Tamiya P38J 1/48 from Tamiya.

[paddy]

So this is a build i am doing for a group build on another site but why not share it here :-)

Strangely for a tamiya build i have made a good start without opening the box









This is the newly released 3d printed P38 engine from Eduard which goes together quite well , not for the faint hearted but its very doable if you have done something like the old Aires rein cast versions in the past.





not a lot of the engine is seen once the ancillaries in particular the turbo piping is fitted









I wanted to tackle the Eduard stuff first because i didnt want to cut up the basic kit then find i made a hash of the detail
Next is the nose and gun bay ....

[keavdog]

Wow that is super cool! Nice detailing

[floki]

Damn that's a nice looking engine.

[kyledehart5]

Wow, that engine is amazing!! Fantastic start here.

[handiabled]

That looks amazing! Bookmarked this one! I got to park myself in a P-38J once upon a time. If you want some office shots I can dig them up for you

[paddy]

Next step was the nose guns






Again these are 3D print and very good. opinions vary on colours, either silver or Zinc chromate.







Next step will be some surgery on the kit to make these parts fit, i also have a cockpit set so i have to bear in mind how that fits when cutting the front away for the gun platform.

[handiabled]

Fabulous job on the gun bay! It will be interesting to see how the marriage of the kit and Eduard parts goes

[406 Silverado]

Mister......you sure know how to build up a convincing engine pod. That....is nothing short of spectacular as is the gun bay. That's how it's done right there!!!!

[Steve Zuleski]

This work is nuts and you're making me feel so inadequate, Paddy, HA! Stelar work, as per usual.

[paddy]

Inadequate Steve ? get outa here , you are one of the select few on these forums that inspire the rest of us.



Some of the cutting needed




Balanced in place





Looks like this will fit.

[406 Silverado]

Looks like you've got everything to fit nicely in there paddy. I've gotten to where I'll test fit the living daylights out of add ons like this waaaaaaaaay ahead of time. It's pretty disheartening to put that much time into detail like this only to have it not fit later on. Good on you brother. 

[TJ]

Man I gotta keep my eye on this build. So far its spectacular

[buddho]

Gorgeous detail.

[themongoose]

Ohh that looks pretty! Going to look great all opened up. That set is enough to raise the top notch Tamiya build to another level for sure!

[Steve Zuleski]

May 21, 2024 14:45:38 GMT -5 paddy said:

Inadequate Steve ? get outa here

I certainly don't have the knack for such interior detail and realism like you do, Brother. I am always impressed with your work. Ruck On, Bby!

Yep, sheeew, it fits. After all that work it would be nerve-racking to not have a clean fit. Standing by for more.

[handiabled]

Gotta love it when aftermarket pieces actually fit well without a ton of intervention

[floki]

This is look really good! Have you thought about what you are going to do to keep this from being a tail sitter?

[paddy]

May 23, 2024 7:56:17 GMT -5 floki said:

This is look really good! Have you thought about what you are going to do to keep this from being a tail sitter?

Working on it, the kit comes with 3 ball bearings, 10mm dia and 10g each, they sit, one in the nose which i can use and one in each engine pod so i can only use 10g of the 30g supplied.

I did fill the resin engine with shot and that now weighs 11g and the resin gun cluster weighs 5g so i may only be 4-5g out so some weight in the  propeller cones and some under the cockpit might just do it if i can get it far enough forward, failing that it will be thinning up the back :-)

kit undercarriage bay roof and holder for a ball in the engine nasal 

[406 Silverado]

I have seemed to have overlooked the ball bearings in looking at past builds of this kit but what a great idea on Tamiya's part. It sounds like you've got the weight distribution all figured out. Now we just have one awesome build to look forward to seeing come together.

[paddy]

Thanks Joe







Cockpit needed a bit of surgery, pretty sure they didnt test build this before they printed them. like most 1/48 pits you wont see much.

[BattleScale Collectica Show]

that is a thing of beauty. Love the engine details and the extra stuff you're packing into this!

[thug626]

That’s a nice looking pit!

[handiabled]

Your office looks fantastic! The cockpit in these is surprisingly roomy

[paddy]

I wasnt that happy with the Eduard cockpit, the seat sits to high, the LH controls are too far forward and fouled the instrument panel and when i came to test fit, the whole thing is too wide so i couldn't close the wing gap




Before cutting it about which sort of defeats the whole object if you are looking for accuracy, i decided to build up the kits part







The item nearest the camera is the kit part, the angled armour plate, the seat height and position of the controls seems better , its also narrower and allows the wing gap to disappear.

So what is the point of the Eduard bit ? Answers on a postcard to eduard maybe :-)

[handiabled]

Strange that the interior dimensions are so vastly different. The P-38 I climbed around was minus the armor plating but it looks as the Tamiya has the accurate seat mount tubing behind it but the Eduard seat might be a closer match. Either way if the Eduard office gaps the wing root that badly it makes the choice pretty easy

Here are a couple pit shots I took

[406 Silverado]

I feel your pain on that whole Eduard cockpit and the fit issues that you're having paddy and that's definitely a feedback report to Eduard right there. I'm curious as to how Eduard got theirs to fit. 
 In looking at both completed cockpits, I'd say that you did a mighty fine job of building up a convincing interior using the kit parts. Beautiful work paddy. 

[paddy]

I have to say, full marks to Tamiya here, the fit of the parts is exemplary, there is a reason why some consider them the Rolls Royce of kits.
Also a lot of thought gone into the build so there are no seams on the leading edges and all sprue attachments are on the "Glued" faces.
Its nice to have a period of hassle free building while the Eduard parts take a back seat.




Its even starting to look like a P-38

[mrt51]

Looking good!

[jeaton01]

I admire you for adding all the detail, Paddy. Maybe all that stuff would be better off used in the Hasegawa kit so a person can just have fun cruising through the Tamiya kit!

[thug626]

That is unfortunate about the Eduard cockpit. It’s frustrating when a part is listed for a specific kit and doesn’t fit properly. Where your build is at now looks pretty amazing!

Cheers
Dave