Lockheed F-5F Lightning

[P-38 guy]

This has been sitting on my desk untouched since February when I started my new job after being layed off for a year.

I started this thing back in 08. I was just fulling around with an extra P-38 nose and did some scratch building to make it an F-5F (photo recon) nose. The mods are not spot on because I could not find any drawings or specifications for the mods done to the nose. So I pretty much just eyeballed it. Also was my first try at casting something in resin. I think it turned out ok for my first try. Thing was heavy so I didn't have to add as much weight to the engines as I would for a normal P-38 to keep it from sitting on it's tail.

One thing I never liked on the Academy P-38's are the props. They have a strange twist or curve to them. The tip of the blade is not on center. So I took an extra set of Monogram blades (cut from the spinner) combined them with the base of the Academy blades (The part that is in side the spinner) to make new props. Looks better to me but not sure I would do this for all my Academy kits, have to many.

Academy prop blade below.

Monogram prop blade below.

Here's a pic of the nose of the real thing.

Hope I can get a NMF on it by the end of this year. There's no decals for a F-5F so I'm either going to do it as factory fresh with star-n-bars and all the stencils or do a French AF version since I have enough extra French decals to one.

Mike

Edited December 28, 2009 by P-38 guy

[ReccePhreak]

Looks like a really good start. You said you cast the conversion in resin? Do you have more copies, to sell?

Larry

[P-38 guy]

Thanks, PM on way.

Mike