1:72 Lockheed P-38J Lightning

The machines named Scat and their pilot

The twin-boom Lockheed P-38J is among the most striking aircraft of the Second World War, and version J is recognized by the radiators moved under the engine nacelles. On this sheet there are two examples that in May 1944 flew with the 434th Fighter Squadron of the 479th Fighter Group under the same code L2-W: serial numbers 43-28707 and 43-28341, with the names Scat II and Scat III on the fuselage. Robin Olds sat in them, a pilot whose career did not stop with piston engines and continued two decades later on jets.

The third subject comes from the opposite end of the world. The Lightning 42-23587 with a girl design and the inscription Wicked Woman belonged to the 36th Fighter Squadron of the 8th Fighter Group, that is, a unit fighting over the Southwest Pacific, where the long range of a twin-engine fighter made even more sense than over Europe.

The sheet suits ordinary 1:72 kits of the matching version. We recommend finishing the whole paint job including shading first, then polishing a gloss layer and only then laying the markings on it. The carrier film is thin, so once dry and matte overcoated its edge will not be noticeable on the surface.

• three complete sets of individual markings
• the European and the Pacific theater on one sheet
• personal inscriptions including a prominent girl drawing

Proceed with particular care at the edges of the engine nacelles, where the film has to bend over a convex shape and creases easily. The model itself has to be obtained separately; the package contains decals only.