P-38-X Blitz-Light

[Scotaidh]

More bashing DB605s into Allied aircraft - this time, into a P-38 Lightning, as the title implies. 

My concept drawing:


I decided against moving the radiators because a) where they are was already flight-tested and b) I didn't want to have to deal with the change in CG. 

This will be an RAF Lightning test-bed - at least partially because they didn't need permission to copy the enemy's supercharging system.

[Rick Lowe]

How about a version with Merlins?
Thinking of Lancaster/Halifax-style jobs with chin intakes.
Would look similar to the normal, but just different enough for double-takes, or to have people staring at it and wondering why it seems a bit 'off'

[Scotaidh]

How about a version with Merlins?
Thinking of Lancaster/Halifax-style jobs with chin intakes.
Would look similar to the normal, but just different enough for double-takes, or to have people staring at it and wondering why it seems a bit 'off'

Perhaps for a future build, but I have all my ducks in this row now, so ... 

[Rheged]

Two DB605's.............that's about 5600 horses. A pair of Griffon 130's would give about 5000.   How about a post war racer with a pair of RR Tynes?  The RR Ty32 was projected to give 8400 horses...............so a pair of them is16,800 horse power.  Don't know how it would turn, but in a straight line..............!!!

[Rick Lowe]

How about a version with Merlins?
Thinking of Lancaster/Halifax-style jobs with chin intakes.
Would look similar to the normal, but just different enough for double-takes, or to have people staring at it and wondering why it seems a bit 'off'

Perhaps for a future build, but I have all my ducks in this row now, so ... 

[Scotaidh]

Two DB605's.............that's about 5600 horses. A pair of Griffon 130's would give about 5000.   How about a post war racer with a pair of RR Tynes?  The RR Ty32 was projected to give 8400 horses...............so a pair of them is16,800 horse power.  Don't know how it would turn, but in a straight line..............!!!

A bog-standard P-38 (if there was such a thing) was pulled along by a combined 2,950 hp.  I think the DB 605s would be about all the fuselage could handle without extensive (and heavy) modifications to the point of re-designing the entire aircraft.

I've often wondered about a P-38 with turboprops, but I'd need 1/72 engines - probably Darts ... probably from an F-27 - but have you priced one of those?  $54 combined price + S&H on Evile-bay. 

Fine - it's ordered.  <grumble> Now I gotta get another P-38 - and I really, really dislike that collection of bolts & piping in close formation around a scared-crapless second Looey with 6-weeks training ... 

[Tophe]

Good transformation!
Ahem, the difference is visually big with the late versions of P-38 having a big radiator under the spinner, but... that would be small from a XP-38 or early version (mainly the exhaust pipes location is far lower with the DBs)

[Rick Lowe]

Two DB605's.............that's about 5600 horses. A pair of Griffon 130's would give about 5000.   How about a post war racer with a pair of RR Tynes?  The RR Ty32 was projected to give 8400 horses...............so a pair of them is16,800 horse power.  Don't know how it would turn, but in a straight line..............!!!

A bog-standard P-38 (if there was such a thing) was pulled along by a combined 2,950 hp.  I think the DB 605s would be about all the fuselage could handle without extensive (and heavy) modifications to the point of re-designing the entire aircraft.

I've often wondered about a P-38 with turboprops, but I'd need 1/72 engines - probably Darts ... probably from an F-27 - but have you priced one of those?  $54 combined price + S&H on Evile-bay. 

Fine - it's ordered.  <grumble> Now I gotta get another P-38 - and I really, really dislike that collection of bolts & piping in close formation around a scared-crapless second Looey with 6-weeks training ...

Wasn't there a resin conversion for the Dart Dakota mentioned in the last couple of days?
Alleycat or something?

Though probably not a lot of help to you now...

[Wardukw]

As a huge lover of the Lighting what your doing here looks so sweet..it like this should have happened.
There was a proposal in WW2 to mount Merlins to the P38 but it was seen to be to much work for not a great increase in performance.
Now one idea that looks smooth as hell is a profile drawing ive seen of a P38 with Griffon engines..no chin intake and a heap of power..would be close to or more than 4000HP ..i like that. 
Keep em coming matey..im gonna enjoy this thread .

[Scotaidh]

Looking through my SSR* for a P-38 kit for this build, and I couldn't find one.  Doesn't mean there isn't one, just that it's well hidden.  So I ordered one from ... somewhere, and set to cleaning off my workbench.  I have an insane amount of plastic bits, and moving round my model area was becoming difficult, because I'd left organizing it all for "someday".  So now most of them are in 5 gallon buckets, some are (still) in totes/bins and some I threw away.

During the cleanup I came across a plastic serving ... thing from a potluck, and in it was what I took to be a complete P-38 kit, sans box, directions, and decal sheet.   My Bf-110 having arrived from EvilBay some days prior and my clean-up completed, I dived right into this bash.

Well.  It's not a complete kit - far from it.  No glass/canopy; no nose-plug; no cockpit or pilot; apparently they're with the instruction sheet et al.  But, I've started, and I'll be hanged if I build it twice, so - pressing on! 

Here's the start - fuselage large bits together, bashed interior started, engines severed.


I then discovered that the DB605 is quite a bit narrower than the Allisons ... so some bodging is required.


Rounds of suitably thick styrene are cut almost to size - round ones on the aircraft, oval on the engines and much putty and PSR will blend them seamlessly ... Alright, I can dream, can't I? 





* Strategic Styrene Reserve

[Wardukw]

Making some nice headway Scot..i should told ya about the width differences between these 2 engines..the DB605 is very slim compared to the Allison's and one the reasons is its basically upside down and the exhaust manifolds are tucked very close to the engine block..its typical of my countrymen.. big power in a compact design.
I know all about your "someday" problem..we have the same issue here where i live..i live ar a place call Tapu..its a small little town on the Corromandel peninsula..we're on the Firth of Thames side and we have a thing called the Tapu time table..what absolutely must be done can be done next week or month 😁
Im starting to hunt down some replacement kits after 95% of mine got fubar'ed 

[Scotaidh]

Dukw, let me know what you need - I might have one or two surplus to needs.  See, when I've a project in mind, I have a quick look at the SSR.  If I don't see, pretty sharpish, what I want, I start buying them.  I often lose track of what I've got going on, and over-order ... What I don't use goes into the SSR. 

A few updates - the engine-fuselage interface is driving me nuts.  For a while I thought I'd somehow cut the old engines off at an angle, so attached some shims to correct ... then when I test-fit an engine I found th3e shims weren't needed and had to be removed.  That was not a fun day ...

Engines are on now ... you can see the neck-down.  I reckon there's five shims behind each engine ...




You can also see I'm trying to find some glass that will fit - not having much luck.  I may have to purchase one ... although I'm teetering on the edge of subbing in a sliding one from any source that'll fit.  The canopy on this aircraft, and that of the P-39, give me fits ...

The green thing is a possible nose-cap donor, but so is the white thing in the top left corner (if I feel the need to sculpt putty to make it conform.

[Tophe]

The adaptation of these engines is surpringly good.

[Wardukw]

Scot ive got a bit of a warpped idea which might need alittle work to fit but since this is a wiffy..MK 24 Spit style glass or P 51 ...the P38 might is wide enough to fit one of those cause if i remember right the P39 used a door as part of its canopy but im old so dont quote me 
Oh ive got one you'll like and ya might even know of it..the Misserspitti...a real plane..the Germans got their hands on either MK 5 or 6 or 4 Spitfire ..fitted the engine from a ME109 G and flew it..with that engine the Spit was faster..flew higher and was even more agile ..its a possible build for someone but its no wiffy what i want to build will need a P 38 cockpit body and 2 P 47 D Thunderbolts ..ive seen a pic and i want to build it but get this Scot mate..here in NZ Tamiyas 48th scale P 38 is $141..so yeah nope on that one 

[Tophe]

here in NZ Tamiyas 48th scale P 38 is $141..

Yahoo tells me 1 NZD = 0.72 USD (today)
so 141 becomes 102, expensive yes