Small Scale Military Headquarters

I am planing to get a P-38 (Pudgy V).
Can you guys tell me the good and bad parts of the model?

Thanks

mmmmm..... You had to ask huh?.....

Well, I'm not a real big fan of the XD P-38. It was a pre-Sunderland model that came out in 2001. The good points:

-It's big
-It's got 2 engines
-From the bottom, it looks pretty cool.
-It's sturdy

The bad points:

-The nose landing gear is way too far back. I understand why, as the center of gravity of the aircraft would of been too far back if it was correctly located. It is also too big. Be VERY careful with it as many people in the past have snapped it off attempting to retract it. Remember to PUSH it in when doing this. If you don't and yank on it, it will break

- The windshield is curved. This is my #1 peeve with the model. I am a shape nazi, and the curved windshield destroys the look of the plane (as it does on the P-40)

- The rocket tubes don't come off without snapping something off. They are glued into place.

- No dashboard. The model is missing this along with the mounted gunsight. Not too hard to fabricate, though.


I am being picky I know. Just my 2 cents worth, hehehe....

-Ski

What do you mean no dash?

There is no cockpit detail at all?

No gauges nothing?

There is plenty of cockpit detail and the gagues are painted nicely. They even put in the correct steering yolk, which turns. The radio equipment is also there behind the pilot seat. What Teamski means is that there is no dash (there wasn't much of one on the plane anyways) and and gunsight. The instrument panel sits along the far wall of the cockpit. Although a "pre-Sutherland" model, I think its still a nice plane and it holds up well with the newer WWII releases. As previously mentioned, it is also huge! One of the largest 1:18 planes next to the 21c Avenger and BBI F-18 & F-16

Thanks for the information, I really appreciate it!

Its a nice aircraft, but I wished it had more working features; Flaps, vertical stabilizers and if possible horizontal stabilizers.

I wold buy it.

It’s my favorite of all 21C planes. That’s probably due to its size but I think it’s a great piece. It does have some draw backs but so do all the other planes that have been made so far. This is a pretty good aircraft considering it was in their first line up. I think it still can hold its own against the newer planes produced today. I have both the D-Day version and the Haleakala II which is my personal favorite. †

Sounds like this bird could use a re-tool. Maybe an earlier 'F' model. I'd be all over an 'F' model. That, or a 'G'. A 'G' would be good too.

Since we are talking about the P-38's good and bad points, it made me wonder about the other 4 planes in the original batch, the Corsair, Mustang, Stuka, and Me 109. How well have these held up over time? They have all been reissued numerous time, some very recently, some have been shelved and replaced with newer molds.
Obviously, the Mustang was the worst of the bunch, but which do you think was the best based on features, shape, and detail?

STUKA!!!!

I think it’s the best of the old birds. It was very detailed for its time right down to the window in the cockpit floor. I would have liked movable control surfaces on the wings but they look just fine without. Over all I think she has held up well. The Corsair is a close second followed by the Me-109.

pokeyjtc wrote:Since we are talking about the P-38's good and bad points, it made me wonder about the other 4 planes in the original batch, the Corsair, Mustang, Stuka, and Me 109. How well have these held up over time? They have all been reissued numerous time, some very recently, some have been shelved and replaced with newer molds.
Obviously, the Mustang was the worst of the bunch, but which do you think was the best based on features, shape, and detail?

The P-51 hasn't held up well, but the rest have. The ME-109E, exceeded the origional P-51 from the get-go. Repaints of the Corsair and Stuka are currently at many Wal Marts (including 3-4 of mine) and even with new liveries, these 4-year-old designs still look good! I will admit, however, that the Corsair has become outdated when compared to the 1:18 BBI version and the 32x plane.

I'd probably have to agree that the best is the Stuka of these early releases is the Stuka, followed closely by the P-38

I think the S1 ME-109 is my favorite of the 109 series and my favorite of the S1 Aircraft. I do like the P-38 though. The S1 Mustang ranks down there with the SEAL jeep in my eyes.