P-38 Lightning (AC011) includes one P-38 Lightning model, one aircraft dice, one plastic flight stand, two Rare earth magnets & one Decal sheet. Named “fork-tailed devil” by the Luftwaffe and “two planes, one pilot” by the Japanese, the P-38 was used in a number of roles. These ranged from dive bombing, level bombing and ground-attack to photo-reconnaissance missions and even as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings. The P-38 Lightning came out of a program in 1937 by the United States Army Air Corps calling for the design of a high-altitude interceptor with 'the tactical mission of interception and attack of hostile aircraft at high altitude'. In the European theatre of operations the P-38 Lightning first saw service as a fighter escort for B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, and continued to do so throughout the war. Eventually the also began to be employed in the ground attack role. Check out the P-38 Lightning in the online store here...

During the invasion of Normandy and the Allied advance across France into Germany the P-38 Lightning saw extensive action as a fighter-bomber. The 370th Fighter Group and its P-38 Lightnings were assigned to the IX Tactical Air Command, flying missions over Normandy from England. During these missions they dive-bombed radar installations, enemy armoured vehicles, troop concentrations, and flak positions. The 370th later operated from Cardonville France, flying ground attack missions against gun emplacements, troops, supply dumps and tanks near Saint-Lô in July and against the Falaise gap in August 1944. The 370th participated in ground attack missions across Europe until February 1945 when the unit changed over to P-51 Mustangs. In Normandy, having swept the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, from the skies, the Allied Air Forces have exposed the German Army to their fighter-bombers. The ability to hit and destroy targets anywhere on the battlefield with near impunity has made air support an expected and welcome addition to defeating German ground forces.

The P-38 Lightning relies on its speed to get in and deliver its payload on the enemy, unlike the P-47 Thunderbolt, which uses brute force. P-38 can be devastating and is respected by the Germans who have to live under their bombardments all day long!   Left: P-38 Lightning Decal Sheet  Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Khairul Effendy

The P-38 Lightning in Flames Of War

Aircraft Weapon To Hit Anti-tank Firepower Notes P-38 Lightning Cannon 3+ 7 5+     Bombs 4+ 5 1+

The New Flight Stand The new flight stand made its début in the Flames Of War Vietnam helicopter box sets. The new design is much improved and is stronger and more stable than the previous version. It can not only be used with just the Huey, but other Flames Of War aircraft too. Learn more about the new plastic Flight Stand here...

The Flying Stand & Aircraft Dice

Contents of the P-38 Lightning Box Set

Contact the customer service team at [email protected] if you have any issues with any of the components.

Description of Components

a. 2x Rare earth magnets. b. 1x Nose & spinner sprue. c. 1x Resin P-38 Lightning fuselage.

d. 1x Plastic flight stand. e. 1x Aircraft die. f. 1x P-38 Lightning decal sheet.

Assembling The Flight Stand

Step 1. Cut the parts of the flight stand off the plastic sprue and clean them up. The best way to cut the parts off the sprue is with a sharp hobby knife or a pair of hobby cutters.

Step 2. Attach to stem to the flight stand base. Tip: When assembling the flight stand it is best to use hobby glue especially formulated for plastics. However, Super Glue can be used if you don't have access to specific plastic hobby glue.	Step 3. Add the magnet cap to the top of the stem. Casey has done another excellent job working with Evan to create an excellent system of attaching the flight stand to the bottom of the P-38. Note: The cap fits snugly to the top of the stem, so only use a very small amount of glue to hold the magnet cap in place.	Step 4. The cap has a recess designed for the supplied magnets. The cap is designed especially to work in conjunction with the recess on the bottom of the P-38 and the magnets to create a solid connection between the stand and P-38. Note: The cap also a two tabs to match the two slots on the bottom of the P-38 Lightning.

Assembling The P-38 Lightning

Step 1. Begin by attaching the nose cone of the P-38 Lightning to the front of the resin fuselage. Tip: Ensure that the machine-guns mounted in the nose are facing in an upwards position.		Step 2. Next, attach the spinners to front of each of the wing-mounted engines.

Below: An example of a spinner attach to the front of the engine.	Step 3. Attach the second spinner to the front of the engine on the opposing wing.

Below: The nose cone and spinners correctly attached to the P-38 Lightning fuselage.	Step 4. Next, attach one of the rare earth magnets included in the box set into the recess in the belly of the P-38 Lightning.

Below: With the magnet in place, the flight stand can plug into the belly of P-38 Lightning to offer a secure method of attachment.		Below: The fully-assembled P-38 Lightning complete with flight stand and aircraft die.