Lockheed P-38 Lightning: A LEGO® creation by Kurt's MOCs : MOCpages.com

Lockheed P-38 Lightning

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Here is my LDD model of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. It is built to minifig scale. This is one my first LDD projects. Not all of the elements are articulating but the overall proportions are preserved. Feel free to leave a comment if you like.

About this creation

The P-38 was a long-range fighter used by the United States Army Air Forces. It was designed by Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, the famous aircraft designer at Lockheed who went on to run the Skunk Works, responsible for the U2 and the SR-71. Over 10,000 P-38s were produced throughout the war.

The unusual design incorporated twin booms and central nacelle. They were necessary to incorporate the liquid-cooled Allison V-170 engines and the turbo-superchargers while leaving the cockpit and armament for the central nacelle.

Each engine produced 1,000 hp and had counter-rotating propellers. The P-38 was the first fighter to exceed 400 mph.

The P-38 was susceptible to high-speed compressibility stalls. Kelly Johnson redesigned the underside of the wing to keep the centre of lift over the wings, rather than over the tail. Dive flaps were installed after 1943 to further mitigate compressibility problems.

The P-38 was used extensively in the Pacific theatre due to its long range but also saw action in the European theatre as well. The Germans called the P-38 the "fork-tailed devil."

Pilots found the P-38 enjoyable: it was forgiving, easy to fly, and reliable. While not a dogfighter in the traditional sense, two American aces of the Pacific Richard Bong and Thomas McGuire flew P-38s.

The P-38 was primarily an escort fighter or a ground attack fighter but was often used in a reconnaissance role. Others found roles as pathfinders for a bombing force or as a night fighter, known as the Night Lightning.

For this model, I wanted to capture the delicate appearance of the P-38. The Lightning seems to be composed of impossibly thin and small proportions, which were difficult to capture in Lego at this scale.

I had to make a few sacrifices in order to capture the correct appearance and proportions. However, I am happy with the result.

Retractable landing gear would have made the booms too bulky.

The P-38 is an elegant and often over-looked aircraft. Thanks to Wikipedia for the information.

Comments

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I made it

Kurt's MOCs

August 30, 2016

Quoting Fell Skyhawk Not too shabby. Nice job.

Thanks! I'm glad you like the design.

I like it

Fell Skyhawk

August 30, 2016

Not too shabby. Nice job.

I made it

Kurt's MOCs

August 29, 2016

Quoting Over 4000 Instructions?

No instructions yet. I'm thinking of revising a few things before I post it. Check out my Etsy page for more instructions.

I like it

Over 4000

August 29, 2016

Instructions?

I made it

Kurt's MOCs

November 22, 2015

Quoting Sphinx Rising58 When you get a chance, pop over to see my P-38 & some other WW-II vintage aircraft. One day I plan on giving the XB-70 a go, but yours look massive & impressive. How big is it anyways?

Thanks for your comments. Your WW2 work is impressive; keep up the good work. As for the Valkyrie, I am not sure exactly how large it is but its around 180 studs in length. I tried to keep it to minifig scale.

I like it

Sphinx Rising58

November 17, 2015

When you get a chance, pop over to see my P-38 & some other WW-II vintage aircraft. One day I plan on giving the XB-70 a go, but yours look massive & impressive. How big is it anyways?

I made it

Kurt's MOCs

June 18, 2015

Quoting Sphinx Rising The aircraft was capable of reaching the SOS in a die with full throttles, but this created a flow of air over the ailerons that basically locked them in place, so there was no pulling out. The only way to recover from such a situation was to use hydraulically controlled air brakes (equipped on later model) & lower the landing gear. This usually caused much damaged to the aircraft, but did slow the aircraft down enough to regain control if height permitted.

Thanks for your comments and explanations. It seems like all the great airplanes throughout history had flaws. But that is what made them great, if the pilot could handle them! I'm thinking of the Sopwith Camel or the F4U Corsair in particular.

I like it

Sphinx Rising

April 2, 2015

The aircraft was capable of reaching the SOS in a die with full throttles, but this created a flow of air over the ailerons that basically locked them in place, so there was no pulling out. The only way to recover from such a situation was to use hydraulically controlled air brakes (equipped on later model) & lower the landing gear. This usually caused much damaged to the aircraft, but did slow the aircraft down enough to regain control if height permitted.

I made it

Kurt MOC

December 23, 2013

Quoting Bill Ding this thing is a great plane, and ur model reflects that! It could go transonic in a dive (maybe one even broke the sound barrier, but they guy couldn't regain control, and the tale was never told).

Thanks for your comments!

I like it

Bill Ding

December 22, 2013

this thing is a great plane, and ur model reflects that! It could go transonic in a dive (maybe one even broke the sound barrier, but they guy couldn't regain control, and the tale was never told).

I made it

Kurt MOC

November 20, 2013

Quoting Chris Roach I always liked this plane as a kid - you have done it justice!

Thanks for your positive comments Chris. Its deceptively difficult to get the proportions of a P-38 correct and to scale. I went through many iterations before settling on this final design. I think there's still improvements to make but I am happy with the results thus far. I am glad you like it as well!