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Scale: 1/32
Wingspan: 19.5"
Length: 14.25"
Code: AP38PL
This collectable model P-38J Lightning represents one of the most innovative fighters of World War II, the twin-boom Lockheed P-38J Lightning. Designed by famed aeronautical engineer Kelly Johnson, the P-38J “Putt Putt Maru” was the P-38J flown by Col. Charles McDonald, fighter ace and commander of the 475th Fighter Squadron. This 1/32-scale model P-38J Lightning makes a great pilot gift or a present for any veteran, aviation enthusiast or history buff.
The P-38 was developed in response to a 1937 request from the Army Air Corps for an twin0engine interceptor that could climb to 20,000 feet in six minutes and have a top speed of 360 mph. The proposal also called for the aircraft to use turbosupercharged Allison V-1710 engines, and to have tricycle landing gear.
Lockeheed’s proposal, under the direction of Clarence “Kelly” Johnson – who would design the P-80 Shooting Star, the F-104 Starfighter and the U-2 spyplane- and Hall Hibberd, was an unusual aircraft, with long booms housing each engine and the pilot and guns located in a central nacelle. Counter-rotating propellers eliminated torque problems and the cluster of guns allowed for accurate long-range shooting.
The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the mount of America's top aces, Richard Bong (40 victories) and Thomas McGuire (38 victories). In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war. The P-38 was the only American fighter aircraft in active production throughout the duration of American involvement in the war, from Pearl Harbor to VJ Day.