1/48 Monogram P-38J

by Scott Minium

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This was the first time I had built a Monogram ProModeler kit.  Overall I was very impressed with the detail and fit and would recommend their kits highly.  All of the panel lines were engraved and very thin. 

The cockpit was more detailed than most, however final fitup was a bit tricky.  The cockpit assembly is glued to the nose gear well and then fitted into the top of the center section.  The sides of the cockpit bay need to be pushed outward a bit to fit it together correctly. 

There were four big challenges with this model.  First, although the forward section consisted of an upper and lower half, the booms were in right and left halves, resulting in an inevitable seam that had to be removed.  Second, the main gear doors had to be rigged to stay in place.  Granted, this is not part of the model that is seen, but it was an extra headache.  Third, the canopy consists of five pieces of plastic which, at best, fit together.  Fitting it together for gluing was like making a house of cards.  And rather than have the windshield fit onto the fuselage, the windshield is part of the fuselage, resulting in another painful seam.  The canopy lines were to much for masking, so after dipping the canopy parts in future, I simply painted them on with a sharpie.  A great trick for small areas and for landing lights.  Lastly, the underside wingroots needed sanding, but that is more than often the case, no?

Click on images below to see larger images

This model was painted and marked to reflect the second JandIna flown by then Capt. JT Robbins of the USAAF 8th Fighter Group.  Capt Robbins was one of the Army's top aces, finishing WWII with 22 kills.

Assembly complete, I masked off the wheel wells and painted the underside with Tamiya USAAF Neutral Gray.  Tamiya spray paints are just fantastic, so if you have never used them, try 'em.  For the camo line I used liquid latex to paint the underside and the wavy line.  I then painted the entire underside with liquid latex to protect it--MUCH easier than masking. Next the topside was painted with USAAF Olive Green, again from Tamiya.  When that was dry I peeled off the latex and voila! A great demarcation line and no worries of overspray.

After smoothing with Glosscote the Aeromaster decals went on.  These decals were a dream by the way.  Another hit of glosscote and it was time for weathering.  Since Capt Robbins flew out of New Guinea and other Pacific islands, the plane would have had a thin layer of red dust on it.  I went into my backyard here in Hawaii and got some red dirt.   From the top you can see the red tint.

Scott

Photos and text © by Scott Minium