Lockheed P-38 Lightning

One of two 'Advanced' build planes in my upcoming book 'How to Build Brick Airplanes' - the Lockheed P-38 Lightning is a (very) big model.

 

How big? - Part count is just shy of 2,200 parts. But the model is not full of little parts.

 

Measuring 752mm (30 in) across the wings, the P-38 is is nearly as big as the official LEGO(R) Millennium Falcon.

 

So its big - what else?

 

Glad you asked. The scale is Miniland - the same as most of the car models I create. At this scale it affords the opportunity to fit functioning Lego Technic engines. The P-38 is a twin engined plane (Allison V1710 V12s), and these are modelled as Lego V6s. The engines are gear driven to the twin propellers.

 

The big party trick though, is the landing gear. The P-38 had three landing gear wheels, one at the nose, and one behind each engine.

 

In the model, the activation of the landing gear is pretty cool (at least I think so). The round 4x4x2 cone can be rotated to lower the front wheel, while the 2x2x2 cone behind the cabin (on the centreline) rotates to lower each of the engine-pod wheels, via driveshafts in the inner wing section.

 

If you want to see for yourself, the book "How to Build Brick Airplanes' is officially released in a week's time (19th October).

 

Depending on where you live, 'How to Build Brick Airplanes' can be ordered at the following sites:

 

Australia - Booktopia:

 

www.booktopia.com.au/how-to-build-brick-airplanes-peter-b...

 

Amazon U.S.: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0760361649/creativepubco-20

 

Amazon UK: www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0760361649/creativepubc...

 

Waterstones UK:

 

www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-build-brick-airplanes/pet...

 

Indigo - Canada:

 

www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/How-To-Build-Brick-Air...

 

 

 

Done