Italeri 1:48 Lockheed P-38 J Lightning (E.T.O)

Italeri 1:48 Lockheed P-38 J Lightning (E.T.O)

SUPER DECALS SHEET FOR 5 VERSIONS - COLOR INSTRUCTION SHEET

CONTAINS ONE MODEL - FIGURE NOT INCLUDED

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was undoubtedly one of the most original aircraft in terms of design and aerodynamic layout during World War II. It was a revolutionary heavy fighter featuring a twin-boom fuselage design, with the two engines housed in the booms and the pilot seated in a forward cockpit positioned at the center of the aircraft. Powered by two liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 V-12 engines, each producing 1,425 hp, the P-38 could reach a top speed of over 660 km/h (410 mph). It was armed with four 12.7 mm Browning machine guns and a Hispano M2 cannon, providing substantial firepower. Though not as maneuverable as the single-engine fighters of its time, it was highly robust and stable. One of its key strengths was its long flight range, making it particularly effective in the Pacific theater and for escorting long-range bombers over European skies. Due to its distinctive shape and formidable combat capabilities, enemy pilots nicknamed the P-38 “the fork-tailed devil.”

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American, twin-engine, multi-role, long-range fighter with a double-bar structure with a three-wheeled undercarriage and a full metal structure. One of the most important American fighters of World War II. Already when the first prototype of the XP-38 was taken into the air in 1939, it was clear that the future of fighter aviation would belong to this aircraft. At a time when the maximum speed of over 500 km / h was considered a really great result, the almost 650 km / h achieved by the P-38 was a real shock for everyone. In the early stages of World War II, Lightning suffered from various childhood illnesses, but as time passed, all problems were gradually resolved and subsequent versions of the aircraft became more and more lethal to its opponents, while gaining the qualities of entrusting the P-38 with various, specific tasks: from bomber escorts, through photographic reconnaissance, to independent bombing. Due to the multitude of tasks, the P-38 was produced in at least a dozen versions. The first P-38 and P-38D were not used in combat, but were a kind of "improvement platforms". The P-38E turned out to be the first mass-produced fighter aircraft. The version of the P-38F was very similar to it, only that it had much more powerful engines with turbochargers. In 1943, the P-38J version was created, it was improved with, among others, the turbocharger steering system, engine cooling, the nose profile of the fuselage was changed, all this significantly influenced the performance of the machine. One of the last fighter-bomber versions was the P-38L version with powerful Allison V-1710-111 / 113 engines with a maximum power of 1620HP. There were also reconnaissance versions (F4 and F5). Technical data: length: 11.53 m, wingspan: 15.85 m, height: 3.91 m, maximum speed: 712 km / h, climb speed: 24.1 m / s, maximum range: 2,100 km, practical ceiling: 13,000 m, armament: Fixed - 4 M2 12.7mm machine guns, 1 20mm Hispano cannon, sling - up to 1800 kg payload.