that the printed replacements show, riveting included.

Building with the flaps extended

An aircraft with the flaps extended looks livelier and matches a machine caught on an airfield shortly after landing. The original molded flaps have to be cut out of the wing and the bed trued with a file, after which the printed parts fall into place. It pays to dry-fit before gluing, because the position of the flap also determines the angle of the covering panels.

• 1:48 scale, printed resin
• the open structure of the flaps and their bays
• modification of the wing by cutting is necessary
• suited to a model standing on an airfield

Compare the fit of the shape with the wing you are building, because the individual Lightning kits differ slightly in the division of the wing. Painting is easier before fitting: the inside of the bay is shaded darker than the surrounding area and the edges of the ribs are brought out with a dry brush. The aircraft itself is not included.