P-38 Lightning Vol. 2: Lockheed's P-38J to P-38M in World War II

When, as a young modeler, I started to get interested in World War II aircraft, the P-38 Lightning was an early favorite. The exotic twin-boom design and the rounded shapes were like catnip, and I built several of them. And I’m sure I’m not alone in having a fondness for Lockheed, the graceful and deadly fighter. If you are as struck by the Lightning as I am, you’ll want to add David Doyle’s books on the type to your reference library.

In the second book of his two-volume history, Legends of Warfare Aviation — P-38 Lightning, Vol. 2: Lockheed’s P-38J to P-38M in World War II, Doyle tackles the later variants after the cooling systems were rearranged making for larger intakes in the chins of the nacelles.

Like the previous volume, this 112-page hardcover surveys each of the operational variants with a chapter of its own — P-38J, F-5B, P-38L, and P-38M — with plenty of photos from the war as well as preserved museum and airworthy examples. The final chapter covers later variants in combat with photos to fuel many modeling projects.

If you want to build Tamiya’s brand-new 1/48 scale P-38J, this is the book to have.

FineScale Modeler Editor, Aaron Skinner