Author Topic: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration  (Read 63077 times)

Offline jcf

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #50 on: April 24, 2013, 12:28:57 AM »
The R-1535 series had a diameter of just over 44 inches, the diameter of the R-2800 series varied from
52 inches up to 53 inches.
Installed length of the R-1535 series varied from 53.25 inches up to 55 inches. Installed length of
the R-2800 series varied from around 75 inches up to over 100, depending on supercharger set up, etc.

So a diameter increase of 8 to 9 inches and a length increase of at least 22 inches.

From an appearance standpoint, the F7F would probably be the best basis for how to cowl the R-2800 on a developed Model 24.
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Offline elmayerle

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #51 on: April 24, 2013, 11:12:41 AM »
For a different approach, how about F-80 or T-33 style tip tanks?  For that matter, I still think the stretched center nacelle of the "Lightning Swordfish" testbed would look good  with a radar nose and the canopy from the T-33.

Offline kitnut617

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #52 on: April 24, 2013, 08:56:07 PM »
"Lightning Swordfish" testbed

What's that Evan ?  I can't find anything about it ---  and it sounds very interesting

Edit: D'oh!  now I did --   :-X
« Last Edit: April 24, 2013, 09:00:58 PM by kitnut617 »

Offline Dr. YoKai

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #53 on: April 24, 2013, 10:31:06 PM »
 I remember hearing about it, and seeing a picture of a rather unusual wing plan - turns out it
 was a laminir-flow test bed...

 Swordfish

Offline Alvis 3.1

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #54 on: April 24, 2013, 11:07:24 PM »
For a different approach, how about F-80 or T-33 style tip tanks?  For that matter, I still think the stretched center nacelle of the "Lightning Swordfish" testbed would look good  with a radar nose and the canopy from the T-33.


Like this?


The downside of this one is the lack of visibility the turboprops cause. I should have moved the cockpit forwards and up. Oh well.

Alvis 3.1

Offline elmayerle

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #55 on: April 25, 2013, 12:10:49 AM »
I remember hearing about it, and seeing a picture of a rather unusual wing plan - turns out it
 was a laminir-flow test bed...

 Swordfish

Well, actually the laminar-flow test was a cab-on over the basic P-38 wing.  The ""Swordfish" started out as a P-38 with a stretched center nacelle.  I understand that the improved fineness ratio actually helped performance a bit.

Offline elmayerle

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #56 on: April 25, 2013, 01:41:46 AM »
For a different approach, how about F-80 or T-33 style tip tanks?  For that matter, I still think the stretched center nacelle of the "Lightning Swordfish" testbed would look good  with a radar nose and the canopy from the T-33.


Like this?


The downside of this one is the lack of visibility the turboprops cause. I should have moved the cockpit forwards and up. Oh well.

Alvis 3.1

The stretch I was thinking of involved the crew nacelle, not the engines, but the relocated cockpit of the "Swordfish" would help with visibility in this case.  Of course, for really good visibility, you could put the pilot where the student pilot sat in the trainers the Italians converted; the student sat right above the nose landing gear trunnion and I'm sure this encouraged smooth landings.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2013, 07:35:29 AM by elmayerle »

Offline Alvis 3.1

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #57 on: April 25, 2013, 04:54:57 AM »
Now that's motivation!  ;)
Something that was nice when I was scratching this beast up was that the T-33 fuselage pretty much dropped right onto the P-38 pod without much effort. Seems the basic shape was pretty close. Coming from the same company, I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was.
Stretching the pod should then be faily easy, merely use a donor T-33! :)

Alvis 3.1

Offline kitnut617

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #58 on: April 25, 2013, 05:09:04 AM »

The downside of this one is the lack of visibility the turboprops cause. I should have moved the cockpit forwards and up. Oh well.

Alvis 3.1

I think I might have a go at this, using this when it becomes available --

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SW72072

Offline elmayerle

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #59 on: April 25, 2013, 07:37:54 AM »

The downside of this one is the lack of visibility the turboprops cause. I should have moved the cockpit forwards and up. Oh well.

Alvis 3.1

I think I might have a go at this, using this when it becomes available --

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SW72072
Damn!!  I just got an old Formaplane vac-form of that on eBay.  Ah, well, more opportunity to cross the vacform with, say, a F-84C.

Offline Rickshaw

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #60 on: April 25, 2013, 09:57:53 AM »

The downside of this one is the lack of visibility the turboprops cause. I should have moved the cockpit forwards and up. Oh well.

Alvis 3.1

I think I might have a go at this, using this when it becomes available --

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SW72072
Damn!!  I just got an old Formaplane vac-form of that on eBay.  Ah, well, more opportunity to cross the vacform with, say, a F-84C.

I did as well a few months ago.  Bugger.

Offline elmayerle

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #61 on: April 25, 2013, 10:01:33 AM »
*shrug* SO, what do  you do?  Me, I'm going after a F-94C to do a cross with.  The early-model ones without the mid-span rocket pods are cheaper, though I might also grab a Heller F-94B for the mid-span gun pods.

Offline Rickshaw

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #62 on: April 25, 2013, 10:54:33 AM »
I'll just build it anyway and get a Sword kit or two as well, anyway.

Offline kitnut617

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #63 on: April 25, 2013, 08:10:56 PM »

The downside of this one is the lack of visibility the turboprops cause. I should have moved the cockpit forwards and up. Oh well.

Alvis 3.1

I think I might have a go at this, using this when it becomes available --

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SW72072
Damn!!  I just got an old Formaplane vac-form of that on eBay.  Ah, well, more opportunity to cross the vacform with, say, a F-84C.

I did as well a few months ago.  Bugger.

I know the feeling, I had hunted for ages to find a Griffin vacuform kit of it and found one a year or so ago.  It might get used instead and I'll just build the Sword one OOB.

EDIT:  at Hannants right now and just ordered one.  I had the item in my 'Watch' list and an email arrived this morning saying it was on the shelf now, along with the Harrier T.2 and T.4 which I also ordered ----  ;)
« Last Edit: April 26, 2013, 12:08:38 AM by kitnut617 »

Offline bluesman

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #64 on: April 26, 2013, 09:25:05 PM »
Alvis, just stick a camera pod on the belly ...visibility problem solved.


Offline Alvis 3.1

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #65 on: April 27, 2013, 12:17:15 AM »
Well, it took 20 years to complete the Turbo/Super Lightning. Now I'll have to start over again, this time using the SeaStar as the cockpit section. I'll let y'all know in 2033 if I ever got it done! :o


Alvis 3.1

Offline ysi_maniac

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #66 on: May 04, 2013, 12:41:55 AM »
Who cares visibility? the point is coolness.

Absolutely COOL. :-*

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #67 on: May 04, 2013, 03:26:20 AM »
Random Idea:  P-38 with prone pilot.  In other words, take a droop snoot P-38 (see below) and remove the standard cockpit altogether.  Maybe give the now prone pilot a periscopic sight (ala the Ar234) to see behind.  Maybe say this is a high speed recon version.

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Offline Litvyak

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #68 on: May 18, 2013, 12:09:04 AM »
Quick question - how different externally are the P-38J and P-38L (in terms of what would be noticeable in 1/72)?
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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #69 on: May 18, 2013, 03:50:47 AM »
I don't think there was much externally different between the pair...at leat visual and especially in 1/72 scale.  Others may know more here though.

About the only thing I can think of is that the "L" was the first to use zero-length rocket launchers...though that is only an issue if you fit such.
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Offline apophenia

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #70 on: May 18, 2013, 04:07:31 AM »
The biggies for the 'L compared with the 'J were:

- Port wing leading edge landing light (retractable underwing light on 'Js).

- Mid-chord dive recovery flaps

- Underwing fuel pump fairing (for revised fuel tankage).
http://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/Revell/P-38J/p38eaam3.jpg

- 'Christmas Tree' zero-length rocket launcher the Greg mentioned
http://www.zenoswarbirdvideos.com/Images/P-38/38rocketClus.gif

- AN/APS-13 (SCR 718) tail warning radar (3-pronged antenna, starboard tail fin.
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Offline Cliffy B

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #71 on: May 18, 2013, 04:09:05 AM »


Two R-1535 Twin Wasp Jr.
Span: 54 ft
Length: 34 ft 6 in


I was thinking about this version and I was wondering how well it would have handled itself during shipboard landings?  The tail hook would had to have gone at the end of the fuselage, IE about the middle of the plane.  That alone makes me think it would have issues.

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/rh/articles.php?id=6580
The builder of this one indicates it would have had serious arrested landing issues as well but I have no idea whether his conclusions are based at all on facts or just fiction.

Thoughts?

Would the slightly upturned tail booms on the proposed float plane version have helped at all maybe?  Seems like it would need an awfully long hook and have to come in at a relatively shallow angle VS other carrier aircraft; problems???

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Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #72 on: August 05, 2013, 07:48:35 AM »
SAAF, RAAF, and RNZAF Lightnings.
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Offline kengeorge

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #73 on: August 05, 2013, 08:51:09 AM »
Regarding the carrier Lightning.
How about extending the rear of the cockpit nacelle, say 5-6ft or so, or in line with the radiator ducts, allowing either an extended hook, so, the angle between hook & deck is lessened along with any stresses, or shift the hook further back so the hinge line is behind the cockpit & attached to the bulkhead & covered by a fairing?

Does that help?

Ken...


Offline Volkodav

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Re: Lockheed P-38 Lightning Ideas and Inspiration
« Reply #74 on: August 05, 2013, 09:38:26 AM »
SAAF, RAAF, and RNZAF Lightnings.


The RAAF actually was an operator
http://www.adastron.com/lockheed/lightning/75sqn.htm

http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a55.shtml

Although a total of five doesn't really count