P-38 Lightning Fighter

I touched on this plane a few postings back
but that was to explain the difference between
the plane and the can opener that both go by
the designation P-38.
This posting is to show you my latest model
plane...The P-38 Lightning. It was the first
twin-engine fighter and was the first American
plane capable of flying 400 mph. A lot of P-38's
were painted black and used as night fighters
with their radar screens attached to the wing.
I started in that direction with this model, but
decided to change after I saw a photo of one
with this type camouflage pattern. I assume it
is to hide the plane in the Fall season. From the
air I think it would be tough to spot with the
changing of the leaves in the Fall. More info
on the P-38..
The Lightning designed by Lockheed engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and his team of designers, represented one of the most radical departures from tradition in American fighter development. The Lightning was a complete break-away from conventional airframe design, power, and at long last, armament. Not only did it have twice the power and almost twice the size of its predecessors, but with no less than four .50 cal. machine guns plus a 20 mm cannon, the P-38 had enough firepower to sink a ship--and sometimes did. Concentrated in the central fuselage pod, the guns fired parallel which eliminated a need for a propeller synchronizer.

The Lightning tricycle landing gear and twin-boom configuration completed the list of major deviations from what might be considered conventional Army fighters. In this respect, it was very unusual that the Lightning design progressed beyond the testing stage; such radical concepts seldom achieved production status. But the simple fact was that the P-38 design worked and the Army seemed to have found its dream plane in this 400 mph fighter.