P-38 Lightning Part 1:
XP-38 Prototype Through P-38H
in Detail and Scale

Detail & Scale Volume 18

Printed and Digital Books

Reviewed by Floyd S. Werner Jr.

The P-38 is unique among fighter planes.  Ground breaking design from the likes of Kelly Johnson and the people at Lockheed which combined speed, maneuverability and firepower in one twin-boomed design.  Starting in 1939, it was the right plane for the right time.  Performing well in the Pacific, Europe, North Africa and the Aleutians, the long ranged Lightning was able to carry the fight to the enemy. 

This digital book takes over for the paperback books of 1998.  While great publications for their time, the printed books had many limitations that digital books don’t.  First off, the amount of pages that can be included is really not limited to the same size booklets.  This digital book has 149 ‘pages’.  The other thing is that there is no need to worry about how many photos and color pages you have in the digital world.  There are over 200 photos and over 90 of them are color.  The ability to enlarge the print, and more importantly, the photos make these a valuable tool for the modeler.  The ability to have multiple volumes on one tablet makes storage so much easier. 

The authors of this volume should come as no surprise.  Haagen Klaus is a noted modeler, author and historian.  He has a writing style that is informative without being boring.  This is his third book in the Detail & Scale series. 

Bert Kinzey is Detail & Scale.  His books have helped historians and modelers for many years.  His format is often copied by other publications.  That alone tells you the kind of ground breaking stuff that he has done and continues to do. 

Speaking of format, the layout of this ‘book’ is the same as we’ve become accustomed to from Detail & Scale.  Historical background, developmental history of the type, walk around section and finally a modelers section.  This is a tried and true method to the Detail & Scale series of publications.  It works so there is no reason to change it.

Starting off with the XP-38 prototype the genius of Kelly Johnson and his team is immediately evident.  Overcoming limitations and operational requirements they were able to produce a very unique and successful aircraft, especially considering that this was Lockheed’s first fighter.  Did you know that the British named it the Lightning?  I didn’t or I’d forgotten it. 

The forgotten P-38-LO is shown, including a unique second cockpit on the left wing/fuselage join.  Interesting to say the least.  When dealing with such a revolutionary fighter there are lots of things to learn and to tweak to make it operational.  This is one of those aircraft. 

The P-38D, E, F, G and H, including the Photo Recon variants, get similar treatment.  The five-view drawings are certainly to be a hit for model builders.  Every external change is shown and highlighted.   Another ‘variant’ that is cool looking that I can’t remember seeing before is Swordfish or Nosey.  It has an elongated fuselage and second cockpit along with an extended nose and airfoil addition to the wings.  The floatplane test bed aircraft with its upturned tail is also shown. 

For those that are detail oriented, the F-4-1 variant shows the modifications done to the cockpit of these recon variants. 

After those chapters the book follows up with detail photos from manuals and actual aircraft, including Glacier Girl and White 33.  Interesting to me is the car steering wheel on the early prototypes, not the typical yoke.  Everything is covered, instrument panels, radios, side consoles, canopy (including the side and top opening types), fuselage, gun bays, wheel wells, landing gear, engines, props, and wings.  Literally everything a model builder could possibly want to see and replicate. 

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The modelers section is the part of the ‘book’ that separates Detail and Scale from other publications.  Actual modelers building and critiquing actual kits.  Not only that but they also offer suggested corrections or aftermarket sets.  1/72 and 1/48 kits are reviewed as there are no actual kits for the early Lightnings. 

This is another gem in the library of Detail & Scale.  If you want to build an early P-38, up to the H, then this is the ONLY ‘book’ you’ll need.  Detail & Scale have a perfect recipe for what modelers want and need in a reference book and at a value.  For those that prefer printed hardcopies, the book is also available in that format.  I can’t wait for the later variant ‘book’ to complete the Lightning story.

Thanks to Detail & Scale or the sample.

Review Copyright © 2024 by Floyd S. Werner Jr.
This Page Created on 1 August, 2024
Last updated 1 August, 2024

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