COMET Lockheed P-38 Lightning

[BillParker]

COMET Lockheed P-38 Lightning

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cometmodelairplanes/

#3504 Comet Lockheed P-38 Lightning
34 inch Wingspan Flying Model Wood Model Kit

Build Photos at:

http://www.parkerinfo.com/ap136.htm#cometp38


Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Lockheed had originally dubbed the aircraft Atalanta from Greek
mythology in the company tradition of naming planes after mythological
and celestial figures, but the RAF wasn't going for it...

The Brits liked Lightning better... But they didn't like the cheapy
version of the plane that they originally ordered... (both props spun
the same direction on the Brit and French versions...) Not because
they thought it worked better, but because they wanted the P-38 to have
the same exact engine that the P-40 used... (it's a parts thing...)
Didn't turn out good for anybuddy... When they started receiving the
better versions of the plane they called it the Lightning II...

Anyway, since we lst talked about the directionally opposite spinning
propellors on multi-rubber band free-flight model airplanes.... This
is what I've been up to...



from the other way:



The planes closest to the end above, you've all seen... Some of the further
ones you haven't, but will... Oh, and I forgot all about directionally opposite
spinning propellors on multi-rubber band free-flight model airplanes....

So... Turns out... I got this Comet kit. (yes, from E-Bay...) Of all the
Comet kits, I've built this one way more times than any of the others...
Counting all the way back to the 70's probably a dozen times. And yes,
everytime I build this thing, I swear to myself, I will never again look
upon this thing again. But here we are... Honestly the kids on Facebook,
Comet Model Airplanes page started talking about what a big deal this kit
is, and again, here we are...

So, late seventies, I had a Hobby Shop right down the street from where I
lived at the time. (looking back, I miss having that guy around now days)
I think that few of us knew how good we had it when we could conveniently
visit a brick and mortar establishment that stocked and sold everything we
needed to do what we do... *sniff* But anyway, I dropped in on that shop,
and discovered an airplane model, made of balsa, and it sold for $6.00 (USD)...
It would be the first plane in about 6 or 7 years, but I knew everything there
was to know, (NOT!) about Guillow's planes so how hard could it be? I had
never heard of Comet Industries, but I was way to smart to worry about that...
Even the Hobby Shop guy said, "Dude, that not a guillow's kit..." I said,
"no sweat..." and off I went.

Got the kit home, and discovered what "printwood" is. At first I thought
that the Comet people forgot to diecut my balsa... Went to bed and afterwork
the next day, went back to the shop, and very slyly said, "so you have to cut
out the parts yourself, don't you?" He said, "told you it wasn't guillow's..."
As his Exacto knife set was like $7.00 or something, again, as I'm so smart,
I went to the drug store and bought a bunch of single edged razor blades...
And so, I sh*t you not, for the next six weeks I cut, broke, repaired, cussed,
and finally built P-38 parts... I swore I would NEVER again even look at any
Comet kit under any circumstance... I got over it... But it took 15 years to
feel better about it...

The thing that makes this kit special, and very difficult to deal with, is
large (thick) balsa that's used throughout the plane. It builds a structure
that you can almost stand on and not break. All the stringers are 3/32", and
3/32 x 3/16"... Many of the formers are 3/32" as well... The balsa is, always
has been on every one of these Comet kits I've ever opened, hard stuff. I have my
own balsa grading system. Spongy thru Granite... Having bought a brandy new
kit back in the day, and having it come with balsa that was every bit as granite,
as the one I'm building right now, leads me to beleive that age is not the deal,
but the Comet guys, well, just being evil...

This time, I changed all the blades in all my knives, choppers, scrapers, and
other implements of destruction before I started this project. Then halfway thru
in the parts making process, I changed em all again. Guess what? Broke and repaired
one part in the making of the parts phase. One. Sharp blades? I seem to still
think I'm smart...

Okay so... let's build a P-38...

[BillParker]

COMET Lockheed P-38 Lightning

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cometmodelairplanes/

#3504 Comet Lockheed P-38 Lightning
34 inch Wingspan Flying Model Wood Model Kit

Build Photos at:

http://www.parkerinfo.com/ap136.htm#cometp38





Just above the "whodunnit" portion of the plan, is a note about tail feather
counter weights... The P-38 was sorely afflicted by "tail flutter." The weights
were an attempt... It would be fun to get a time machine, and stand at the back
of the meeting, and quietly say, "Kelly, what if we made the elevator a one piece
stabilator?"



Completed parts in their bins... Left to right: tail feathers, radiators,
center fuse, one boom, the other boom, accessories, scoops, landing gear
doodads, etc... This time it took 4 days to make the parts.







The wings are: 1/8" square leading edge. 3/32" x 3/16" trailing edge. Bottom
strings/spars 3/32" x 3/16" Top strings/spars 3/32" square. 2" dihedral at both
wing tips. The formers are 1/16" thick balsa, and the weakest link in the wing.
All this balsa was the constistancy of really hard basswood. Grade: Double Secret
GRANITE



Horizontal stab is all 3/32"... Blasa Harder than Chinese Trigonometry...

[BillParker]

COMET Lockheed P-38 Lightning

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cometmodelairplanes/

#3504 Comet Lockheed P-38 Lightning
34 inch Wingspan Flying Model Wood Model Kit

Build Photos at:

http://www.parkerinfo.com/ap136.htm#cometp38




Center fuse: 3/32" stringer/longeron/keel, with a 3/16" x 3/32" "backbone"
(their word)... Nose gear mount is 3/32" thick, with nose gear strut location
inked on. Thank you Mr. Comet...



Center fuse formers are all 1/16". I believe these parts were actually Teak Wood...



Okay... The Gap. If you fail to remember to cut the second former from the nose
to leave a gap for the nose gear strut to slide into... (ask me how I know...) You
ain't gonna have landing gear on your plane. I suppose that if you're a wise guy,
you might get a dremmel in there some how and cut away the gap, but you'd probably
just tear it up...



The finished center fuse. The info on the plan in the background of this photo describes
the process of adding the stringers/longerons to the center fuse. As is normal they want
you to alternate sides, which makes sense, and I did. They want you to leave off the two
stringers at the second to the top of the stucture until assembly to the wing. Note my fuse
has this second to the top stringer, but it's cut off at the 4th or canopy former. Okay so
here's the thing: they want you to assemble the fuse, leave off the two stringers, get it all
sanded nice and purty, tissue the wing, tissue the lower fuse portion, assemble the center
fuse to the wing, add the stringers, sand it again, then finish the tisue job. I have not yet
begun to talk about the paper fairings that willl be converted to 1/32" balsa and added during
the tissue process. All that stuff ain't gonna happen. Some of you guys who do really great
work could probably pull it off, (you know who you are) but I'm gonna be me... More about this
in a little while...





Comet wants you to build the verticle tail feathers right onto the boom as you layout
the top and bottom keel for the boom. Don't be fooled. After building this thing this
many times, I finally figured out that if you'll build the verticle first, pick it up off
the plan, make danged sure it fits onto the horizontal, and get it sanded all righteous,
life will turn out the way we'd all like it to turn out. Then stick it back on the plan
and start your booms...

[BillParker]

COMET Lockheed P-38 Lightning

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cometmodelairplanes/

#3504 Comet Lockheed P-38 Lightning
34 inch Wingspan Flying Model Wood Model Kit

Build Photos at:

http://www.parkerinfo.com/ap136.htm#cometp38






Okay more about the top stringer issue... Where stringers WILL have to be added
after assembly and tissue, I added "stops" to give me something to not only glue to,
but to rest on while I'm wishing I had 3 hands... You'll see when we finally get there...







The booms are: 3/32" square top and bottom keels. Nose and underwing formers
are 3/32" and the rest of the formers are 1/16"... All hard balsa... (I would
try to make another "hard" joke, but vulgarity is all I got left...) They want
you to put all the stringer/longerons on one side except for don't glue the
stringers at the nose until you can do them all at the same time, BEFORE you pick
it up off the plan. Nope, that's ain't going to work. So I put one on, picked up,
added the formers on the other side, added one stringer, then built the other one.
Boom parts are labled left and right. Woe be to he who ignores the left and right
deal. (ask me how I know... back in the 70's too smart for my own breeches...) Oh
and... They want you to leave the top two stringers off of each boom, until after
the wings are installed. We already talked about this...

[BillParker]

COMET Lockheed P-38 Lightning

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cometmodelairplanes/

#3504 Comet Lockheed P-38 Lightning
34 inch Wingspan Flying Model Wood Model Kit

Build Photos at:

http://www.parkerinfo.com/ap136.htm#cometp38








Since I'm going to actually put two rubber bands inside this thing, I decided
for the first time to try to do the Comet rear rubber motor mount. Believe me,
there's got to be an easier way, but now I can die happy, as I tried it and was
marginally successful. Both of em are actually fairly straight. Former number 7,
where the mount is, is 3/32" thick.











One of the more charming feature of comet kits, is they were manufactured and
sold before plastic and the vacuum molding process were invented. You know,
back when balsa was made of IRON, and tended to rust... Point is you get to
make everything out of balsa. The balsa blocks that came with this kit were
too hard to sand conveniently, even with my power sanders, so I replaced the
black with more workable materials. These props are for static, and I'll use
the red plastic 2 bladers that came in the kit for wind up fun. Note that the
static props are pointed the right way... Whew. Oh, and... Originally, back in
the day, the plastic 2 bladers didn't come with the kit, and they wanted you to
build, balance, and use the static set-up as flying 3 bladed props. Yeah, right...

[BillParker]

COMET Lockheed P-38 Lightning

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cometmodelairplanes/

#3504 Comet Lockheed P-38 Lightning
34 inch Wingspan Flying Model Wood Model Kit

Build Photos at:

http://www.parkerinfo.com/ap136.htm#cometp38











Maestro, sinster music and a stark light, please... The RADIATORS... If ever
there was a .... Wait a minute, I was bragging about no plastics a minute ago...
Actually it's not the radiators, but PART 15A... 15a is the little lippy deal
on the front of the radiator. you can just see it above... Anyway, I have 3
of 4 finished and sanded... If I can just do it one more time without tearing
it up...



Comet gives you parts and instructions to make scale landing gear. Most
kits you kind of have to wing it. I used 1/4" dowel, rather than 3/16"... I
plan to say that it's a Lockheed with Grumman landing gear.



Okay, so here we are all mocked up.

[NcGunny]

Beautiful build so far Bill. All I can say is Thats a whole lotta parts on that table!! Just got back from NC for a few days and Fedex had delivered my balsa from Revell. I was laughing when you talked of your grading system...I swear to God the balsa I got from Revell was cut granite,never had any as hard as that stuff is. Quick call and they are sending new stuff. Might have to look into a Comet kit for myself.

[kittyfritters]

Bill,

Think real hard about how you are going to stooge it and launch it. I came up with a way to do it in the 50s. I used a variation of the idea for my Bristol Beaufighter Nocal, but I've seen many other methods of stooging and launching multi-motor rubber ships. Maybe you'll come up with another one.

Howard

[Mitch]

For my P-38 I was planning on using my 'tailgate' stooge. I will need to move the brackets closer to make it a custom fit for the P-38:

For launching I plan to have a stop stick at each prop and pull them out together with one sting connecting them:

You can see the holes in the cowlings where I plan to place a 'stop' stick