P-38J Lightning ETO Model kit

Product description : P-38J Lightning ETO

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is undoubtedly one of the most uniquely designed aircraft of World War II. This revolutionary heavy fighter had a twin-beam fuselage in which the two engines were installed, and a central forward nacelle housing the cockpit and on-board weapons. Thanks to its two liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 V12 engines developing 1,425 hp, the P-38 reached a maximum speed of over 660 km/h. It was armed with four 12.7 mm Browning machine guns and a Hispano M2 cannon, ensuring considerable firepower. Less maneuverable than the single-engine fighters of the time, its main asset was its long flight range, very useful in the Pacific or in Europe (ETO - European Theater of Operations) for long-range bomber escort missions. This kit allows you to choose between four versions: P-38J (2 decorations), Drop Snoot, Pathfinder and F-5E, all operating in Europe in 1944/45. At the end of the Second World War, replaced for pure fighter by the P-51 Mustang, the P-38 was entrusted with ground attack missions. To increase the precision of bombing, the "Drop Snoot" version was developed which housed a navigator/bombardier seated in the nose of the aircraft equipped with a Norden sight. Once the target was located, the "Drop Snoot" signaled to the other aircraft in the formation where and when to drop their bombs. Later, a "Pathfinder" version equipped with an even more precise AN/APS-15 bombing radar was put into service. Due to its long range and great stability, the P-38 was an ideal platform for photographic reconnaissance. Several versions equipped with cameras in the nose were developed, including the most prolific F-5E based on the P-38J.

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