1/48 P38J (ETO) Lightning Fighter

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was undoubtedly one of the most original aircraft in terms of design and aerodynamic layout during World War II. It was a revolutionary heavy fighter featuring a twin-boom fuselage design, with the two engines housed in the booms and the pilot seated in a forward cockpit positioned at the center of the aircraft. Powered by two liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 V-12 engines, each producing 1,425 hp, the P-38 could reach a top speed of over 660 km/h (410 mph). It was armed with four 12.7 mm Browning machine guns and a Hispano M2 cannon, providing substantial firepower. Though not as maneuverable as the single-engine fighters of its time, it was highly robust and stable. One of its key strengths was its long flight range, making it particularly effective in the Pacific theater and for escorting long-range bombers over European skies. Due to its distinctive shape and formidable combat capabilities, enemy pilots nicknamed the P-38 “the fork-tailed devil.”