Atlas Editions Fighter Aces of World War II 7896-003
Lockheed P-38J Lightning Diecast Model
USAAF 8th FG, 80th FS Headhunters, Down Beat, Dick Bong, April 1st 1944 |
| 1:72 Scale | | Length | | Width |
|---|
| Lockheed P-38J Lightning | | 6.25" | | 8.75" |
80th FS legend suggest that Dick Bong was flying this machine when he broke Eddie Rickenbacker's 26-kill World War 1 ace record on 12 April 1944. Bong downed three Ki-43 "Oscars" over Hollandia to boost his tally to 28. However, others, including the aircraft's crew chief, Sam Scher, state that it was only ever flown by Bong once, on 1 April 1944. The ace complimented Scher on his maintenance of "Down Beat". Designed to meet a USAAC requirement for a high-performance fighter, the P-38 Lightning was first flown on January 27th, 1939. The easily recognizable P-38 had twin-booms, twin turbo-supercharged engines, a central pod for the pilot, contra-rotating propellers and tricycle landing gear. Its roles included dive bombing, level bombing, ground strafing and photo reconnaissance. When equipped with drop tanks it was also flown as a long-range escort fighter. The Lightning's armament was clustered in the nose of the plane, which gave the pilot a direct line of site to the target and also gave the weapons a "buzz saw" effect that was useful for strafing. © Copyright 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc. The Atlas Editions "Fighter Aces of World War II" range presents affordable, ready made diecast models of military aircraft in 1:72 scale. Atlas Editions diecast airplanes feature: - Diecast metal and plastic construction.
- Realistic panel lines, antennas, access panels and surface details.
- Presentation stand to display the aircraft "in flight".
- Fixed, non-spinning plastic propellers.
- No pilot figures.
© Copyright 2003-2025 The Flying Mule, Inc. |
