Italeri Model P-38J Lightning

Plastmodeller från Italeri

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was certainly one of the foremost aircraft  of WW2 in terms of aerodynamic structure and design. It was a  revolutionary heavy fighter with a twin-boom fuselage where the two  engines were installed. The pilot was accommodated in a leading edge  cockpit at the centre of the aircraft. The P-38 could reach a top speed  of over 660 km/h thanks to its two 12 cylinders liquid cooled V-1710  Allison engines, each capable of 1,425hp. It was armed with four  Browning 12.7 mm machine guns and one Hispano M2 cannon which ensured  highly effective firepower. The P38 was not particularly manoeuvrable  compared to other single-engine fighters of the period, but it was very  robust and stable. It’s huge versatility made it a key aircraft both on  operations in the Pacific theatre and on escort missions for long-range  bombers over Europe. The P-38 with its characteristic shape and its  ‘fear effect’ was nicknamed ‘the fork-tailed devil’ by enemy pilots.

Italeri Art.1446P